Rear brake is riding

[kawirider]

The rear brake is riding on my '03. I am not sure if it has anything to do with me slightly bending the rear disc while getting the rear axle out. The wheel just doesnt spin as freely as it should and the brakes constantly drag pretty hard.

Thanks for any replies.

[sldietz]

Is the axle aligned properly? Take the rotor off and place it on a flat surface to see how much bend you have in it....you may be able to tap it with a mallot to flatten it out. I was just looking at the pics in your garage...that bend in the muffler mid pipe looks pretty bad...that's robbing you of some power.

[RichieGoatGruff]

If the rotor is bent, that's what is causing it to drag...

[kawirider]

Is the axle aligned properly? Take the rotor off and place it on a flat surface to see how much bend you have in it....you may be able to tap it with a mallot to flatten it out. I was just looking at the pics in your garage...that bend in the muffler mid pipe looks pretty bad...that's robbing you of some power.

The bend in the mid pipe was not done by me, the guy who owned the bike before me did it. I am looking to get a slip on or maybe even a full system but I dont have the money for it right now.

If the rotor is bent, that's what is causing it to drag...

Thats the thing though, it is only bent in 2 places (minor bend) and it rides constantly. I would think it would just drag as it passed over the 2 bent parts but it rides everwhere.

[02YZ426]

I just went through the same thing with my front caliper, except my rotor was not bent. The brakes would drag all the time causing the whole caliper and rotor to heat up excessively. I just took the caliper off, removed the pistons, cleaned everything up and reassembled it with caliper lube. Never had a problem since. Maybe this is what you need to look into, or even a caliper rebuild kit.

[Butta]

Have you bled the brakes yet? I'd start there first.....

[kawirider]

I dont really have the tools (hydraulic bleeder) or an extra person that is willing to help me so I cant really bleed my brakes.

[Butta]

Go to Napa or some auto parts store and pick up a one-man brake bleeder kit (like $10) and you can do it yourself easily. However, it's all on the same side of the bike, so you can operate the brake lever with one hand and the bleeder screw with the other....shouldn't take anything but an 8mm open end wrench and some brake fluid. Not difficult at all.

[02YZ426]

I cant really see how bleeding the brakes is going to free up the caliper from draging.. but its cheap and easy enough to try first I guess.

[Butta]

It will eliminate possible causes, if nothing else. The condition of the fluid you extract from the brake lines will be a clue as to the condition of what's inside. If the lines are overpressured and you bleed them, it will reset the appropriate pressure for a functional brake system. Worth a shot, I always like to eliminate the easy stuff first....

[kawirider]

Also the feel at my front brake lever is not very good. It is inconsistent and sometimes it will even squeak. Any ideas on that? I will try bleeding the rear brakes.

[02YZ426]

Did you manage to get you brakes fixed up?

[kawirider]

I managed to get a more consistent feel at the front brakes by simply spraying a little bit of WD-40 on the bolt that holds the lever on. I have yet to check the rear brakes since I rode it yesterday. My buddy said that once I rode it for a little while the caliper might loosen up but I will have to put it up on my stand and see.

[Butta]

Also the feel at my front brake lever is not very good. It is inconsistent and sometimes it will even squeak. Any ideas on that? I will try bleeding the rear brakes.

Take the lever off and grease/lube the pivot bolt....should fix the front brake feel right up!

[Honda rider7]

hey, Im kinda new to this thumpertalk thing. But Im having the same problem on my 06 yz250f, I took the rear wheel off to grease all the bearings in the rear of the bike, and when I put it back together my rear wheel was dragging alot! And I cant seem to figure out the problem and any advice you guys could give me would be a great help. Ps it was working awsome before.

[Fastest1]

Spacers are probably on the wrong sides.

[Honda rider7]

Like you mean the spacers on the hub right?

[grayracer513]

That's what he means, yes.

[Honda rider7]

I tried it and that was not the problem the sliders were tho I took it apart, cleaned it all and its good as new. Thanks for the input.

[MXKyle]

Since nobody has mentioned the most common reason for the read brake to drag on an older bike I'll chime in. Check to see if there is any wear on the carry pins that hold the pads in place. These pins take a beating and notches are formed in such a way that the pads will not slide properly to release all the way. If the surfaces of these carry pins are not completely smooth then replace them.

--KT--