Rear Brake Pedel Return Sticky

774 Views 17 Replies 11 Participants Last post by StreamRider, 7 d ago

MCFart

Discussion Starter · 8 d ago

It riding season and nobody home!!
1st, To all that help me out with my suspension problems, Thank you!!
Both tires have been replace with a pair of Michelin Road 6 GT's.
With the suspension dialed in and new tires (with the correct air pressure)
my two wheeler ride very nicely now.
Over the last 3 weeks or so, in-between all the rain drop here in Oklahoma,
wife and I managed to put roughly 300 miles on the bike now since purchasing it.
Only one small problem:

Yesterday, before leaving out the house, we did a quick walk around inspection,
Found the brake light was stuck on. Rear brake pedal will NOT return to the most upright position
on it own. That last 1/4" of rotation on the pedal need some help from my foot to
get the brake light to turn off.
There is no spring. I believe it just relays on Hydraulic Pressure to return it.
The back side of the pedal is directly connected to the hydraulic piston. Don't know if a little grease
would help. Any of y'all come across this problem? Fixes?

See less See more

1 - 18 of 18 Posts

Jns

· #2 · 8 d ago

MCFart said:
It riding season and nobody home!!
1st, To all that help me out with my suspension problems, Thank you!!
Both tires have been replace with a pair of Michelin Road 6 GT's.
With the suspension dialed in and new tires (with the correct air pressure)
my two wheeler ride very nicely now.
Over the last 3 weeks or so, in-between all the rain drop here in Oklahoma,
wife and I managed to put roughly 300 miles on the bike now since purchasing it.
Only one small problem:

Yesterday, before leaving out the house, we did a quick walk around inspection,
Found the brake light was stuck on. Rear brake pedal will NOT return to the most upright position
on it own. That last 1/4" of rotation on the pedal need some help from my foot to
get the brake light to turn off.
There is no spring. I believe it just relays on Hydraulic Pressure to return it.
The back side of the pedal is directly connected to the hydraulic piston. Don't know if a little grease
would help. Any of y'all come across this problem? Fixes?

Hello
I had the same problem. As if I needed to put it in a higher gear. Cleaning and regreasing did the trick for me : ).
J

Reactions: 2

Moonlighter

· #3 · 8 d ago

Could be a bunch of different things.
How old is the brake fluid? If more than 3 years I'd flush it out and replace with new fluid from a sealed container. Use the correct DOT rated fluid, guessing DOT 4.
Clogged ports in the master cylinder.
Too much brake fluid in the system, the pistons in the caliper need to push fluid back up to the reservoir. Does the rear wheel drag when the bike's on the center stand?
Rear caliper needs cleaning? A good visual inspection would be helpful.

Reactions: 1

MCFart

Discussion Starter · #4 · 8 d ago

Thanks mates......will try the "simple stuff 1st. If no-go, will continue on with Moonlighter suggestion.
Just brought the FJR few months back, so the age of the brake fluid is unknown.
The rear brake work very well, so I don't believe its a clogged port. Will definitely do an inspection and the drag possible issue.

dan cooper

· #5 · 8 d ago

Don't overthink this like so many do. Just lubricate the brake pedal pivot. Disassembly / cleaning / grease with waterproof grease is the long drill. A little oil / chain lube / cable lube etc. at the pivot point and work the pedal to spread will do the trick for a surprisingly long time. Repeat as necessary. Do the easiest thing first.

There is a return spring on the back side of the footrest bracket. The sticky pedal usually has nothing to do with hydraulics.

dan

Reactions: 5

RiderJoe

· #6 · 8 d ago

@MCFart this is a common issue, I had iton my 2003 too. To fix it remove the brake pedal, and plate behind it from the bike. This will allow you to clean and lube all mating surfaces and pivot points forward from the rear brake master cylinder. Most likely that is all that’s needed to fix the sticky pedal issue.
We responded at the same time. Yes, what @dan cooper said.

Reactions: 3

Moonlighter

· #7 · 8 d ago

MCFart said:
Thanks mates......will try the "simple stuff 1st. If no-go, will continue on with Moonlighter suggestion.
Just brought the FJR few months back, so the age of the brake fluid is unknown.
The rear brake work very well, so I don't believe its a clogged port. Will definitely do an inspection and the drag possible issue.

The fluid overfill issue is a thing. My buddy and I, back in the 90's when we were too poor to take our bikes to the shop, and had tools but minimal experience, replaced his front pads. We had to push the caliper pistons back to fit the new, fatter pads, which pushed fluid back into the reservoir...overfilling it. Brake drag was the result. Something so damn simple but it took us awhile to figure out. Not sure this matches with your symptoms but thought I'd throw it out there.

