Poor Braking

I am a bit alarmed at what to me seems to be poor breaking performance on my x. I live in San Diego and often have to make fast stops when doing 65-70 MPH. I have to squeeze harder and harder and harder before the darn thing really slows down. I feel like I'm using both front and rear correctly. Now this could just be operator error, and maybe a good thing as you have to be a gorrrilla to lock up the front wheel, but I'd like to see a bit more stopping power with less effort. Any feedback would be appreciated....join a gym and lift weights?........different pads?.......steel break lines?... Don't ride so fast.....ahh, no that won't work!

There must be a problem with your brakes. My X has more than enough braking power with 2 fingers. I must be careful not to lock the front wheel.

Dancamp wrote:

There must be a problem with your brakes. My X has more than enough braking power with 2 fingers. I must be careful not to lock the front wheel.

At slower speeds this is also the case with me, but at 70 MPH it just feels mushy, which makes me feel that may steel lines would help

No problem at any speed.

Have you tried bleeding your brakes?

steel line will always help with mushiness. I've never had a problem with feeling like I don't have enough brake at any speed and have to be careful not to lock them up as others have stated. I do have a steel line in the front though.

I have a steel braided front brake line as well, but even when it was still stock, two fingers is all it ever took to stop me.

How many miles on the pads? Stock or aftermarket? How dirty is the brake fluid? Stock lever? Crashed on the brake side (either caliper or master cylinder)? Did the concern start suddenly or gradually? Have you done anything mods-wise since the brakes worked well? Have they ever worked well? Is the rotor clean? Do you have a leaky fork seal? Do the brakes pulse or just feel mushy?

Bike is a three month old 2010. Perhaps there is air in the line. I installed a Highway Dirt bike setup last a couple of months ago and had to slightly loosen the banjo bolt at the resovoir so I could turn the front brake line up a little to clear the guards. I loosened it just enough to turn it but may be air got in and that's my problem. I have to take a look at the bike but I assume bleeding is the same as a car. Bleed bolt at the caliper and so on???

My WR250R is a 2010 model. After seeing the smallish brakes I wasn't expecting much. However, these bikes don't weigh much either (for a street bike). I was pleasantly surprised by the braking performance of this machine. As the front brake has a very firm feel on my bike I think there is something wrong with yours. Brake bleeding is step #1.

it's certainly possible you got a little air in there, would certainly not hurt to bleed them to be sure. bleed screw is on the caliper, all works the same as a car. I purchased a mighty vac, $30 some dollars at any auto parts store, and it makes it super easy and fast by yourself but the old pumping the lever works as well.

If you loosened the banjo bolt you almost definitely have air in the line. Try bleeding your brake. Nearly 15,000 miles on stock pads and fluid in an 08 R bought new in Jan '10 and still stops hard enough that I have to be careful with the front brake.

skierd wrote:

If you loosened the banjo bolt you almost definitely have air in the line. Try bleeding your brake. Nearly 15,000 miles on stock pads and fluid in an 08 R bought new in Jan '10 and still stops hard enough that I have to be careful with the front brake.

+ 1
My X is 2009, 8000 miles, front brake VERY strong. Must be air, or oil on disc?????

Yah I have air in the line, If I pump it up it grabs like hell. Thanks for the help. Great forum.

mordicai wrote:

Yah I have air in the line, If I pump it up it grabs like hell. Thanks for the help. Great forum.

My first car did exactly this. Unfortunately the bleed screws all seized & I couldn't afford new parts - had to pump brakes several times just to slow dow!! REALLY dangerous......

railbird wrote:

Do you have a leaky fork seal?

I see he has solved the problem , but I wanted to chime in... my fork seals have failed 3 times now, and the only reason I keep replacing them is because of how shitty the front brake gets when the rotor is covered in oil...

Try taking the caliper off and pushing the pistons all the way back into the caliper (make sure you don't overflow the master) this pushes a lot of fluid back to the master and usually the air as well
Then put the caliper back on and pump it up
Anytime you bleed the brake or change the fluid this is a good thing to do first