Rekluse rear brake questions...

[tacotory]

I just installed a rekluse clutch and rear brake on my '05 wr. I knew I was going to like the clutch, but

1. 
   

I had no idea how much!!?? But enough about the clutch...

I have two questions about the rear brake set-up:

1) When I originally installed it, I was having a heck of a time getting it bled so that the lever felt the same as the front brake. It felt normal at the pedal, so I knew it was somewhere between the rear master cylinder and the new master cylinder on the bars. It was late when I was installing it, and I left the foot pedal in place, so I knew it wasn't a deal killer and called it a night. The next day, not only was it not soft, it had my rear brake locked up. I cracked the fitting at the upper m/c and it worked great. I thought the problem was solved. Well, I've had to crack that same fitting 3 times since. Originally, I thought it must have had something to do with a temperature differential, but now I'm starting to wonder. I've never had to mess with my front or the original rear setup due to temperature. Any ideas on what might be causing this??

2) I'd like to get a brake light switch set up off the rear. I've heard some talk on other threads about a switch at the banjo area. Is this something that gets added to the stack, or is there a replacement banjo bolt that has the switch incorporated? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[jerryls]

Which end were you bleeding? I get good results by back bleeding the system (forcing fluid from the rear brake thru to the hand brake).

[tweav]

2) I'd like to get a brake light switch set up off the rear. I've heard some talk on other threads about a switch at the banjo area. Is this something that gets added to the stack, or is there a replacement banjo bolt that has the switch incorporated? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

I would guess you still have air in your system . pressure bleed it or gravity bleed it take your time . as far as a brakelight switch the normal bolt in hyd switch just replaces the bolt in your banjo fitting so it will still fit to your rear master cylinder where the line come out .

[tacotory]

Jerryls-

I tried bleeding it both ways. I used the syringe set-up that comes with the kit and tried to bleed it backwards from the bleed screw at the rear caliper. It wouldn't go all the way up into the hand m/c. I had to crack the fitting there to get the fluid to flow. Is this normal?

Tweav-

Is the bolt you're referring to a fairly common part? Any recommendations on where to purchase?

Thanks for all the help.

[wheelsoff]

From our brake kit expert here at Rekluse:

First make sure the adjustments at both the foot and left hand master cylinders are completely backed off. The system should be bled with the adjusters backed all the way off so the pistons in the master cylinders are not being actuated. Once the system is completely bled then adjust these so there is a little bit of free play before you feel resistance. I cannot think of any other reason the foot master cylinder would feel hard. Keep in mind if you use both foot and left hand at the same time both master cylinders will fight against each other and this will feel hard. Also keep in mind the left hand master cylinder is never going to feel quite as good as the front brake however you should be able to lock up the rear wheel while sitting in the saddle on pavement with one maybe two fingers. If the system is close to being fully bled i.e. the lever is a little spongy, try riding around in first gear and start and stop alternating between the foot and left hand master cylinder. Sometimes just a bit of use will work air bubbles out into the reservoir.

As far as a brake light pressure switch you would simply replace the banjo bolt at our Rekluse foot master cylinder sleeve with a banjo pressure switch bolt.

If you cannot resolve your bleeding issue please give me a call at 866-REKLUSE ext. 108 and we will resolve the problem.

Happy trails!

Danny Youngwerth

(208)426-0659 ext.108

[dirtysouth]

From out brake kit expert here at Rekluse:

First make sure the adjustments at both the foot and left hand master cylinders are completely backed off. The system should be bled with the adjusters backed all the way off so the pistons in the master cylinders are not being actuated. Once the system is completely bled then adjust these so there is a little bit of free play before you feel resistance. I cannot think of any other reason the foot master cylinder would feel hard. Keep in mind if you use both foot and left hand at the same time both master cylinders will fight against each other and this will feel hard. Also keep in mind the left hand master cylinder is never going to feel quite as good as the front brake however you should be able to lock up the rear wheel while sitting in the saddle on pavement with one maybe two fingers. If the system is close to being fully bled i.e. the lever is a little spongy, try riding around in first gear and start and stop alternating between the foot and left hand master cylinder. Sometimes just a bit of use will work air bubbles out into the reservoir.

As far as a brake light pressure switch you would simply replace the banjo bolt at our Rekluse foot master cylinder sleeve with a banjo pressure switch bolt.

If you cannot resolve your bleeding issue please give me a call at 866-REKLUSE ext. 108 and we will resolve the problem.

Happy trails!

Danny Youngwerth

(208)426-0659 ext.108

Bump for ya..way to be there for your equipment:thumbsup:

[snakesausage]

I have seen this before. The hole between the reservoir and the piston is probably plugged.

[tweav]

here's a link for your switch to buy it from thumpertalk.

http://shop.thumpertalk.com/catalogs/Parts_Unlimited_Offroad_2007/default.asp?p=908

it's in the upper right corner.

[tweav]

here's a link for your switch to buy it from thumpertalk.

http://shop.thumpertalk.com/catalogs/Parts_Unlimited_Offroad_2007/default.asp?p=908

it's in the upper right corner. you want the 1.25 pitch thread one. and here's a pic of mine in.

[tacotory]

I have seen this before. The hole between the reservoir and the piston is probably plugged.

This sounds like it might make sense. The main thing that didn't work the way the instructions said they should was that I couldn't push fluid into the m/c from the bleeder at the caliper. Would the hole being plugged explain that? When I look down into the m/c, there are two holes- which one do you suspect is plugged? The one closest to the lever? When you saw this in the past, was it plugged with debris or was it a machining or coating issue? I'm guessing I would want to pull the line off of it before any effort is made to clear the hole so whatever is in there doesn't get into the system? Were you able to poke something in the hole to clear it? I hate to sound like a neophyte on this, but I don't want to damage the brake while trying to fix it.