Best of luck figuring this one out, sir.

red

· #8 · 8 d ago

MCFart said:
Only one small problem:
Found the brake light was stuck on. Rear brake pedal will NOT return to the most upright position on it own. That last 1/4" of rotation on the pedal need some help from my foot to get the brake light to turn off.

McFart,

Yes, there is a return spring (Index #5 on the linked FICHE below).
The brake lever pivot arm gets dirty. Remove, clean the pivot arm inside and the shaft that it goes on, and apply a good lube, some quality grease. Re-assemble, good as new.

This is normal maintenance on the FJR, although some have installed a Zerk fitting in the brake arm pivot. Then a grease gun makes it very easy to push out the old grease and replace the old grease with new, when needed. Wipe away all the old grease.

https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/yamaha/motorcycle/2007/fjr1300a-fjr13aw/rear-master-cylinder

Reactions: 2

MCFart

Discussion Starter · #9 · 8 d ago

You see mates!! This is why I really like this community, forum and motorcycles. I am still fairly new on this forum,
But there is ALWAYS someone here to help! We might not always agree, but that OK. Different views is always a good thing.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I salute you ALL!!<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Reactions: 4

Rumblestrip

· #10 · 8 d ago

Actually should be 2 springs back there. 1 as return for pedal and the other is the rear light activator.
But as stated previously, lever pivot clean and lube service is probably necessary also.

Gas Bicycle part Composite material Wire Metal

See less See more

Reactions: 2

BigOgre

· #11 · 8 d ago

You got good advice here. Taking the lever/plate off to do a complete clean and grease really ain't bad. After the first time 20/30 mins tops unless you dawdle. BUT . . .

MCFart said:
Just brought the FJR few months back, so the age of the brake fluid is unknown.

Change it! Clutch too while you're at it. Make it part of your routine every two years.

See less See more

Reactions: 1

Linton West

· #12 · 8 d ago

If you loosen the rear pedal fixings and ease the pedal off you should be able to clean and lubricate without too much fuss. I just give it a spray of a lubricant. If you have some Tipex mark the pedal and spline before you remove it so that it goes back in the same position.

rbentnail

· #13 · 8 d ago

Here's pictures Lubing the FJR's Pivot Points. Loads of helpful info at that site. This one too Mark Johnson's FJR Site (C) 1995-Present.

Reactions: 2

StreamRider

· #14 · 8 d ago

dan cooper said:
Don't overthink this like so many do. Just lubricate the brake pedal pivot. Disassembly / cleaning / grease with waterproof grease is the long drill. A little oil / chain lube / cable lube etc. at the pivot point and work the pedal to spread will do the trick for a surprisingly long time. Repeat as necessary. Do the easiest thing first.

There is a return spring on the back side of the footrest bracket. The sticky pedal usually has nothing to do with hydraulics.

dan

Thanks for the reminder! I needed a little something to work on before dinner and read this post. I said to myself "I should just go and bang this out quick." Definitely needed a little love, and a reminder.

MCFart

Discussion Starter · #15 · 8 d ago

Great stuff here mates!! Thank you!

Reactions: 1

StreamRider

· #16 · 8 d ago

Linton West said:
If you loosen the rear pedal fixings and ease the pedal off you should be able to clean and lubricate without too much fuss. I just give it a spray of a lubricant. If you have some Tipex mark the pedal and spline before you remove it so that it goes back in the same position.

I am not sure of the other Gen's but the Gen 1 has handy markings on the pedal and the spline so you can align them to your liking. Pretty handy of mama-yama.

Reactions: 1

MCFart

Discussion Starter · #17 · 7 d ago

Took it all apart today, clean it all up.. it was pretty dirty on the back side.
Little brake cleaner and a rag. A few finger tips of grease, and back together.
No more sticky pedal!! Springs back like a diver board now.
Thank you all for the help on this. I didn't think it would be THAT easy of a fix.
I think it took me longer to find the 2 right size allen keys to remove the bolts!

Reactions: 5

StreamRider

· #18 · 7 d ago

MCFart said:
Took it all apart today, clean it all up.. it was pretty dirty on the back side.
Little brake cleaner and a rag. A few finger tips of grease, and back together.
No more sticky pedal!! Springs back like a diver board now.
Thank you all for the help on this. I didn't think it would be THAT easy of a fix.
I think it took me longer to find the 2 right size allen keys to remove the bolts!

Those two should now be part of your "essentials" kit.

Reactions: 2

1 - 18 of 18 Posts