XII 1200 BRAKE PROBLEMS!!! HELP!!

[krisphillips]

Hello to all of you,
My Uncle inherited a 2001 XII 1200 from his father it was leaking fork oil all over the garage and the brake pads were shot. We tore it apart over the weekend installed progressive springs per instructions on this site.

We cleaned up the calipers and put new pads on, bleed the lines per the manufactures instructions and we also installed progressive rear suspension.

After we get the bike put back together the brakes are very soft with minimal braking power. Can any one help me with this.

Also the front forks have little to no rebound, and they are very soft, we pumped them up according to the service manual of 7.5 psi.

He is thinking of taking it to the dealer for repairs, any help would be great so we can save some money.

THANKS

[cushman eagle]

Make sure you have ALL the air out of the brake system,possibly rebleeding them.Also with new pads,it can take a bit of use to get them to bed in properly so they get good braking grip.Keep us posted on your progress.

[cushman eagle]

Also make sure you get the brake discs CLEAN !

[voyager55]

When putting in the progressive springs, You don't need air in the forks

Check this out

The steel sleeve, collar and brass filter are not reused.

http://www.abbikeboard.com/jeff/spring/spring.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Avidrider62]

Cracking the banjo bolt on top, at the master, may have some air trapped there.

[bikerking.biz]

You also might want to try this.
http://www.amervoyassoc.org/techtipsXII ... Sponginess

[randallar]

Check the posting, "Front Brake Pad Replacement" on Tech Tips. Mine are doing the same thing went through 4 quarts of brake fluid and they are still sponging. I'm going to see if my tab is bent when I get the chance.

[krisphillips]

yes i saw that post on tech tips. This weekend I will investigate that potential issue.


Thanks for all the help guys

[EZdriver]

There is a big possibility you will trap a bubble bleeding from the top down. I use a small pump can from the auto parts store to bleed the brakes from the caliper up. You empty the reservoir, then fill it from the bottom bleeder using clear tubing that seals on the pump can and bleeder valve. This is how we do it on airplanes.

[Mr Jensee]

First off spongy brakes are an indication of either air in the system or brake lines that are too old that are expanding when the brakes are applied. IF you are not having any leaks then this where you need to concentrate your efforts. As I have stressed several times on here the best way to bleed brakes is to order speed bleeders from speedbleeder.com. They are cheap approx. $7 each and will save you hours of effort trying to rid the lines of air. Use DOT 4 as indicated on the caps of reservoirs. Do not substitute. Check the hoses. If they are cracked and dry see about replacing them with steel lines. As for the shocks, as listed above do not put air in the forks after replacing the springs. Make sure you have the proper wt. oil and the right amount. Your springs should have come with instructions, make sure you do not replace the sleeves with the new springs. Refer to the progressive spring install in the XII tech section. http://www.amervoyassoc.org/techtipsXII ... %20Springs

[HawkeSHR]

Definitely get speedbleeders. Saves a lot of headaches and you can do it by yourself.