Topic: 550 front brake

[Kevnz]

Hi all,
Another question. I have
1 A known good master cylinder
2 All new OEM hoses
3 Stripped cleaned and reassembled caliper.
4 I have a firm lever; can't pull it back to the 'bar
5 No air in the system, lever doesn't pump up
6 Have surfaced the pads flat ( they were slightly domed)
7 There don't appear to be any contaminants on the disc or pads
BUT the brake doesn't have much power; really have to haul on it to lock up on a gravel surface. I haven't ridden far enough to try them hot\high speed. ( Just getting back on the road)
The pads are numbered 7253. Are they too hard for normal use?( ie racing pads/)

[jaytee-nz]

Kev - the 500/550 brake is quite good compared to the CB750 brake so you should be able to lock it up easily on gravel.
However, if you are used to a modern bike the brake will feel weak and feel like it need lots of pressure.
If your pads were also contaminated with oil or similar, then it's virtually impossible to clean them.
Based on what you have done so far, new pads would be the next logical step.

[Kevnz]

Thanks for that JayTee. I've been running a 500 for 10+ years, so I know what to expect from the brake, but my 500 was significantly better than this. There didn't seem to be any contamination, so maybe softer pads are the next step.
Cheers

[bryanj]

Pivot pin?

[Kevnz]

No, front end has been apart and reassembled. Bracket was stripped and cleaned\polished.

[bryanj]

Those pads are supposed to be domed to start with by the way, front brake on 550 is exacly same as 500, make of pads does make a difference personaly i dont like sintered