Brake question

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bezoar
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Brake question

Post by bezoar »

Just finished putting a 2002 KX 125 front end on my KDX 200. This included the KX brake caliper and master. The first thing I noticed is that the KX brake seemed alot more mushy than the KDX one. I bled the KX brake and topped off the master. No change.
What next?
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scheckaet
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Post by scheckaet »

bleed some more...
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Indawoods
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Post by Indawoods »

Push it in through the bottom slowly.... watch the master cylinder for bubbles. When they stop... button it up and it should be good to go.
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Post by frankenschwinn »

I have a friend who is a long time mechanic at a Kawasaki dealership. He is the person who pressed my stem for me. told me the older KX front brake hose routing made it very difficult to get it properly bled. based on this I used my KDX fron brake. His words were that they would never feel as good as the KDX brakes. Could be bunk but I trust him. He had nothing to sell me...
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Julien D
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Post by Julien D »

I should think the kx brakes would feel every bit as good as the kdx brakes.
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scheckaet
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Post by scheckaet »

same calipers...
bezoar
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Post by bezoar »

I'll keep bleeding, then try pushing up from the bottom.
Thanks
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Indawoods
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Post by Indawoods »

Conventional bleeding has never worked on my KDX... or KX frontend.

Or my brothers, which I proved to him. Took all of 5 minutes to bleed them once we pushed the fluid up from the bottom.
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scheckaet
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Post by scheckaet »

I used to do it with a syringe from the bottom, t'was messy and a PITA. The brake always felt "mushy".
Then I tried the cheap brake bleeder:
http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=&L ... em=MRX_BB1
made the job not only easier and faster and now no more mushy :supz:
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frankenschwinn
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Post by frankenschwinn »

>|<>QBB<
juliend wrote:I should think the kx brakes would feel every bit as good as the kdx brakes.
>|<>QBB<
scheckaet wrote:same calipers...
His theory was it was the hose routing. According to him it made it much harder to bleed. Pushing the fluid from the bottom would seem to alleviate this.
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Post by bezoar »

Still no good. tomorrow I will get a mighty-vac and a syringe to suck and pump......as well as new fluid. Any chance this is a bad plunger in the master?
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Post by KDXsg »

also do not shake the fluid bottle. it will create bubble built up. pour the fluid slowly.
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Post by canuckhybrid125 »

>|<>QBB<
Indawoods wrote:Conventional bleeding has never worked on my KDX... or KX frontend.

Or my brothers, which I proved to him. Took all of 5 minutes to bleed them once we pushed the fluid up from the bottom.
What do you use to push the fluid? I also used a vaccum pump and the front brake still does'nt feel right.
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Indawoods
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Post by Indawoods »

I used a Surgical Syringe with a Cathater Tip and some clear vinyl tubing.

Fill the syringe with brake fluid... burb it, attach it to the bleeder nipple, crack it and start push the fluid slowly watching the master cylinder for bubbles... they will come.... when they stop showing up... tighten the nipple and test.
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Post by Julien D »

last time i just took a clear hose filled with a few inches with fluid and zip tied that to the bleed valve and run up along the fork. Open up the master and start pouring fluid in as needed while you pump it through with the lever. I usually need to close the valve, pump it up, and crack the banjo bolt at the master cylinder once or twice. Air likes to get caught right there... Do this for as long as it takes to stop seeing any bubbles coming up into the MC or up into your bleed line. This method worked in about 15 minutes after having spent a couple hours trying to bleed it the old fashioned way with no success....


Inda's method is supposed to work very well. I never managed to find a syringe appropriate the task. Didn't have anything laying around that would work anyway.....
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Post by KDXsg »

the syring method is by far the best i have tried. its fast and easy. can be done easily by one person.
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Post by bezoar »

Last night I wired the front brake lever in the compressed position. I checked it this AM and things were better. I have no explanation why this would make any difference, but it seems to have helped.
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