are the CRM's front brakes pants or is it mine?

[fishtail]

sorry to bombard with questions..

but the one area I feel a bit worried about are the brakes..

now I've got used to the front diving more a err thing that dives alot ( professional footballer? err sorry )

it still doesnt slow me down as much as I'd like - and stoppies seem unlikely so far..

brake pads seem to be un worn - ie lots of life left - looks like they changed them just before I bought the bike..

also has braided hoses

one thing tho the adjuster on the front brake lever ( screw that enters the master cyclinder ) is jutting out to the max! ie its going as far into the cyclinder as it can when I pull em on..

is that my hint? - get a longer screw - or is it try new seals on the master ?

clean and bleed the calipers

or is it that cant compare with twin rotors on my hornet?

the brakes are better than my wife's TW200 tho...

ashamed to say havent done any brakes this century!

back brake conversely is quite sharp!

[back off road]

over to john our forum front brake expert

[twistednuts]

Yep, John just cant stop helpin with front brakes, theyre beedin useless!!

[fallenmikethebike]

I had this issue with mine, and I ended up winding the screw out.
I think if the screw is in to far the master cylinder can't get a full stroke in the bore,[ I THINK], anyway, in conjunction with some new fluid gradually pumped in, it's now fine.
Some of those pattern levers can be useless.
Mike

[john7780]

as soon as i saw this post i just knew! just wait till you come down to my track you rotten gits! anyway ignore them i would suggest winding the screw back out and bleeding the old fluid out whilst replacing with new fluid just as mike said, if this doesnt work then its possible seal problem but front master cylinders are easy to come across as many from other bikes will fit

[back off road]

i knew you couldnt resist passing your wealth of front brake info on

[njhardy]

I put new disk and cintered pads on mine a few weeks ago and it made a lot of difference, though I don't think I could pull a 'stoppie' on mine; although Nissin, they just aren't that brilliant in my view...maybe its just my bike too! Definately get the brakes bled- you could have condensation, an air trap or just a low level in them so the cylinder doesn't push enough fluid through, which will make them more spongy. You should be able to adjust the cylinder screw out and refill the resevoir after bleeding. Thicker fork oil will stop the front end dipping so severely.

[fishtail]

thanks all for your insight..

I'm going to start off by making a bleeding kit... yeah old tube and jam jar ( im sure googling will get me up to date? )

anyone got any recommendations for brands?

so far in the sintered world I can see "gold"

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-CRM-250 ... 326wt_1335


about to read FAQ on forks,..

[fallenmikethebike]

Occasionally, the only way to achieve a reasonable lever is to reverse bleed the system.
You need a a large bore syringe, or similar to pump the fluid up to the master cylinder.
Mike

[john7780]

and a lot of patience

[knackeredMk1]

Properly setup with a braided hose the CRMs brakes are OK off road. If you are giving them serious grief on road then there are two things you can do -

1). Get a later front brake set. I have a CRF front master cylinder and caliper on my Mk1. Use a hydraulic pressure switch for the lights.

2) Get a 320mm disk and an extension caliper bracket. With road tyres on my Mk1 will endo with one finger with this setup (though generally I use two all the time on & off road). I would seriously recommend against doing this with off road tyres .

[fishtail]

thanks - food for thought KMk1 !

gonna order some pads first and see how that goes .

also lets see how much off road I can get in- best place so far is about 45 mins ride - generally knackered myself by the time I get there!

looking for some where closer - google earth has given me some hints - but fences have held me back so far

CRMinal!

[back off road]

braided hose , decent pads and fresh oil Dot 4 are the starting point

if this doesnt cure the poor front brake a full overhaul may be needed , my Mk2 would stop on a penny and lift the back wheel off the deck without even thinking

the brakes on a CRM are the same as some newer bikes DRZ 400 ,gasgas 300 ec to name a couple, if they will stop my gas gas with alot more BHP then stopping your CRM should be no problem unless youve got a problem

[fishtail]

gonna do a search on which pads are best....


i have had some more thoughts on this...

after practicing some slow turns etc on some dirt slopes.. I found I was exhausted..

wondered if my levers are too short?

[fallenmikethebike]

Pattern levers, the span looks awfully long, probably quite stiff to pull as well you really need matching perch and levers, for a uniform feel.
On the clutch side I have in the past cut a small strip of rubber to place under the perch to tip the lever more towards your fingers, I found this worked quite well, though not a perfect fix.
Mike