Rear brake seized?

[beardedmonkey]

1978 GS750:

I'm a noob and my buddy who knows what he's doing keeps being busy. Alas, I turn to the forums; please forgive my ignorance.

Anyway, it's not seized like I can't move the wheel in neutral, but seized like the brake is halfway engaged when it's not. Should I bleed the brakes? Is this something I can do with minimal tools and not so much experience? I've got the Clymer manual at home (am at the gf's right now or I'd just look it up). How long would it take? I'm planning to play hooky tomorrow and I want to ride!

Help is greatly appreciated.

[tkent02]

Usually it is the return port is clogged, brake fluid can't return from the caliper to the reservoir. It can lock up and throw you on your ass even if you never touch the brake, as the fluid expands with heat, causing brake drag and more heat, a vicious circle that ends with a locked wheel that stays locked. Several forum members have had this happen.

The cure is to disassemble and clean the calipers, master cylinder, replace the brake lines and flush the brake fluid. Not what you wanted to hear I bet, but brake fluid should be changed every two years or so, if it's been neglected thirty years it causes serious problems.

[beardedmonkey]

Gah! No, not what I wanted to hear, but it is what I heard the last time I posted about my brakes doing something weird (that time is was that the brakes seemed to be momentarily engaging when I went over a bump even though my hand wasn't on the lever). It's been raining for so long and I hadn't ridden it since I posted last time... Beautiful day today and I guess I was hoping all the rain had washed away the problem. Ehhh... I'm an idiot. A very lucky idiot. From what my friend says taking all that apart isn't something I'm gonna want to try on my own, at least not the first time.

[7981GS]

Pull the brake arm out of the frame, polish it up, clean and sand the shaft in the frame, apply grease to brake arm where it goes into frame, install.

Eric

[tkent02]

From what my friend says taking all that apart isn't something I'm gonna want to try on my own, at least not the first time.

In that case I would do it without this friend's assistance, he must be mechanically inept.

Just keep your parts and pieces in the right order, it's not too hard.

[beardedmonkey]

Yeah? Maybe I will try it then. What's this about pulling the brake arm and sanding it?

[7981GS]

They RUST where they go through the frame.

Eric

[beardedmonkey]

Stay with me here, you can laugh while you do it...

Brake arm = brake lever/foot brake? Sorry, like I said, my Clymer is at home.

[cowboyup3371]

Just do what Tom said and take care of your brakes properly. Basscliff has the procedures here on his site so you can look at how to do it even at your girlfriend's place.

[beardedmonkey]

Just do what Tom said and take care of your brakes properly. Basscliff has the procedures here on his site so you can look at how to do it even at your girlfriend's place.

Nice! Ok, off I go.

[Gonzo]

Not that a rebuild isn't in order, but I would take a look at the rubber dust boot that surrounds the piston. I had the very same problem with my rear 3 days ago, so I tore off the caliper and was ready to rip it all down when I noticed that the dust boot had just simply come undone from the lip it sits in. That caused it to push the brake pad into the rotor just enough to cause enough drag to create heat and noise. I reseated the boot and no more drag.

[Nessism]

[7981GS]

Stay with me here, you can laugh while you do it...

Brake arm = brake lever/foot brake? Sorry, like I said, my Clymer is at home.

Number 17 in this picture.
Where it goes through the frame.
More than a dozen rear brake problems have been solved by removing the rust and cleaning this shaft.
Grease and re-install.

http://www.boulevardsuzuki.com/fiche_section_detail.asp?section=94667&category=Motorcycles&make=SUZUKI&year=1977&fveh=2133

Eric

[cowboyup3371]

Wow Eric. You make it sound like it's the only thing he has to do for his brakes to become perfect. So what are you going to do if he dumps it because he only took your advice instead of actually CLEANING the system?

[7981GS]

Have you gotten your spare clutch and brake levers?
As you tend to drop your bike often. Once per how many/few miles ridden?

I never said it was the ONLY thing just extremely common on something that is thirty years old and has no provision to be greased in the first place.
If you change/flush your brake fluid every year, the calipers/ master cylinder never get to looking like some of the terrible examples shown here.

Any pic's of your bike to show him how it is done?
We want him to take advice from an expert such as yourself with all of your years of EXPERIENCE.
How long have you owned a GS Suzuki again?


Eric