ABS brakes

[Keith Cross]

Never noticed before, but when towing a trailer (yes take the p if you want) the brakes get used a little harder than normal.
On my return form a rally today I noticed that if I tried I could pull the front brake lever till it was touching the bars.  I didn't feel the `pulsing' you normally get when the ABS operates.
Now I have adjustable dog leg levers, some maybe that's the problem I don't know.
I have bled the front brake at both callipers and this doesn't seem to have made any difference.
The bike is a 2010 wee with ABS which has now covered 16000 miles

Any ideas?

Keith C

[Juvecu]

The ABS should only kick in if the wheel starts sliding. If you didn't make it slide then you won't feel anything

[Keith Cross]

OK didn't feel that, but the I could get the lever back to the bars if I tried hard enough.  Are their any issues with this ABS system?

Keith C

[Juvecu]

Did you have the levers on one of the lower adjustments, closer to the bar? If you set them to 6, furthest away, can you still pull it to the bar?

[Keith Cross]

Yep set at the furthest setting away form the bars.  If I change the setting the lever comes back to the bar easier

Keith

[Juvecu]

When my brakes are bled properly I can't get the lever to the bar even when the lever is set at number 2 setting. When the brake fluid starts going off I can see it in the lever travelling further. I have CBR600 calipers, braided brake lines and no ABS.

I wouldn't say you have something wrong with the ABS, it might just be a case of the fluid getting old or the brake lines expanding under pressure. I assume the brakes still work like they should?

Edit: BTW, I have the same levers as you have, don't know if you can remember this

[greywolf]

It sure sounds like there is a little air in the brake lines. There is often an air bubble trapped where the lines connect to the master cylinder that doesn't come out unless the banjo bolt there is cracked a bit to bleed the air.

[Keith Cross]

The brakes still work, but not enough for the ABS to cut in with the front brake, but they do work with the rear brake.
Could be a small amount of air, might have another go tomorrow.
BTW I tried the original levers and they were no better.

Keith C

[Andy M]

This doesn't sound like abs to me. Abs is an add on. The hydraulics are entirely conventional. If they can't make enough decel abs will just sit there idle. Abs faults bring the warning light on. Don't let black box terror ruin your diagnostic process, millions of o-rings fail every year but the internet is full of stories about how people changed the abs ECU three times, couldn't make it work, ripped out the whole hydraulic system and repiped from scratch. It works after that because the o-rings are new!

Sounds like air in the system to me.

Andy

[mr_diver]

I'd second the air in the system idea. mine does it from time to time, usually a week or so after a rebuild of the calipers.