Soft front brake

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Yeah, I have heard reports of Ducati master cylinder issues before. But as always, check the simple/obvious things first.

As I said, the one man kit is straightforward. The reservoirs shouldn't affect the system, unless it's where it maybe drawing air in? Just check they're installed properly and fully tightened. Rizoma is good quality so I'm pretty sure they won't be your issue.

Can you tell if it's the standard master cylinder from Ducati? If it's an aftermarket replacement that may be the issue? Or when it was installed it wasn't bled throuh adequately afterwards.

Done right you should feel an improvement after first bleed. But that system is a bit of a pig I found. Keep at it, anything else, just ask
 
Have the same problem, bled the brakes still felt spongy and soft. I'm The daring sort, did a track day with the spongy lever... made it home without incident. Of course I did a few easy brake checks in an approved pit check area. Then a few checks first lap out.

But hey, I don't want any of you kids at home trying this...
 
ENZOSO said:
Have the same problem, bled the brakes still felt spongy and soft. I'm The daring sort, did a track day with the spongy lever... made it home without incident. Of course I did a few easy brake checks in an approved pit check area. Then a few checks first lap out.

But hey, I don't want any of you kids at home trying this...
Click to expand...

So what's your point?
 
Had some serious front brake problems on trackdays this year,at the dealer they found a small crack in the seal on the brake master cylinder.
Im fairly certain the fault has been there since new as recalling having some problems from time to time over the years.
Now this was accelerated when replacing oem levers with aftermarket ones,going from bad to worse. Couldnt get the bike stopped resulting in a crash.
Trying to get a goodwill from Ducati on the mastercylinder but i dont bet my aunt on it..
 
I just walked around in my local dealer and felt the front brakes on every radial MC/M50 equipped bike I could find, and they are all pretty soft as standard..
 
Turbo lag just made my point, the soft lever still works. Mutt, I did take your advice though and just ordered a similar device that you suggested here on Amazon. Couldn't find the Dealer here, just a different brand same concept.
 
ENZOSO said:
Have the same problem, bled the brakes still felt spongy and soft. I'm The daring sort, did a track day with the spongy lever... made it home without incident. Of course I did a few easy brake checks in an approved pit check area. Then a few checks first lap out.

But hey, I don't want any of you kids at home trying this...
Click to expand...

Dont do any more trackday with spongy lever,it isnt fun when you need 100% brake force and dont get it. I tried now and wont do it again. Let a mechanic check it out if any doubt.
 
Akshuneer said:
I believe the brake fluid is still in good condition. The brakes were completely flushed and fresh brake fluid was put into the system roughly 1 year ago. The fluid itself is still very clear (very little discoloration) and appears to be in good condition.

If bleeding the line isn't fixing the issue, do I move onto the master cylinder? That is beyond my technical know-how. I'll have to have somebody have a look at it.

Any additional thoughts / suggestions?
Click to expand...



Yes..
My thoughts are that your dealer is full of Sh-T!!
They are just trying to avoid any issues from a warranty perspective if it is still relatively new. A new 1299 does NOT have mushy brakes! Period!
Unless it is one of the very few that actually had a recall on the master cylinder.. (Those people were contacted by Ducati and had theirs fixed free.)
My guess is that if your brakes were good before then it just needs some servicing and an change of fluid...

Flush and then bleed the entire system.. Bleed it from the calipers and the master cylinder.. Mine recently got mushy also and I replaced the fluid and bled the lines and it is back to the way it should be. *( You have to bleed all of them several times).. Tip.. I always tap on the master cylinder and lines to get them to vibrate a little and it helps to make the trapped air bubbles float to the caliper or master cylinder so I can bleed out the very last air bubble..
I bleed mine manually and do NOT use a MityVac etc.because if you apply much pressure ie; suction, it will sometimes bleed from around the threads of the bleeder valve.. :confused: (To stop this you can put some teflon tape on the threads of the bleeder valves but that involves opening up the system and then you REALLY have to spend time to get it flushed again..)

