899 Front Brake Feel - Soft/Mushy

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schefdeh5

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Dec 23, 2018
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Hey guys,

Anyone notice their front brakes on their 899/959 being soft/mushy. I have to pull the front brake lever all the way down just for brakes to bite. It can be a very scary feeling, especially when riding fast.

I saw a thread on the 899 Forum (https://www.899panigale.org/forum/899-panigale-general-discussion/9073-front-brake-feel.html), and commented last.

I have both the 899 and a MV Agusta F3 800, both have Brembos and ABS, but the feel of the front brake on the MV is incredible. Strong brakes, every single time.

I'll be doing a brake flush and all the tips mentioned in the 899 Forum soon to see if that will solve the problem.

Let me know your thoughts on this issue.
 
A common issue with the brakes on the 899 / 959 is that air is trapped in the abs unit and this can be difficult to bleed unless you actually bleed the abs unit direct from the banjo bolts. I had a terrible front brake and no amount of bleeding will ever help if you have air trapped in the abs. After bleeding the air from the abs the brakes worked great. I am installing some bleed valves to the abs unit to make it less of a messy job for next time. And also the MV has higher spec brembo calipers and are awesome.
 
Its air , always is . !st try bleeding from the master cylinder . If you dont get air from there it is going to be in the abs pump.
 
HUGE BREMBO RECALL!! Make sure you're not in it.
My buddy lost his brakes on a track day because of it.
 
.... can the brake master, brake lines and the ABS unit for starters. Get a RCS brake master and go direct to the calipers with a T line all your problems be gone.
 
If you are deleting the ABS it does. If you are merely bypassing/plugging the ABS unit and leaving it
all electrically connected it doesnt.
As your post said delete kits, I assumed it was a total removal package.
 
schefdeh5 said:
I have both the 899 and a MV Agusta F3 800, both have Brembos and ABS, but the feel of the front brake on the MV is incredible. Strong brakes, every single time.
Click to expand...


Hey Schef, just curious, can you confirm your F3 has ABS? Wondering why the 899's abs causes issues but not the F3.
To that point does any other bikes with abs have this issue?




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I don't know about the Ducati, but my BMW needs a computer to bleed the ABS unit. Without this, the unit is closed, so you cannot bleed everything.
The PC opens it as if it was active
 
Norick said:
A common issue with the brakes on the 899 / 959 is that air is trapped in the abs unit and this can be difficult to bleed unless you actually bleed the abs unit direct from the banjo bolts. I had a terrible front brake and no amount of bleeding will ever help if you have air trapped in the abs. After bleeding the air from the abs the brakes worked great. I am installing some bleed valves to the abs unit to make it less of a messy job for next time. And also the MV has higher spec brembo calipers and are awesome.
Click to expand...

@Norik,
How did you bleed from the ABS unit? Did you install bleeder banjo bolts? Did you bleed from the intake or the outlet? What length and thread pitch are the banjos on the ABS pump, do you know?
 
Ive been through this situation before, if you complete the following steps, you'll take care of the issue. Most people forget to bleed the nipple near the Fill reservoir.

See below:

How to bleed brakes correctly:

1. Suck out all of the old fluid in the brake reservoir. Fill reservoir, never let it go dry.
2. Bleed the nipple that is located on the right handle bar, near the brake reservoir.Fill reservoir, never let it go dry.
3. Bleed the brake caliper nipple(s) at the front wheel. Fill reservoir, never let it go dry.

Complete the same for the rear.

Y
 
noticed on the 899 site mention of the master cylinder plunger not retracting 100% causing a problem.Yesterday I removed my brake lever,removed the black rubber boot and found my piston retracted fully.Now,when re-installing my aftermarket lever I did find that in order for it to be re-installed it does put a little bit of force/movement on the piston from its maximum retracted position.I filed off enough metal from the little rod so that there is zero pressure on the master cylinder piston when at rest.

I was hoping that this may solve the spongy front brake problem-but it did not.Thought I would post and share. Also,it looks like the clutch master cylinder is a mirror opposite of the brake cylinder and that hydraulic circuit never has issues with being spongy.

So,at least on my bike-I dont think its the master cylinder causing a problem.It probably is a good thing now though that when not being used,the master cylinder piston is fully retracted out after filing off the end of the little pushrod thing.
 

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