Thanks for your help- I appreciate it.

[tacotory]

here's a link for your switch to buy it from thumpertalk.

http://shop.thumpertalk.com/catalogs/Parts_Unlimited_Offroad_2007/default.asp?p=908

it's in the upper right corner. you want the 1.25 pitch thread one. and here's a pic of mine in.

Awesome- thank you. I'm going to order it today.

[snakesausage]

This sounds like it might make sense. The main thing that didn't work the way the instructions said they should was that I couldn't push fluid into the m/c from the bleeder at the caliper. Would the hole being plugged explain that? When I look down into the m/c, there are two holes- which one do you suspect is plugged? The one closest to the lever? When you saw this in the past, was it plugged with debris or was it a machining or coating issue? I'm guessing I would want to pull the line off of it before any effort is made to clear the hole so whatever is in there doesn't get into the system? Were you able to poke something in the hole to clear it? I hate to sound like a neophyte on this, but I don't want to damage the brake while trying to fix it.

Thanks for your help- I appreciate it.

The hole that is in front of the piston (and primary seal) before you pull the lever is the one that may be plugged. The one that is closest to the lever is in between the primary and secondary seals in a typical setup and is only there so that fluid gets between and pulled past the primary when the lever is released. When the lever is not pulled the primary seal should be in-between these two holes. The hole that I saw plugged was on an old bike and it had white aluminum oxidation in the hole. We just dissembled the m.s. and used a paperclip to clear the hole. Since you have verified that the hole is there (not missing because of a machining mistake) you could push something through it lightly and see how far it goes in.

There are some other things that could cause this… the piston may not be retracting far enough back to allow the fluid to return to the reservoir. As wheelsoff said, be sure that the adjustment screw on the lever is backed all the way off of the piston so that it is allowed to hit the circlip in the back of the cylinder before you bleed the system and then adjust the free play in the lever.

Another thought is… there should be a check valve somewhere to keep the fluid from just flowing into the rear master cylinder when the hand brake is actuated correct? If so, it could be in the wrong orientation causing the pumping up of the line or caliper depending on where it is.

I hope this helps...

In case you want to know more about a typical brake system:

http://books.google.com/books?id=mNIhYSCBfmUC&pg=PA75&lpg=PA75&dq=web&ots=EdTTzzQWMK&sig=LJjCRU72TUWdrb6p1MtLcxlKKV0#PPA75,M1

[tacotory]

The hole that is in front of the piston (and primary seal) before you pull the lever is the one that may be plugged. The one that is closest to the lever is in between the primary and secondary seals in a typical setup and is only there so that fluid gets between and pulled past the primary when the lever is released. When the lever is not pulled the primary seal should be in-between these two holes. The hole that I saw plugged was on an old bike and it had white aluminum oxidation in the hole. We just dissembled the m.s. and used a paperclip to clear the hole. Since you have verified that the hole is there (not missing because of a machining mistake) you could push something through it lightly and see how far it goes in.

There are some other things that could cause this… the piston may not be retracting far enough back to allow the fluid to return to the reservoir. As wheelsoff said, be sure that the adjustment screw on the lever is backed all the way off of the piston so that it is allowed to hit the circlip in the back of the cylinder before you bleed the system and then adjust the free play in the lever.

Another thought is… there should be a check valve somewhere to keep the fluid from just flowing into the rear master cylinder when the hand brake is actuated correct? If so, it could be in the wrong orientation causing the pumping up of the line or caliper depending on where it is.

I hope this helps...

In case you want to know more about a typical brake system:

http://books.google.com/books?id=mNIhYSCBfmUC&pg=PA75&lpg=PA75&dq=web&ots=EdTTzzQWMK&sig=LJjCRU72TUWdrb6p1MtLcxlKKV0#PPA75,M1

Well, after hearing what you've had to say and after reading the material on the link you provided (thank you), I have two thoughts/ questions.

1) When I was pumping the lever to try to create pressure for bleeding purposes, little bubbles were coming out of the secondary hole. If I am understanding the drawings correctly, the only way air could come out of this hole is if it was getting past the primary seal- is this correct?

2) Seems like the only way pressure could be building in the system like it is would be if I have the lever adjustment too tight where the primary seal never gets to pull back behind the primary hole- which might also explain why I'm not able to push fluid back into the m/c from the caliper bleeder. The only thing that doesn't make sense to me is that I didn't adjust the free play until after I put in fluid, so it would have had to have been in front of the primary hole before I ever started trying to bleed it.

Unfortunately, I left my bike down in the desert for a ride I'm doing next weekend, so I don't have it here to check the adjustments. I have to try to come up with a plan before I get back to the bike.

As for the check valve, the rekluse kit didn't come with one and I didn't change anything on the original system.

[tweav]

Awesome- thank you. I'm going to order it today.

I've noticed that some people are having these switches fail that are running a standard bulb . I would think about putting in a led replacment bulb too . they do not pull as much power so the are not as hard on the switch

[tacotory]

I've noticed that some people are having these switches fail that are running a standard bulb . I would think about putting in a led replacment bulb too . they do not pull as much power so the are not as hard on the switch

good tip- know where I can find one?

[tweav]

If your bike takes a 1157 bulb . you can find led replacement ones almost anywhere . wal-mart , advanaced auto , e-bay , local bike shop ,or even a truck stop. they should only cost like 8 bucks or so . I know dennis kirk has them but their prices are way too high. here's a link to one on flea-bay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1157-Super-Amber-57-LED-Light-Bulb-TAIL-TURN-2357-7528_W0QQitemZ190198798080QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item190198798080