Loss of braking

[leghorn1956]

I encountered a big problem on my last trip. We hit some rain and my brakes were hardly grabbing. I tried drying them off but, it did not help. After everything dried they were better, but i don't think they were as good as before. Still leery.. When the brakes are on , there is a (sti,sti, sti) noise. There is plenty of meat on the pads. I thought there might be some oil or something on the rotors and pads. I wiped them off, but the next rain brought on the same problem... no brakes worth talking about. I don't run the bike hard and therefore i didn't think the pads were glazed. I have about 7000 miles on them. They worked fine until these last 2 wet runs. New pads are on the way. Any help is always appreciated.
Thank you

[Bill O]

Are both the front and rear acting the same as far a grab, or is the problem more rear brakes. Do you have front driver footboards?

Bill O

[debron]

I have a just about the same problem. I have new Galfer's on the rear and whatever came on the front (I suspect EBC's) when I got the bike nearly 60,000 miles ago. I'm a rear-brake person, at least rear first then front. I've replaced the rear brake pads twice but still have many miles (stops) on the fronts after 60K.

On my big trip this summer I had a lot of rain the first day and a half and light rain a couple of other days and had to squeeze both brakes hard until they dried themselves out and began to stop. That was usually several seconds. At 60mph you travel quite a distance in 4 seconds! I nearly rear-ended a pickup in Eureka at a stop light. (No, I wasn't going 60 in town!)

[Wahrsuul]

Is there some sort of brake upgrade for these bikes? On the Conc, we had several options, I wonder if any of them would fit?

[debron]

There are several options - it comes down to a choice (compromise) between braking power vs. rotor wear -- dry. I don't know exactly what's going on with the loss of braking in the wet.

[the2knights]

I used to ride year round in Seattle. It just becomes habit to drag the brakes (both front and rear) a little every now and then on the highway just to keep them dry. xii is not the worst I have seen, and some older bikes took a long time to keep dry. Riding in the city you would stop often enough they would stay dry!

[doug of so fla]

Never had a problem with braking in the rain with XII, Sounds like may have glazed rotors or wrong type of pads, I have always used EBC F85 or OEM, with no problems with braking. Also have used cheapo pads and they worked very well. 3 different XII's over 400,00mi in 23yrs. Plus I know many XII owners that have had no problems. I would be looking for a problem with rotors or pads or maybe system??

[voyager55]

If rotors need to be reworked, here's a good shop

http://www.truedisk.net/

[Wahrsuul]

There are several options - it comes down to a choice (compromise) between braking power vs. rotor wear -- dry. I don't know exactly what's going on with the loss of braking in the wet.

What are the options?

[debron]

There are several options - it comes down to a choice (compromise) between braking power vs. rotor wear -- dry. I don't know exactly what's going on with the loss of braking in the wet.

What are the options?

Generally speaking:

Sintered pads (fused metallic particles) such as EBC-HH. Best braking in all conditions, won't fade when hot. Longest lasting pads, but heavy wear and tear on rotors. Replace the pads less often but replace rotors more often. Best for aggressive riders but should not be used on rotors not designed for sintered pads.

Organics (a mix of fibers and fillers that are bound together with a resin.) Softer braking and feel, more stopping control at slow speeds. Lose their efficiency (fade) when very hot. Easy on rotors. Replace pads more often but rotors last much longer.

Semi-Sintered is supposedly in-between.

[mountainman]

I agree with debron!
Sintered pads (fused metallic particles) such as EBC-HH.
What I used on the XII I had. If you want to stop that beast in a hurry its the way to go. Just deglaze your rotors with some sandpaper first, in a 100 miles you will be stopping great. My opinion the XII has to small of rotors and should of had multi piston calipers. Mike

[leghorn1956]

How do i know if the rotors are glazed or is it the pads. The pads have lots of meat and look OK. Maybe i should run a little bit of sand paper on the rotors and see if this makes a difference. I'm looking at getting them built up and then resurfaced as the thickness is 4.6 at the thickest and there are some grooves .

[Bill O]

Nobody has address the issue of the common, bubble in the rear caliper, problem, or the pedal restrictions of the rear brake pedal if the Markland Driver Floorboards were not installed correctly. Also, the issue of the anti-squeal (best guess on name) spring that surrounds the brake pads in the rear calipers. There have been many Voyagers who have lost their rear brakes because the metal clip got fubar-ed in the calipers. It caused the brake pads to not return to normal after release, (Personal knowledge of at least four bikes with this issue), then, when the pedal was pressed again, it would have no effect. Too many issues to use the "Long Distant Screwdriver"! We need more questions answered to try to pinpoint a probable problem. Need better descriptions of the symptoms.

Bill O

[Wahrsuul]

So, no rotor/caliper swaps? maybe I've been with the Concours too long Guess I need to actually ride the bike more to see if I need an upgrade. Many things on the list already.

The rotors will have a glass-like finish to them if they're glazed, but if you're even the slightest concerned, some 600-800 grit sand paper and a light hand will fix it.