new member here with a gs500f and I have a problem

I left my bike sit in the rain the other day and when I rode it the front brake just didn't feel right, it kind of clicks when first applied and the lever feels kind of hard, any suggestions? I'm going to inspect the caliper and bleed the lines and wanted to know if I can use auto dot4 brake fluid or does it have to be "motorcycle" specific dot4?

Rain and feels hard ... OK grease the pivot bolt. Unlikely you got water inside the master cyl, and if you did after you get it running and ride it and get it warm it will give you grief usually by not disengaging. Once it gets hot, water in the fluid lowers its boiling point and increases its expansion rate severely ...

Cool.
Buddha.

I use auto brake fluid from the auto parts store or the Walmart, didn't even know there was bike specific fluid.      I usually just grab the synthetic rated both DOT 3 and DOT 4.  The 3 and 4 are same compatible fluid and mix ok.  Dot 4 just has higher boiling point than DOT 3.

Generally no reason the brakes should be affected by the bike sitting out in the rain.  Check your linings for wear and also your front wheel bearings for looseness.  I had a worn front wheel bearing that affected the brake in the rain by causing a delay in gripping until rotor was wiped dry. Disc brakes rely on the pads running against the rotors to keep them dry and the loose brg caused the pads to be pushed away from the rotor.

Sitting in the rain should not affect the water in the fluid, water is absorbed by the fluid over a long period of time and results in a lower boiling point of the fluid but rarely affects the brake friction/stopping power unless it's really bad.

thanks for the replies guys, I just went out and cleaned the pivot pin and lever and re greased it as buddha suggested and it feels normal again  I'm glad I asked first before messing with the caliper


lol I just thought there might have been braked fluid specific for bikes just like there's engine oil

I'm a newbie to bikes this gs500 is my first, so some of my questions might seem odd

thanks again guys

Quote from: harhar on January 01, 2010, 09:13:56 AM
new member here with a gs500f and I have a problem

I left my bike sit in the rain the other day and when I rode it the front brake just didn't feel right, it kind of clicks when first applied and the lever feels kind of hard, any suggestions? I'm going to inspect the caliper and bleed the lines and wanted to know if I can use auto dot4 brake fluid or does it have to be "motorcycle" specific dot4?

that 'click' could be your head bearings.

not feeling right could be crap on the pads/disc. maybe you have a fluid leak from your forks contaiminating your rotor/pads ?

check all that stuff, no front brake = no fun