front brake lever travel distance

[Brian]

Hello everyone, replace the front pads and decided to change the fluid as it has been a few years and I now own a mity vac to play with. I forgot to pay attention to brake lever operation before the start of this service. Should the brake lever feel like the clutch? Meaning it has resistance at the start. The front brake seems to be easier and does stop hard about 1" from the hand grip. I tried moving the bike back forth the brakes are grabbing and holding tight. I researched this subject here to find that air bubbles get trapped at the fittings. I have pulled a whole new bottle of fluid thru both calipers and still the same. Can anyone got check theirs and report back?

Thank you,

[sandy]

Sounds normal to me.

[wiggydotcom]

Brian,

Just went out and checked mine. The very end of the lever(where the "ball" is) moved about an
inch inward to where the brakes grabbed. It still had plenty of clearance between the closest spot of the lever and the throttle housing.

[Brian]

I appreciate guys. Thank you.

[Patrick]

Thats about the amount of free travel you should have. If the lever pressure is good and hard you should be air free and good to go.

[Brian]

I noticed coming home from work today that with the outside air temp around 90 degrees the front brake lever had less free play in it. I plan to measure it tomorrow morning before heading out and then when I get back home. The difference is somewhat noticeable.

[Ricky-D]

The important thing is to assure that the brake pads are not dragging

on the rotors. Air in the system can cause unintended drag.

Now, also, you have to realize that the brakes, because of the design

will have the pads rubbing on the rotors most all the time, but they

should not be dragging, since this will cause a heat buildup.

***

[Brian]

The important thing is to assure that the brake pads are not dragging

on the rotors. Air in the system can cause unintended drag.

Now, also, you have to realize that the brakes, because of the design

will have the pads rubbing on the rotors most all the time, but they

should not be dragging, since this will cause a heat buildup.

***

Ricky-D,
I do not notice any difficulty moving the bike. I suppose to know for sure if they are not dragging is to lift the front wheel to turn it by hand? Thanks for the tip.