Brake question

You know I know **** all about mechanical stuff so here's the situation.

Went for a ride to wauchope today with plans to go down via Tele point.

Anyway I got to Wauchope and turned off onto Pembroke Road but then my
rear brake was 'on' - the bike'd accelerate sure, but it was braking the
whole time. I reckon I travelled 400m before I worked out why I was
slowing down got to the side of the road and stopped.

The rear brake was on almost enough to lock the wheel when stationary,
but with the bike going of course it was just enough pressure to slow
the bike down and generate lots of heat.Even though the rear brake was
smoking I was still stupid enough to touch the disc and have 5 white
fingertips to prove it was hot (typing's a bastard at the mo). I tried
lifting the pedal forcibly but that didn't release the brake.

So not sure whether it 'stuck' on or not but about 15 minutes later it
was free enough to ride, and I went home without using the rear brake.
With it being NY and cleaning up after last night I have not had chance
to check the state of the fluid but there's enough in there from looking
at the outside.

Any ideas on where I should start to look ?

 

In aus.motorcycles on Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:04:06 +1100

If it did that because you used the rear brake, then it didn't free
up.

It could be some form of hydraulic lock, but I feel it unlikely.

It could be a sticky piston where you work the pedal, it pushes the
piston into the fluid, and the piston stays stuck and then slowly
works its way free.

It could be that the pistons behind the brake pads are sticky so you
work the pedal, the fluid pushes them to have pads contact disk, but
they don't move back.

No idea how you'd check it to determine which it might be.

Zebee
- who knows exactly what to do if it was a proper drum rear. This
new fangled stuff....

 

So if it's sticking is it possibly something simple like marmafluid
(like Clem was on about before) - or something 'foreign' ?

 

Sounds like corrosion in the rear caliper, remove disassemble clean fit new
seal kit reassemble. Problem solved.

Next!

Boxe

 

You can "sometimes" free up the stuck brake by rolling the bike backwards
but as Boxer said, take the caliper apart and check for corrosion, either
white or brown
clean it up and refill with NEW fluid

 

Thanks Peter - no light on, I should have added I did that in my
roadside testing, so the ideas above are what I'm going to check later
tonight.