[iraq_veteran]

Hey everyone. I have a 1982 GL500 interstate(turned naked).



I recently fell while going about 45 mph and wearing nothing but shorts, shoes and a helmet.(biggest regret ever not wearing gloves and a jacket[ and trust me it will never happen again]). Well after the hospital visit it turned out my front brakes had locked up. In fact, when my dad came to pick me up the bike wouldn't move until he released the little knob by the brakes used to bleed the brakes. I rode a few times after and everything seemed fine, but then they would slightly lock up again.



I tried spraying WD40 down the inside of the cables and even bleed the brakes 3 times but it would only temporarily fix the issue.



I recently moved and had my bike on a trailor. the bike moved off fine, then i moved it out of the way but in the heat of the sun. Im not sure if i hit the front brake or not, but after a couple hours the brakes had locked up completely. I didnt have a tool with me to bleed them so i was forced to ride it up to my parking structure(which is covered and in the shade) while braking. I came back to it a day later and the brakes had released!



If anyone has any info on what is going on and how i can fix it, i would be very grateful. I cant even ride my bike because im scared of wiping out again.



Thanks,

Will

 

[Shep]

I'd renew the Master cylinder.Why take a risk with a 25 year old plus one if it's caused a problem and also take out the brake piston/s and check and polish or renew.There's a tiny hole in the MCs that if it gets clogged can cause no end of problems and with an old MC it may just be time to replace.There's some good not so expensive universal ones around that NA(North American) users on here have bought and are happy with.



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-...2807442QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories



and as you now know.ATGATT.I tell people that even a slow speed drop and if you aren't wearing good gloves you may as well just go out to the garage and run an angle grinder over your hands

 

[Reg in Bristol]

Ouch!!!!

Jeez thats nasty !!



The brakes may be locking due to the small hole in the master cylinder

which allows fluid to return when the levers released being blocked.

Its not unknown and considering the age of the bikes quite possible if

the brake system hasnt been serviced well over the years



Its also possible the piston/s and seal/s ( one or two calipers?)

are full of gunge and the seal/s have jammed.

Ditto the not unknown bit above.



Both scenarios are quite common in fact but I have never heard of it getting

so bad it had someone off.

Ouch! again



for peace of mind and to regain confidence I'd strip down the whole syetem and

treat it to new seals possibly piston/s from the master cylinder to the caliper/s and run fresh fluid through it.

Braided hoses really help improve braking too if you can afford it.

 

[Blue Fox]

Whew, that is some painful looking rash. Makes me cringe just looking at it. But maybe the picture will save someone else the pain, if they will now wear ATGATT.



I would do nothing less than rebuild the MC and the caliper. And replace the pads too. The culprit is most likely the fluid return hole in the bottom of the MC. It is a tiny hole that allows fluid pressure to return to the reservoir. You will probably have to remove the plastic reservoir to get at the hole, but I would completely disassemble the MC and either clean it very well, or replace the innards. Then do the same with the caliper. You may need a seal and dust boot kit there. But it is important to make sure the seal groove is completely pristine. Junk in that groove can also contribute to loss of pad retraction, but opening the bleed screw and then the pads retract point to the return hole being clogged.



Edit: Those English blokes must type faster than I. But we all in agreement anyhow.

 

[ScrapMetal]

No lecture here, but might I suggest getting yourself a two piece leather suit with a 360 zipper? I have a perforated set that is great for most of the riding season. I feel very uneasy without it.



As to the brakes, it is the hot issue lately. Good luck with them.



Here's an online place that might have some cheap suits on clearance: www.newenough.com

 

[iraq_veteran]

Thanks for the advise everyone. I am going to pull apart both calipers and check things out then if we still have problems ill spend the 75 bucks on a new MC. I probably wont be able to work on her till friday.

 

[gwynethh]

Thanks for the advise everyone. I am going to pull apart both calipers and check things out then if we still have problems ill spend the 75 bucks on a new MC. I probably wont be able to work on her till friday.

The MC has a small bleed back hole to relieve pressure after applying the front brakes. Maybe its plugged.

 

[morrow]

Ouch! Nasty fall! I wish you a speedy recovery!



One of the best things you can do on any old bike is clean/replace the ENTIRE hydraulic brake systems. When I get old bikes I do the following right away:

1. Replace OR completely clean/rebuild the master cylinder. If you're not trying to go all-original, there's great ones on ebay from that USAmotorcycles dude, even ones that compliment the custom style angled handlebars

2. Replace the brake line(s) with aftermarket stainless steel braided lines, or if you're trying to stay bone-stock get new rubber ones.

3. Pull the caliper(s) and take them apart, clean them, scrape out all the crusted brake fluid, hand polish the pistons or replaces if necessary, clean/lube the pins, and replace the seal(s).

4. If the rotor is warped or damaged, replace or resurface.

5. Replace the pads with good aftermarket ones, even if there's still plenty of wear left on the old pads. Way too much trouble to deal with trying to save ancient brake pads on these old bikes, not worth it.

6. New DOT3 or DOT4 brake fluid, bleed yearly.



All of these things aren't very expensive compared to re-doing a brake system on say...an automobile. A good functioning brake system is essential on motorcycles!

 

[rickbert]

Dude your ass looks AWFUL and OUCH ! I feel for you.



