Gus1300
Site Supporter
I don't think you've destroyed your system; take a breath, step back and maybe start over from the beginning to ensure there's nothing you've missed in the process? Keep the faith...you can do this!
Gonna try to install one of my 2x new SMC units...
- Thread starter The Dark Shadow
- Start date
OP
OP
UPDATE:
A neighbour dropped by today to look at my brakes with me.
There were 2 large obstructions...
Obstruction 1. In my reservoir, the diaphragm was not removed. It had sucked into the reservoir and I thought it was the reservoir, and added new fluid on top of the expanded diaphragm.
Obstruction 2. Me being an idiot and not knowing about this stuff, hence not noticing number 1 above.
Thank you all for your help and input.
I'm really sorry I'm such a useless idiot with this stuff.
The brakes are still rubbing a bit (front right and rear) but I gotta take the night off of thinking about my bike's brakes.
Thank you all again and sorry for being stupid.
A neighbour dropped by today to look at my brakes with me.
There were 2 large obstructions...
Obstruction 1. In my reservoir, the diaphragm was not removed. It had sucked into the reservoir and I thought it was the reservoir, and added new fluid on top of the expanded diaphragm.
Obstruction 2. Me being an idiot and not knowing about this stuff, hence not noticing number 1 above.
Thank you all for your help and input.
I'm really sorry I'm such a useless idiot with this stuff.
The brakes are still rubbing a bit (front right and rear) but I gotta take the night off of thinking about my bike's brakes.
Thank you all again and sorry for being stupid.
sirbike
Site Supporter
I think it was a trick question from the start. 
I don’t think I’d call it stupid, because you’ve never done it before, and had no reference of what all the parts look like, or where they should be.
I’m guessing you have pressure on the rear pedal now?
Strap the front, and use your stick on the rear over night, and report back in the morning.
Glad your making progress.
I’m guessing you have pressure on the rear pedal now?
Strap the front, and use your stick on the rear over night, and report back in the morning.
Glad your making progress.
Sitting here thinking about these past few days, and all the frustration and difficulties you’ve had trying to deal with this bike, started me thinking about not only your situation, but your location.
So I googled it.
Wow, Nova Scotia is beautiful!
Made me wonder why you would even want a big, heavy, complicated ST on those beautiful two lane roads and country side.
A smaller, simpler, bike like a Yamaha SR400, Royal Enfield Classic, Triumph T100, etc. would be so much more fun to ride over there!
Have you given any thought to downsizing to something smaller and simpler to work on?
Cheaper to run, cheaper to insure, easy to work on and repair?
My SR400 only has 2L of oil, the valve adjustments take 10 minutes with a 12mm wrench and a feeler gauge, tires and parts are nowhere near as expensive as your ST.
I’ve had a couple ST’s, and put 100k plus miles on them, but I have to be honest, I spend more time wrenching on them than my Harley’s or British or German bikes.
Just a thought.
I have not had so much fun since I downsized to this little 400 single, and have put 1000 miles on it in the past couple weeks.
Just something to consider.
You could probably easily turn your ST into a smaller street bike or dual sport like a KLR650, DR650, DRZ400, XT250, CRF250-300L etc.
I sure think you would have a lot more fun with something like that where you live.
So I googled it.
Wow, Nova Scotia is beautiful!
Made me wonder why you would even want a big, heavy, complicated ST on those beautiful two lane roads and country side.
A smaller, simpler, bike like a Yamaha SR400, Royal Enfield Classic, Triumph T100, etc. would be so much more fun to ride over there!
Have you given any thought to downsizing to something smaller and simpler to work on?
Cheaper to run, cheaper to insure, easy to work on and repair?
My SR400 only has 2L of oil, the valve adjustments take 10 minutes with a 12mm wrench and a feeler gauge, tires and parts are nowhere near as expensive as your ST.
I’ve had a couple ST’s, and put 100k plus miles on them, but I have to be honest, I spend more time wrenching on them than my Harley’s or British or German bikes.