* Unfortunately from what I have been told, the ABS pump cannot be completely flushed..:mad: I asked the mechanic at my dealer and he stated that even the dealers do not have the equipment it takes to internally open the valving in the pump to flush it out...:cool:

A good bleeding with new fluid goes a long way... **If you intend to track it then use a racing grade brake fluid.. I use Motul 600 high temp fluid..It is more expensive but this is a very expensive bike and worth it.. Especially if you are coming down from 140mph and braking hard before heading into a 45 mph turn (and you don't want the brake lever to come back to the grip) or fade due to a lot of heat build up.. :eek::eek::eek::eek:
Speedy
 
Zelnik said:
Dont do any more trackday with spongy lever,it isnt fun when you need 100% brake force and dont get it. I tried now and wont do it again. Let a mechanic check it out if any doubt.
Click to expand...

Mine doesn't go down to the grip, but does feel soft. Doing another track weekend 4 & 5 Nov will use the new bleeder valve suggested by Mutt and a complete flush and bleed. My Pani is a dedicated tracker so only place it goes is to the track. No other opportunities to test the feel.

If I can't get a firmer feel to the lever after next bleed I will take it to the dealer.

Thanks for the advice...
 
I bought a new bike that was a year old. I didn't give it a thought and thought the breaks were strong. Two years later my lever was going to the bar and it was really bad. After a complete front, rear, and mc flush, voila! The brake was amazingly strong, and it hit me, I realized that they were mushy when I bought it.

Get if flushed, if it is still mushy you have a deeper problem. As Speedy said, the breaks on a 1299 are not weak.
 
speedy14 said:
Yes..
My thoughts are that your dealer is full of Sh-T!!
They are just trying to avoid any issues from a warranty perspective if it is still relatively new. A new 1299 does NOT have mushy brakes! Period!
Unless it is one of the very few that actually had a recall on the master cylinder.. (Those people were contacted by Ducati and had theirs fixed free.)
My guess is that if your brakes were good before then it just needs some servicing and an change of fluid...

Flush and then bleed the entire system.. Bleed it from the calipers and the master cylinder.. Mine recently got mushy also and I replaced the fluid and bled the lines and it is back to the way it should be. *( You have to bleed all of them several times).. Tip.. I always tap on the master cylinder and lines to get them to vibrate a little and it helps to make the trapped air bubbles float to the caliper or master cylinder so I can bleed out the very last air bubble..
I bleed mine manually and do NOT use a MityVac etc.because if you apply much pressure ie; suction, it will sometimes bleed from around the threads of the bleeder valve.. :confused: (To stop this you can put some teflon tape on the threads of the bleeder valves but that involves opening up the system and then you REALLY have to spend time to get it flushed again..)

* Unfortunately from what I have been told, the ABS pump cannot be completely flushed..:mad: I asked the mechanic at my dealer and he stated that even the dealers do not have the equipment it takes to internally open the valving in the pump to flush it out...:cool:

A good bleeding with new fluid goes a long way... **If you intend to track it then use a racing grade brake fluid.. I use Motul 600 high temp fluid..It is more expensive but this is a very expensive bike and worth it.. Especially if you are coming down from 140mph and braking hard before heading into a 45 mph turn (and you don't want the brake lever to come back to the grip) or fade due to a lot of heat build up.. :eek::eek::eek::eek:
Speedy
Click to expand...

I use the Motul 600 too. I change fluid after a track day. There is also a Motul RBF 660 which has a slightly higher Dry boiling point if you are tracking.
 
Unless I am mistaken, some of the dealers I have spoken to, have the right gear to electronically operate the internal valves of the ABS unit to bleed the system properly if that is what is required, though I have stripped the ABS system down on both my 1199 and 1299 and bled both without a problem using conventional methods.
 

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