Brake Handle sticking - Noisy front forks

DraginMiFeet

DraginMiFeet

Well-known member
2006 Honda VTX 1300. When I go to apply front brake the handle seems a little stiff and sort of notches (sticky) so the brakes goes from a little braking to a lot of braking (dangerous). However, if I put upward pressure on the brake handle and apply the brake the handle (brake) works smoothly. Are there any opinions on what would cause this? Master cylinder piston? brake handle pivot?

Also, Front forks "groan" if they are going up or down. Does this mean dry seals and I should get them replaced?

Any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Colin
 
Has the bike been down or hit any unusually large bumps recently?

The lever and perch might have been tweeked out of alignment. The usual fix it to replace them.

If the forks are groaning it could be that the front end has been tweeked. The forks aren't bent are they? If not; Support the bike (on a centre stand if you have one) and release the triples on one fork, let it find its position and tighten just the bottom triple. Do the same for the other fork. Check that the upper and lower triple are aligned, give the bike a little bounce on the forks. Tighten the upper triples.
 
Thank you for the information. The bike has not been down that I know of. I just bought it in May this year, however I did see small scratch area on the pipes. Both problems started about 6 weeks after i got the bike.

I'll replace the lever and perch.

I'll try your suggestion on the forks. What's the procedure to find out if the forks are bent?
 
I'd start by lubing up the brake lever pivot points first, probably all dried up, I doubt you need to replace any parts.
 
DraginMiFeet said:
Thank you for the information. The bike has not been down that I know of. I just bought it in May this year, however I did see small scratch area on the pipes. Both problems started about 6 weeks after i got the bike.

I'll replace the lever and perch.

I'll try your suggestion on the forks. What's the procedure to find out if the forks are bent?
Click to expand...

Best way to verify is to take the forks off, roll them on a manual tire balancer (or equivalent) and use a dial indicator to check for excess deflection....

If the forks have been serviced in the past, theres some chance the springs were put in upside down.... That would cause squeaking/rubbing.
 
Do these forks have progressive springs in them?

I reacently installed a set of progressive springs in a '95 yamaha...and the amount of noise from the springs is VERY noticeable.
 
I know you would like a 'do it yourself' kind of answer but brake problems and unusual fork action together say more than minor service required. I suggest that you should take the bike to a shop or a knowledgable mechanic. No one can diagnose this kind of problem for you without seeing the bike and checking it. Front brakes rarely ever get 'notchy' without a reason. parillaguy
 
The brake issue is easy to find the fault in / fix. The fork issue....sounds like a bigger job. Might need a rebuild at most with new bushings.
 
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VFR.CBR said:
Has the bike been down or hit any unusually large bumps recently?

The lever and perch might have been tweeked out of alignment. The usual fix it to replace them.

If the forks are groaning it could be that the front end has been tweeked. The forks aren't bent are they? If not; Support the bike (on a centre stand if you have one) and release the triples on one fork, let it find its position and tighten just the bottom triple. Do the same for the other fork. Check that the upper and lower triple are aligned, give the bike a little bounce on the forks. Tighten the upper triples.
Click to expand...

This seems the way to go. Going to work on it today. Are you saying that the front wheel should be off the ground when working on the fork?
 
DraginMiFeet said:
This seems the way to go. Going to work on it today. Are you saying that the front wheel should be off the ground when working on the fork?
Click to expand...

That's the idea. You want to take all the load off the forks so that they're both fully extended. It doesn't need to be for a long time, just enough to release and tighten the lower triple. If you have a centre stand a couple of (stout) friends would do the trick.
 
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