Although I'm confused as to what actually happened ? You say you were going 45mph and the brakes locked up ? I guess what I'm thinking as I type this is that you were riding along at 45 mph and squeezed the brake lever ALL THE WAY ? I ask this because if you didn't squeeze the lever all the way then all it would have done was slow the bike down a bit (depending on how much you squeezed it of course) and then if the pads didn't retract back then you just would have had a little resistance there feeling like you couldn't speed up and the engine was just revving higher..right ?



You said that you rode the bike again and they only "slightly" locked up which makes more sense....is why I'm asking.



OR did they just all of a sudden lock up on you w/out pulling in the lever ? I'm just asking the scenario out of curiosity !



I'm also thinking that if you were going 45mph that it would have done some serious damage to the bike as well but you say you were still able to ride it ?



Just curious

 

[lucky]

haha thats what i was thinking rick how could the bike just stop like that also i think that if he did just squeeze the lever it would of maybe flipped the bike and not cause a slide but hey i dont know anything

 

[Allan]

haha thats what i was thinking rick how could the bike just stop like that also i think that if he did just squeeze the lever it would of maybe flipped the bike and not cause a slide but hey i dont know anything

I don't know how it happened ,,but if the wheel was turning hard on dry pavement and he drove through a spot on the road with loose sand or gravel it could cause the wheel to lock up and skid, or a wet or slippery spot might do the same thing.



I would think if this were the case the bike would have seemed low on power before it happened though.



However it happened, it looks like it hurt

 

[philbrewer]

Dont spend $75 on a MC. I just picked one up from USA Moto on ebay for $45.99 shipped.

 

[Blindstitch]

Anyone else want to chance wearing shorts?

 

[bandit]

Anyone else want to chance wearing shorts?

hope you heal up quick

 

[Bri-Guy-GA]

Good luck in healing. I am confused as to how the wheel can all of a sudden lock-up. I would think it would do it when applying the brakes or just not release after stopping. Weird and scary. Thanks for your service though.

 

[marshallf3]

Sometimes we don't remember 100% of exactly what we were doing right before something like this happens, could be the brakes were already slightly dragging and just a little extra pressure was all it took.



Now knowing that it's a potntial Im going to double darn sure make sure my system is 100% before I take to trusting it.



I've got the original MC on there now but the used MC I finally found came from a 100% running bike that was being customized and worked well at the time. Of all the sources out there where do you think is the best place to get a rebuild kit? (I think the '79 had a 4 holer)

 

[Shep]

Sometimes we don't remember 100% of exactly what we were doing right before something like this happens, could be the brakes were already slightly dragging and just a little extra pressure was all it took.



Now knowing that it's a potntial Im going to double darn sure make sure my system is 100% before I take to trusting it.



I've got the original MC on there now but the used MC I finally found came from a 100% running bike that was being customized and worked well at the time. Of all the sources out there where do you think is the best place to get a rebuild kit? (I think the '79 had a 4 holer)

As there were three styles of MCs used on the CX(At least in the UK) you have to get the correct one.



Round Zed type(My favourite)

Two Screw B type

4 screw A type.



I think yours are the same as one of mine,



http://www.wemoto.com/bikes/Honda/CX_500_A/79-80/



Contact Georgefix as he's very knowledgeable and has some in so you should be able to match up correctly,



http://stores.ebay.com/GEORGEFIXS-MOTORCYCLE-PARTS__W0QQ_sidZ59877813?_nkw=cx500&submit=Search

 

[Dash]

Will, thanks for sharing your accident with us and I wish you speedy recovery.



I've owned three bikes that have had front brake lockup issues. Two of the bikes had the problem in the brake caliper and one had the problem in the brake hose.



For your bike as had already been mentioned, a complete front brake rebuild is in order. Keep in mind your bike is nearly 30 years old. Thankfully a complete front brake job is not expensive nor difficult, even for a newbie.



A GL500 caliper rebuild kit costs around $24 and you'll need two since your bike is an Interstate model (two calipers). Front brake hose is around $45. Brake fluid $3. Brake pads $20. Master cylinder rebuild kit $30 or buy new master cylinder for $50. So for $145 you're good for another 20 years or more.

 

[Dash]

Will, thanks for sharing your accident with us and I wish you speedy recovery.



I've owned three bikes that have had front brake lockup issues. Two of the bikes had the problem in the brake caliper and one had the problem in the brake hose.



For your bike as had already been mentioned, a complete front brake rebuild is in order. Keep in mind your bike is nearly 30 years old. Thankfully a complete front brake job is not expensive nor difficult, even for a newbie.



A GL500 caliper rebuild kit costs around $24 and you'll need two since your bike is an Interstate model (two calipers). Front brake hose is around $45. Brake fluid $3. Brake pads $20. Master cylinder rebuild kit $30 or buy new master cylinder for $50. So for $145 you're good for another 20 years or more.

 

[iraq_veteran]

For a better explanation:

I was going into a turn a little fast, there was some gravel, and i might have squeezed the front brake a little to far....but regardless the brake didn't release causing the front tire to skid and have me fall off low-side. The bike slid in front of me and grinded down a good piece of the right cylinder and tailpipe, broke my mirror ect. I on the other hand, use the skin on my hands, forearms and hip to break my fall and slow my 25 foot slide