SPOKANE Area Riders

I missed another one.....

Nice ride report KR. Now that I have moved back down to Boise, I am looking forward to a winter of a little less ice for riding. However, a buddy of mine and I did ride some snowy icy stuff Saturday south of Murphy, ID. We bagged the ice and headed over to the nice sandy desert. I agree with you about the steep rocky stuff. I feel so much more at home on that than the two track ice tracks. We discovered even on the rocky stuff we had to stay off our previous tracks as they got slick too.

It's getting to be my favorite time of the year for riding...honest! So I notice I'm losing brake fluid out of the front system somewhere. Do some quick trouble shooting and discover two leaks! And it's a brand new braided steel line. Actually the line is O.K., it's leaking at both ends. Must be a thread issue. Unfortunately, the old brake line got tossed months ago....This will keep me off the bike for a while longer. Next in line, new wheel bearings and lubing the splines. Love my airhead!

One nice thing about working with brake fluid leaks; it makes your hands squeaky clean.

Are there supposed to be some copper crush washers that should be between the the line fitting and the banjo bolt or the fitting and the caliper/master cylinder? Cheque the fiche, that nay solve the problem. If they are there, where they replaced when the line was replaced?

Thanks for the idea Paul. I don't see anything there. Will check Clymers and the fiche. Boy, would that ever be an easy fix! Dale never remembers to KISS. Part of being an Old Fart I guess.

Which line is it that is leaking? I remember a few of those lines being hard to get tight...

Hey Dillon, reading this after work? How's the graveyard thing going? It is the cable from the right hand brake handle to the "T" under the gas tank. The other two seem to be O.K. In fact, the brakes are working great.

That is the line I thought was leaking, I remember it being hard to get tight. I think some new crush washers will help get that guy to seal up better.
Anyway grave shift is going alright, we basically pack and ship all the parts that keep the Alberta oil fields running (my shift is responsible for the daily shipment for Finning Mildred Lake, which is the CAT dealer that supplies parts to the oil sands operation). The only bad part is I dont get to spend as much time with Randi as I would like, but hey its work and I am infinitely thankful for a job. It is also allowing us to properly fund the CL350 rebuild. I really cannot wait to get it together and sorted out. The fact that Randi is driving the rebuild and is massively involved is awesome, but I am thinking riding together may be a bit better.

You will never get it to stop leaking if those crush washers are gone. They are cheap and should be replaced every so often if you take the system apart.

Very much agree 75monza. They should be kept stocked like a beer fridge. Don't let a $0.50 part separate a day riding vs not riding. Especially this time if year and when it comes to safety like brakes. It's never the expensive part that stops you it's the cheap. See challenger.

Thanks everyone for the input. I'll pull the brake line today or tomorrow. I think Dillon had them made up at House of Hose, so I'll go down there and see if they have some crush washers that fit.

Do you think that the threaded ends of the line may also be a little long? I could have them shave off an 1/8" or so. Just wondering. I'm not the most experienced wrench in the shed.

SWMBO can help me rebleed the line once it's reinstalled. BTW, Dillon had rebuilt the brake calipers for me (all three) and they work the sh*ts! Very happy with the results.

I didnt get the impression the threaded ends of the line were too long when we installed the lines. I would start with new crush washers. Also try to tighten up that junction block that is attached to the frame under the tank. It could be that guy being a touch loose is allowing the vibrations to loosen the line just enough to generate a leak.

The junction box was tight until I loosened it. Had to clean up the brake fluid on it and the bundle of wires under it. :eek1

Will let you know how things go once I get some crush washer in there.

Thanks again for the advice fellas.

Good luck with your brakes Dale and thank you LadyBug. If I get back up that way, I will see if I can join you guys for a ride. If you head down this way, please let me know. This area has some great riding.

Did some work on Randis bike today, looks like we now have serviceable front suspension
Next step is getting the frame blasted and painted and then probly some assembly before we tear down the engine for inspection.

Um, went to NAPA, O'Reilly's, Spokane Power Sports, and Home Depot. No one had the crush washers in the size I need. Looks like it's a trip to House of Hose and/or The BWM dealer....

I also need to pull the whole right hand brake handle assembly apart. In Clymers it shows a piston system in there. I THINK that may be the cause of leakage at that point. I'm guessing the gaskets may be worn out. Will have to get them over the internet. At the "T" it looked like the threaded section of the brake line wasn't going into the T totally. A couple millimeters of thread are still exposed. This keeps the crush washer from sealing properly. I am hoping to find some thicker crush washers with the same interior diameter to fill that space.

Question: Can I use 2-4 thinner washers to do the same thing if I don't find any thicker ones?

You will only need to get gaskets for the piston in the master cylinder if you are getting leakage from where the lever acts against the piston or your brake lever slowly goes towards the handle bars when holding the brake. Anyway for those washers I would check with Inland Pacific Hose and Fitting, they tend to be cheaper than House of Hose when it comes to parts like that.

Dillon, Your description of the handle slowly pulling into the grip is exactly what is happening. I'll be trying to find the part numbers for a rebuild kit this weekend and order it on Monday. I really appreciate your comments and the call. Nice to hear all is well.

Yeah it was good catching up, though it does kinda suck to hear about the little issues that keep popping up on your bike. Oh well, thats just part of vintage bike (or any equipment really) ownership...