rear breaks on my GV bad?

[griffon_j9]

Hello

Went riding today (perhaps for last time this year before snow?) any way The rear break system does not seem to be working well at all.  when I pull the handle it goes almost all the way to the grip and just barely stops the bike (lucky the front is working fine) 

Has any one had this problem and fixed it there selves?

let me know.... thinking about trying it myself.... but being as it is breaks... not sure I want to mess with it

easy project or hard???

later and thanks
Alan

[jprestonian]

My P250 has just started exhibiting the same behavior. I'm assuming it's the rear brake pads, as I'm at nearly 13,000km. Have the pads on order, and will have a mechanic friend at the co-op walk me through the process.
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[zombie]

On a 1-10 scale brakes are about 3. There are register marks on the activator lever (rear) and the install is pretty straight forward. You may only need to adjust the cable to compensate for the stretch, and the wear of the pads. Go to the rear end of the cable, and there is a barrel nut that you can give 2-3 turns clockwise to remove the slack from the cable. You will see the register on the brake hub, and it will have a usable span marked clearly. If you are outside the limit, it's on to plan b. The muffler has to be removed to remove the wheel. That is the BIGGEST part of the brake job. I ALWAYS use 120 grit sandpaper to remove the "glaze' from the drum, and lube all moving parts w/ aluminum anti sieze. For a mechanic it is about a 1 hour job. For a first timer about2-3.

[axy]

My P250 has just started exhibiting the same behavior. I'm assuming it's the rear brake pads, as I'm at nearly 13,000km. Have the pads on order, and will have a mechanic friend at the co-op walk me through the process.
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With symptoms like "the handle it goes almost all the way to the grip and just barely stops the bike", I would first look for oil leaks and air in the system.

I doubt that after "only" 13.000 kms rear pads are dead, unless somebody has been driving the scooter like on a race track.

p.s. On Piaggio NRG 50, front and rear pads last max 4500 km!

[jprestonian]

Well, funny you should mention...  :)

(btw, I was using American decimal notation, e.g. thirteen thousand kilometers, or thirteen megameters, if you will... not sure if that got lost in the translation)
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[axy]

Well, funny you should mention...  

(btw, I was using American decimal notation, e.g. thirteen thousand kilometers, or thirteen megameters, if you will... not sure if that got lost in the translation)
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Yep, 13K. Well understood.

A friend of mine has Cobra 50, original front and rear pads and belt. 25K km.

[zombie]

My bads on the brake adjust I was assuming it was a cable/ drum set up. Grand Vista aahhh. Follow axy's recomend. The fluid will break down over time, and needs to be changed just like any other fluid in the scoot. To replace the pads just became a 2 on the 1-10 scale. The fluid can be gravity bled.  If your fluid is a DARK color (yellow - brown) it just may be it has broken down. It should be clean/ and clear

[griffon_j9]

hi for all the info...

here is one for ya, it only has 3200 km (2000 miles) on it......

the fluids look clear and clean and I see no bubbles in the looking glass. I have not looked at the pads yet as I am not willing to get dirty tonight (maybe tomorrow while still in work clothes)

thanks for the pointers, I will keep looking.... little scared to mess with breaks though... even if they are simple

[reticulum]

If I had to guess I would say you have air in the braking line. You can easily check you rear pads on the grand vista by removing the plastic cover on the rear caliper. It allows you to see the wear of your pads. It is is more dificult for the front break.
I will first bleed the break fluid and if it does not fix the problem...change the pads and look for any oil or grease on the disc.

I change my brake pads every year on my grand vista (every 4 to 6K miles). It is very easy to do it yourself. You just have to remove 2 screws....remove the caliper from the discs.....remove the 2 pads......push back the piston.....install the new pads......put back the caliper on the disk and reinstall the 2 screws...you are done. 15 minutes and $25 for the pads.

[Urbestfriend]

Urbestfriend asks if here was a possibilty your bike may have fell over sideways and you
fortunately picked it back up,  OR:  If you remove the caliper and then push the pads back in to reinstall
it on the rotor,  you may have no pressure on the first cycle.   My first point is backed up by
my experience removing my handlebars and letting the master cylinder hang.  This let air in and
I had to bleed.   If you can afford it,  look at Harbor Freight or Sears for a Pressure Bleeder.
It's a little vacuum hand pump with a variety of fittings.  With low miles,  one would not expect
somethin like this,  unless a seal has blow-by in the Master Cylinder. 

[jprestonian]

My bads on the brake adjust I was assuming it was a cable/ drum set up. Grand Vista aahhh. Follow axy's recomend. The fluid will break down over time, and needs to be changed just like any other fluid in the scoot. To replace the pads just became a 2 on the 1-10 scale. The fluid can be gravity bled.  If your fluid is a DARK color (yellow - brown) it just may be it has broken down. It should be clean/ and clear

I opened the master cylinder, since I couldn't really tell the level through the peep hole. It was full, but the fluid was about the color of apple juice. I took it to my scooter dealer, and he recommended that we let his mechanic deal with draining/refilling the fluid -- he himself doesn't have a lot of experience with brakes. I still have the pads on order, though, just in case. They have to be worn out sometime!

Gravity bled: Interesting, as the valve is on top of my caliper... the dealer said he's got some kind of vacuum attachment that will completely bleed the system of fluid, but that it was a pain to use.

Any of that make sense? 
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[Shaka]

The brakes are fairly easy to bleed!  All you need is some tubing that fits snugly over the bleed fitting on the caliper and a catch bottle.  They sell one pre-made at the auto parts store, I think it's called a one-manned bleed kit.  You just attach the hose and bottle to the fitting. . . Take the reservoir cap off. . . fill up the reservoir with fluid. . . loosen the bleed fitting about 1/4-1/2 turn. . . squeeze the brake lever. . . while still holding the lever. . . close the fitting. . . repeat until the fluid runs clear.  The trick is to make sure to keep the reservoir full, and close the fitting each time before releasing the lever, you don't want to suck in any air!

[zombie]

When you are gravity bleeding you have to keep the resevoir topped of w/ clean fluid. It will allow all the fluid in the system to get replaced. I use a piece of clear tubing that fits on the bleed nipple. that will go into a clear jar on the floor. Just open the resevoir,and squeeze the handle. it will only take about 5 minutes from start to finish. The nipple is on the top of the caliper so any air in the system can easily be bled out. If you get overzealous w/ the vacuum bleeder the turbulence of the fluid rushing through will make micro bubbles that will create trouble later. As urbestfriend stated the only other suspect would be a faulty seal inside the master cyl.. They do go bad from time to time. If the fluid, and pads are serviceable, the cyl. is the culprit.

[jprestonian]

Sounds like a two-person job for the rear brake, anyway (which is what I'm dealing with, here).  :)
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[Shaka]

Yup, probably easier with two people on rear!