Front Brake doesn't feel right

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kaido

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Hi,

So i am having an on-going issue with the feel on my front brakes.

Basically i find that after 500-1000km of riding my brake fluid turns a dark*ish colour and i lose feel in the front brakes. they feel softer and doesn't feel like i am getting the same braking force.

Now a frequently replace my fluid but over time it seems to be getting worst and worst.

I am running stock disc with Brembo 07BB37SC sintered racing pads (current pads in are newish with few 1,000km on them of light street riding)

My question is does anyone else experiences this problem? Is there a easy fix? I was looking at upgrading to brembo 17RCS master but i am not sure whether this will actually fix my issues?

There is actually nothing wrong with the brakes it just the feel on the street seems to be lacking :confused:
 
If you are constantly bleeding the brakes on the bike also then have the dealer check the front brake lines. Mine had the same type issues including losing all front brake on the track multiple times and after replacing the mc they found a hairline crack in the brake line brakes have been perfect since.
 
b9009b said:
If you are constantly bleeding the brakes on the bike also then have the dealer check the front brake lines. Mine had the same type issues including losing all front brake on the track multiple times and after replacing the mc they found a hairline crack in the brake line brakes have been perfect since.
Click to expand...

will get them to check my lines however i have not experienced any loss of fluids so i don't think that is the problem
 
Probably reservoir or a bleed nipple not tight, resulting in air and moisture seeping into the fluid. This can cause the colour change, and moisture ladden fluid can feel spongy.
 
kaido said:
Hi,

So i am having an on-going issue with the feel on my front brakes.

Basically i find that after 500-1000km of riding my brake fluid turns a dark*ish colour and i lose feel in the front brakes. they feel softer and doesn't feel like i am getting the same braking force.

Now a frequently replace my fluid but over time it seems to be getting worst and worst.

I am running stock disc with Brembo 07BB37SC sintered racing pads (current pads in are newish with few 1,000km on them of light street riding)

My question is does anyone else experiences this problem? Is there a easy fix? I was looking at upgrading to brembo 17RCS master but i am not sure whether this will actually fix my issues?

There is actually nothing wrong with the brakes it just the feel on the street seems to be lacking :confused:
Click to expand...

Do you notice it more when the brakes are hot? If so maybe your using dot 4 fluid or such instead of 5 or 5.5 . This usually is apparent on track with brake fade due to the fluid and should not happen on the road however. So maybe just air in the lines like suggested
 
This is not an uncommon problem. I had to bleed mine a few times. At the 7500 mile service they did a full replacement of the fluid and I have not had the problem at all after that.
 
thanks for the feedback,

this happens everytime the fluid is changed. i am using Motul Dot 5.1 Brake Fluid i believe, however i will be upgrading to RBF600 next change.

On the track the brakes work perfectly, i am able to track very late and get on them hard and the bike pulls up no issue and no fade over the 15min session.

It's just the initial bite on the street seems weak and i really need to pull on the leaver to get that feed from the brakes
 
there are DOT 4 fluids that are better than pretty much anything out there. After years of using Castrol SRF, I'm now trying out Motul 660. So far, it seems to give up little in terms of fade, and it looks like it may last longer.

Both beat the pants off of whatever Ducati uses, which seems to be a form of espresso....
 
kaido said:
thanks for the feedback,

this happens everytime the fluid is changed. i am using Motul Dot 5.1 Brake Fluid i believe, however i will be upgrading to RBF600 next change.

On the track the brakes work perfectly, i am able to track very late and get on them hard and the bike pulls up no issue and no fade over the 15min session.

It's just the initial bite on the street seems weak and i really need to pull on the leaver to get that feed from the brakes
Click to expand...

if you want better bite, try Galfer 1300 brake pads. I have a lot of miles on the 1375 compound, and the 1300s are supposedly the same thing but with a snappier bite. I'd have to agree.
 
Are you bleeding the brakes with a Mity- Vac or some other type of pressure tool? These tools are great and generally make the job quicker and easier to bleed the brakes and get the final air out of the master cylinder...However they can cause problems if you apply too much pressure on them. I have found it is better to first put some Teflon thread tape on the threads of the bleeder valves to keep the higher pressure from the Mity- Vac from sucking in air from around the threads.. **This is usually not an issue with the old style bleeding just using the brake levers pressure when bleeding because you will not usually have that much pressure on the lines..

My bike had real dark brake fluid after about 400 miles.. I bleed them and used the Motul 660 and have had no issues however I recently noticed the Clutch fluid is now dark. So its' back to the Mity Vac.

Generally if you lose that tight firm brake feel and the lever gets mushy you either have moisture in the lines (Brake fluid is hydroscopic) or air in the lines or both... Check for leaks.

Speedy
 
+1 on the Motul 660.

I had an ongoing issue with my R. Took it back to the dealers on two separate occasions, both times they told me it was fixed, but to me it just wasn't right

Displaced all the way through with the 660 bleeding through the cylinder, front right then left calipers. Rode the thing. Went back, still not right, kept bleeding then riding, rinse/repeat. Kept finding tiny bubbles every time I went back to it until nothing and now it's solid. Just perseverence for me. I now keep an eye on it as a maintenance/OCD thing!

A top tip that also helped me was to strap the lever overnight. Got back to it in the morning, felt solid.
 
Last edited:
The brake fluid that my 1299S came with was utter ....!!! Went black after 500 miles. I changed out to Castrol SRF for the track and after about 3,000 miles, it is still clear and functioning perfectly.

I don't know what Ducati puts in as stock, but ditch it pronto!!!
 
I forgot to mention that the REAR reservoir fluid had also gone black at 500 miles.. Given how ineffective the rear brake is and how little it gets used, it's a sure sign that the fluid they use is worthless.
 
80shilling said:
I forgot to mention that the REAR reservoir fluid had also gone black at 500 miles.. Given how ineffective the rear brake is and how little it gets used, it's a sure sign that the fluid they use is worthless.
Click to expand...

I went with high end motul brake fluid and was good for 3k plus miles, original fluid less than 620 and I am way less skilled than 80 and most guys here,
 
pretty sure ducati use Shell for all its fluid.

My mech uses motul but looks like it's time for RBF660.

good to know it isn't just me
 
Styler said:
Rear brake fluid goes black in the rear reservoir very quickly due to its proximity to the engine and the tremendous heat coming off of it.
Click to expand...
I suppose that is a big factor as well.. But the Castrol in the rear reservoir is still clear and looks brand new, so it still means that the OEM fluid is ..... :D
 
kismetcapitan said:
there are DOT 4 fluids that are better than pretty much anything out there. After years of using Castrol SRF, I'm now trying out Motul 660. So far, it seems to give up little in terms of fade, and it looks like it may last longer.

Both beat the pants off of whatever Ducati uses, which seems to be a form of espresso....
Click to expand...

Dot 4 is road use only though. I came unstuck some years back on a race track in France and without warning of any fade, the brake lever came to the bar with no braking. At all.
Lucky for me, and my 996 it was not coming off the main straight which had a 90 degree 1st gear corner.
 

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