Re-used the washers.

 

you can re-anneal the washers to reuse if they arent squished too bad, dan the man 88888888888 posted about it a couple of years back and i've been doing it ever since with no issues.

however if you reinstall without the annealing process to restore the "crushability" i bet thats where your problem lies.

 

Neo
To answer your question, yes. The lines can be "water tight" while not being "air tight" the brakes use quite a lot of pressure which can suck air in if not sealed. While it is possible to reuse the washers it is not recommended, especially since the can be had for under a dollar at most hardware, auto parts or motorcycle shops.
Good luck
M.j.n.

 

Thanks for the info wildcard and mjn. I will look for the washers locally, if I cant find them Ill try annealing them while I order new ones.

I'll keep you guys posted.

 

Could someone here clearly explain to me how pulling the lever in then zip-tying it could help a thing?

Mechanically/hydraulically the master cylinder piston has closed off the bleed hole to the reservoir so no fluid can flow into, nor air out of the brake line.

So, what am I missing here?

 

I noticed this morning that my front brake is sticking. It may be doing it all the times but I notice it when braking hard, I release the brake but it continues to brake for a second maybe. How do I fix this? Do I need to grease some caliper parts?

 

There's a good discussion on this issue on Thumper Talk.

Zip Tie brake lever to bleed brakes? - General Dirt Bike Discussion - ThumperTalk

 

As far as I can tell, when you pull the lever with the cap slightly on it creates a sort of vacuum, and the air bubbles work their way up. If you just leave the system alone then the bubbles stay where they are.

 

Okay, I read most all of the thread.

KJ690 or whatever the number was had the only plausible explanation on which I plan to read up. The point that the compressed air will have a more difficult time adhering to the various surfaces and float to the top. Of course there is one small problem in that the air may accumulate in the banjo fitting and any other point above the brake line into the reservoir.

Of course not having the reservoir as the high point could be remedied rather easily by turning the bars to make the reservoir the highest point with all others going UP to the reservoir. Any arch in the line would hold air in the top of the arch. In addition there is still the possibility of air in the banjo. That could be resolved by squeezing the lever gently while cracking the banjo bolt - which I do.

All this would work if the air in a system does break loose and float up.

I will say there is a better way though. It's a $30 vacuum brake bleeder from Harbor Freight, but not using too high of vacuum - easy and quick using less fluid if careful. The old pumping-the-lever method is just too tedious.

One comment. In building at least a hundred Hondas back in the day, I never saw a lever actually zip tied, mostly because the bikes didn't have the front wheel on them. One other reason for having a lever zip tied to lock the brake could be simply to add another way to keep the front of a tied down bike in place - the front wheel can't rotate if the brake is on.

I'm going to keep an eye out for this and ask. I asked about an interesting thing years back when there was a discussion about simplicity in race techniques and one member could not understand that there was no trick method to keep engine temps consistent, that most used duct tape on road race bike radiators to control operating temperature. One of the top guys (not the go-fer) at Graves Yamaha team told me yes they do that. It is one less moving part to fail. If they need a bit more heat they add a strip of tape, or remove one to cool a bit. Same answer from the Muzzy Kaw pit for Eric Bostrom. I don't know if they still do this, I'd have to look and ask. Wouldn't surprise me if they still did. It's extremely easy to do and really can't fail. I am guessing the temp range is wide enough there is no issue with atmospheric temp change during a race.

At least there is a rational mechanical/hydraulic explanation that may make sense. I appreciate the tip on the thread TNC. That's the kind of stuff that makes us think and learn.

Of course there still is the "self fulfilling prophesy" possible here - try to bleed the brakes, do the zip tie and the air bubbles that would percolate to the top even without the zip tie do so and the brake feels firmer. It's magic!

Now to go do some work and then do some reading in the fluid dynamics book... learn.

But again to reinforce a point - Harbor Freight $29.99



Don't pump too hard, let it flow a bit slowly - otherwise air can be sucked in around seals that seal under pressure, not vacuum, and you suck the fluid out of the reservoir too fast.

Worth every penny the first time you use it.

 

Neo
If you have an air leak it will appear as if you have a sticking caliper on the return as the line will be sucking air when you release the lever.
In order to correctly fix the problems that you are having. I would suggest
first replacing the copper washers from the banjo bolts
2nd remove the front caliper clean the pads, and pistons, completely retract the pistons into the caliper before reassembling. (I know that you said the reason that you disconnected the line is because you could not remove the caliper, but it is a lot easier to do it now when it is hard than later when it will be impossible)
3rd completely rebleed the system with fresh fluid remember brake fluid is hygroscopic so depending on where you are even having a bottle sitting on the shelf can get contaminated if it has been previously opened an stored incorrectly.
Once his is done you should be good. If you still are having issues you will most likely need it inspected in person.
Good luck
M.j.n.