gregh Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 anyone else feel like the rear brake is spongy? feels like the more I step on it I get no more braking power...anyone know how to get rid of the ABS? I think this is the problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member 9rider Posted September 15, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted September 15, 2015 Interesting... I got the same response from my rear brakes yesterday. Took a nice 235mi. ride over the nearby NE. OR. Blue Mtns.. Just breaking her in with 900mi. now. Front brakes work fine but I get that 'mushy' brake pedal feel from the rear. I got the same thing with my recently departed 2009 Kaw-Versys. Might be air in the lines or more likely spongy low quality rubber/vinyl brake lines, I think the solution would be to bleed rear brake lines and upgrade to braided steel ones for a more positive action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhevezi Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 One of my chief complaints about the FJ-09. Spongy, rear brake. The fronts are fine, not great, but perfectly acceptable in power and feel. The rear? Notsomuch. I plan on replacing the rear line with a steel, braided line and swapping in some DOT5.1 - Hope this does the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperT Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Woa, hang on a second. Is DOT 5.1 the same as DOT 5, meaning a SILICONE brake fluid? If so, do not I repeat DO NOT put dot 5 in a dot 3/4 system or you will have to rebuild and possibly replace each component in the system. The 2 fluids are not interchangeable. Skip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhevezi Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 No. DOT5 is Silicone, 5.1 is not. 5.1 is compatible with DOT3/4. DOT 5 is the oddball and should be avoided UNLESS your brake system specifically calls it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member wessie Posted September 15, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted September 15, 2015 I don't think it is so much a mushy rear brake, rather that the lever travels quite a bit before anything happens. For me, the rear does not lack power and it is easy to get the ABS to trigger. I have adapted to the amount of travel. You may be able to fiddle with the adjustment to reduce the free play, before needing to change components. This signature is left blank as the poster writes enough pretentious bollocks as it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Is the ABS kicking in? I can get mine to trigger quite easily when pressing down swiftly. The power of the rear isn't anywhere near as much as the front (as I'm sure you know), it's not something that I've noticed, but spongy does not sound right. I'm finding on this bike I'm using the rear less than I did on my YZF600R, I have used it quite a bit when in the Alps though - using the rear to keep things under control when going downhill through the hairpins. The only way to stop the ABS is to remove the fuse, not something I'd consider doing - but that's how you'd do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperT Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 No. DOT5 is Silicone, 5.1 is not. 5.1 is compatible with DOT3/4. DOT 5 is the oddball and should be avoided UNLESS your brake system specifically calls it out. Got it. This is interesting - I've never heard of DOT 5.1. You guys In the U.S. or elsewhere? S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipperT Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Oh ok. Found this for those interested: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOT_5.1 And http://www.epicbleedsolutions.com/resources/faq/difference-between-dot4-and-dot51-brake-fluid/ I don't know anyone with hands-on experience with the stuff though... S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest branthopolis Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Oh ok. Found this for those interested: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOT_5.1 And http://www.epicbleedsolutions.com/resources/faq/difference-between-dot4-and-dot51-brake-fluid/ I don't know anyone with hands-on experience with the stuff though... S 5.1 works great.. Used it in many motorcycles.. Has a higher boiling point than 3 or 4.. Fully compatible with 3 or 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregh Posted September 18, 2015 Author Share Posted September 18, 2015 "The only way to stop the ABS is to remove the fuse, not something I'd consider doing - but that's how you'd do it." Thanks Steve, Being an old school rider, this is the first bike I have owned with ABS. The front brake feel is adequate, actually feels pretty good to me but the rear feels almost non existent plus the fact that I can't lock up the rear if I want or need to. I'll look into seeing if I can get a tighter pedal but getting rid of the whole system may be the way to go for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paddingtonthebear Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 I use my rear all the time to fine tune my highway speed before heading into an off ramp curve, or just in general for slowing down / cornering in the city. It's not supposed to be a 100% brake... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dndfindley Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 anyone else feel like the rear brake is spongy? feels like the more I step on it I get no more braking power...anyone know how to get rid of the ABS? I think this is the problemTo disable the ABS one would have to be a fool and I mean that literally. No one, no matter how experienced, can modulate the brake better than the computer while at the same time preventing lock up. I have crashed because I locked up the rear brake on a previous non ABS bike. ABS has saved my bacon on the FJ when I had to grab all the brake I could at 80 mph. Had it locked up I would not have been able to steer and I would have crashed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregh Posted September 23, 2015 Author Share Posted September 23, 2015 To disable the ABS one would have to be a fool and I mean that literally. No one, no matter how experienced, can modulate the brake better than the computer while at the same time preventing lock up. I have crashed because I locked up the rear brake on a previous non ABS bike. ABS has saved my bacon on the FJ when I had to grab all the brake I could at 80 mph. Had it locked up I would not have been able to steer and I would have crashed. Like I said, I'm pretty old school, been doing this motorcycle thing over 45 years. others (old schoolers) have said the same thing to me, that they would like to have more control at the rear. The verdict is still out as far as disabling the system. .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adjuster Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 Interesting debate on the ABS, but one that cars, especially race cars proved long ago. No human can brake better than the current ABS systems, Period. That's why they are banned in F1 racing. Way too much advantage to the most complex systems. Imagine if you will, a system that measures distance, speed, weight and yaw rates, and regardless of what the "human" driver asks for with the brake pedal, applies the correct maximum brake force each and every time at every corner, at just the right point. That makes for lap times no human can beat, and soon enough, you would not need drivers anymore. Just faster processors, and more complex code. The ABS system on the FJ is pretty good, I've got zero complaints so far, the rear brake is slow to engage v/s the FZ09 with non-ABS. (Had the 2014 FZ09, now have a 2015 FJ, and love it.) The front brakes when applied alone, apply the rear brake, and are monitored by the sensors/system to provide rear brakes every time you use the front ones alone. When and IF you apply rear brake during this same braking event, it does dis-engage the front and rear brakes, and allow you to modulate them separately, but why bother? The rear will never lock up when the ABS system is calling the shots. And you have great modulation and feel from the front brakes up to the point where the ABS system takes over, and just saved your bacon by NOT allowing your front brakes to lock up either, keeping you in control of the bike as much as possible. Just like cars with ABS. You can steer, you can avoid the accident in most cases. Where the system fails, is folks who don't trust, or have not taken a few moments in an open empty parking lot to test and get to know how the system feels, and what it's limits are in general. Now add the traction control, and this system really is very cool for the price point of these bikes. (And I'm sure going to become commonplace in more time, since more riders will demand the safe operation that is possible with this technology.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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