Just a thought.
I have not had so much fun since I downsized to this little 400 single, and have put 1000 miles on it in the past couple weeks.
Just something to consider.
You could probably easily turn your ST into a smaller street bike or dual sport like a KLR650, DR650, DRZ400, XT250, CRF250-300L etc.
I sure think you would have a lot more fun with something like that where you live.
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Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
One thing that you are overlooking Larry, Nova-Scotia isn't Arizona. Summers are short. Rainy summer days are cold. Unless a person is only tooling around town or is only a fair-weather rider, not having the weather protection that a fully faired motorcycle offers would likely either significantly shrink a person's riding season, or seriously shrink their enjoyment of it.
The ST was also the @thedarkshadow's dream bike he said.
And agree not an idiot. You're learning and stepping outside your comfort zone. Kudos on both of those. We all had to learn to crawl before we learned to walk, and then ride. There's a reason you do show and tell in school, and the first past is "show." It makes it a lot easier than just telling or reading from a book.
And agree not an idiot. You're learning and stepping outside your comfort zone. Kudos on both of those. We all had to learn to crawl before we learned to walk, and then ride. There's a reason you do show and tell in school, and the first past is "show." It makes it a lot easier than just telling or reading from a book.
Sadlsor
Site Supporter
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2020
- Messages
- 4,368
- Age
- 67
- Location
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Bike
- 2008 ST1300A
- STOC #
- 9065
As I reflect on the comments, the suggestions, and DS's frustration, most of us would have simply pushed the rubber diaphragm back into shape when the reservoir cap was removed, without a thought.
And then moved on to troubleshooting. But he didn't know that, as he'd never been in there, or had other bikes before this one.
My thought at this point: pictures of what he was seeing would have made it obvious from the start.
I'm a visual learner, and if we had a chance to see exactly what he was seeing, it would have saved a lot of time and a lot of repetitive posts and a lot of frustration.
I like pictures.
EDIT: I'm thinking like @Obo, or he's thinking like me. We were posting at the same time with the same idea.
And then moved on to troubleshooting. But he didn't know that, as he'd never been in there, or had other bikes before this one.
My thought at this point: pictures of what he was seeing would have made it obvious from the start.
I'm a visual learner, and if we had a chance to see exactly what he was seeing, it would have saved a lot of time and a lot of repetitive posts and a lot of frustration.
I like pictures.
EDIT: I'm thinking like @Obo, or he's thinking like me. We were posting at the same time with the same idea.
My point is that it may not be the "perfect" bike for someone who knows nothing about working on motorcycles, who lives in a remote area, and me be better off with a smaller, simpler, bike to learn how to service and maintain stuff without all the stress and frustration etc.
OP
OP
Thank you for your kindness and patience with this somewhat damaged human being that I am.
OP
OP
The main highways are 110knp... I prefer to ride at 125kph. I did a road trip to Toronto last summer... About 3000km... One thing I wanted, and love, so much with the st13 is its wind and rain protection. It's basically cold here for 10 months of the year. Any other bike I'll freeze and get soaked. With my st13 i ride anywhere above 2 degrees Celsius, and I'm comfortable above 5 degrees Celsius. This is one reason the bike appeals to me. And I don't find it heavy at all (except if I accidentally park nose down on a slope). A smaller bike wouldn't satisfy me, and I'd still have to learn the maintenance since the local pros are mostly cr@p.
Nothing wrong with liking what you like.
I could sure see myself exploring all those places on my CT125 loaded with fishing and camping gear.
You could always start wrenching on ST’s there since you probably now know more than all the local shops do.
So how did the brakes turn out when the dust settles?
I could sure see myself exploring all those places on my CT125 loaded with fishing and camping gear.
You could always start wrenching on ST’s there since you probably now know more than all the local shops do.
So how did the brakes turn out when the dust settles?
