N00bie here with a brake question.

 



I have a Superstrada ss300 liquid cooled bike with less than 1000 miles on
it.
The other night I was coming up to a stop light and just like that no front
brake at all.(Lever to grip)
I immediately went home and turned on the shop light to check for a broken
line or leaky caliper.
Nothing....Nada?
Has anyone had this experience before?
Thanks in advance.
Andy

 



Two possibilities: one is air in the brake lines, but you would expect
that to have a spongy feel, not a plop! no-resistance sink to the
handlebar. The other is a bad master cylinder seal, which means that
when you squeeze the lever, brake fluid flows right past it instead of
to the cylinder at the brake caliper.

The first you can fix by bleeding the brakes. The second is more
serious.

How old is the bike? Brake fluid absorbs water and that deteriorates the
rubber in the cylinder seals. If the bike is a year or two old and the
brake fluid has not been replaced, then you must have the brake
cylinders rebuilt. You might as well go ahead and have steel-braided
brake hoses installed; the old ones are possibly flaky as well.

--
Timberwoof <me at timberwoof dot com> http://www.timberwoof.com
It's easy to say a war is so important your neighbor should go fight it for you.

 



Hello Timber,
The bike is brand new?

 



I assume you meant a . instead of a ?: "The bike is brand new."

If the bike is brand new then there's a big problem. As


Get the dealer to pick up the bike and have a look.

--
Timberwoof <me at timberwoof dot com> http://www.timberwoof.com
It's easy to say a war is so important your neighbor should go fight it for you.

 

One thought occurs to me - if the pivot on the brake lever has been over or
carelessly lubricated (such as spraying liberally with WD40) this destroys
the little rubber boot on the end of the actuator piston - that could let
road grit in and cause blow-by on the main seal. If this is the case, strip
the master cylinder and fit a complete new seal kit.