OP
OP
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Can definitely feel the front brake when the back brake is used, but it was like that before too... Not convinced the SMC had failed at all, but the old one certainly didn't have full plunger travel until I removed it and gave it a good press. Now, the new and old, from the outside, seem to act the same.
The front brakes may be scuffing too strongly when not used. Mileage is still not what other people report, and rotors are getting very slightly warm when brakes aren't used at all (coasting to a stop). On the test ride out, one side was cool, the other side ever so slightly warm. Rear was warm, but not hot to the touch.
I think the Honda manual said there should be a millimetre of space when brakes are relaxed. mine have 0mm on one brake pad, and maybe 0.3mm on the other brake pad (similar for all 3 calipers).
I was told by another forum member that the spindles, or thimble, holding the front rotors on, should be loose enough to spin by hand. The maritime weather here has seized them, FWIW.
Also, I'm not sure if the front wheel alignment (axle into forks) was correct. Video below.
The back brake pistons look dirty (a bit or rust) so I should remove the rear axle, loosen the pipes, and remove the rear caliper to do a piston cleaning, slider cleaning & lube, and spring & hangar bolt cleaning. The video I posted is after I MANUALLY (with a large flat head screwdriver) pushed the brake pad away from the rotor slightly.
Since I'm in the mood for flushing and refilling with DOT4, I should do my clutch since it is turning tea coloured (weak tea, mind you... not the kind we brew in Cape Breton and Nova Scotia). It seems like I have to remove the side panel to do this.
Speaking of panels, my bottom is missing at least one pushpin closure. I don't even know that they're the right size, since I found one missing after the local "pro" shop returned my bike after having taken the panels off to replace the thermostat last year (this was after they put the wrong gapped and wrong shape spark plugs in the bike, and the bike was running too cool, so I chased it down based upon symptoms and it seemed prudent to replace the thermostat, which was perfectly fine anyhow).
So, I should probably buy a full set of fasteners such as are available on Ebay.
And the pipes smell like they are running rich to me. That, plus fuel economy SEEMINGLY lower than others report, and it makes me wonder if somehow the engine is running rich. If I drive at 120kph, I'll usually only get about 38-39mpg on the flats with a steady pace.
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Excellent observation DS. Flushing fresh DOT4 through the system will help keep the CSC from failing on you.
FYI, the bleed nipple which is located on the left side of the bike (as you are seated on it) just below the coolant bottle, will seem very tight compared to the brake bleed nipples. Leverage is your friend. Try extending whatever tool you are using to help you crack it open.
Use the search engine to read up on the technique to ensure the CSC gets a good bath.
DO NOT over torque the bleeder when you’re done.
You may notice the clutch fluid changing colour quickly (1k kms) after your service which means you will have to increase the service intervals until the CSC gets reasonably cleaned out. It’s a PITA to remove the Tupperware to access to bleeder but it’s still easier than having to swap out a CSC.
And remember to protect those surfaces during your service. Brake fluid is unforgiving.
Good luck although now that you are a pro, I doubt you’ll need it.
OP
OP
Thanks buddy. By no means am I a pro... The brake fluid is what it is... Igofar said soapy water neutralizes it, so any spills I've wiped and splashed with soapy water. There's no real way to totally prevent drips...
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2013
- Messages
- 549
- Age
- 71
- Location
- Paola, Kansas
- Bike
- 2007 ST1300A
- 2024 Miles
- 001621
- STOC #
- #9021
Glad you got it sorted. your persistence and patience has paid off and now you are a subject mater expert on ST1300 brakes. Even as a professional technician I have experienced very odd problems that left me scratching my head for days only to find is was something simple yet odd. The odds of sucking the diaphragm into the rear MC inlet are astronomical. Maybe bad luck but now you can ride with confidence your hydraulics are in order.
@The Dark Shadow , keep in mind that there should be a plastic disc inserted between that rubber diaphragm / membrane and the cap that is supposed to stop it from being sucked in when the cap is on. Not sure how yours fell in... you may not have had the cap on but just be aware that there is two parts to that rubber seal