does this SMC make my rotor look hot? lol
Did you lick your finger and try and touch it?
well rear brake locked up
- Thread starter the Ferret
- Start date
Did you lick your finger and try and touch it?
OP
OP
the Ferret
Daily rider since May 1965
I think the SMC's will tend to be more an issue for those of us that tend to ride in inclement weather and put on a lot of miles. Those that take them out on blue bird days a hundred days a year and a few thousand miles per year would probably not have an issue with them I suspect.
I don't think I'd want to JAM anything in my brake system in an attempt to alter it.
If the SMC does not work, you only have (1) piston working on the rear wheel.
Not in the case this thread is about: Here you have 2 pistons biding on the rear rotor and you are trying to prevent that so you can keep moving.
You can of course do as you want, but if if it me and am in the middle of nowhere and have to try to limp back towards civilization, spacer is my friend.
The OP said he had the system maintained, i.e. SMC cleaned, system flushed, regularly ridden. What else could the OP have done to prevent this?
I ask b/c my brother has a 2007 ST1300 that he doesn't ride every day. I really don't want this to happen to him.
Could you post a picture of the spacer you describe installed on the caliper so We can evaluate your suggestion? Thanks!
If you take my suggestion to put the bike on the center stand before every ride and spin the wheel around with the transmission in neutral, that should give Him advance notice of any problem.
OhioDeere
Been There, Done That, Got the Shirt.
So having ridden bikes forever. Having to do all my own maintenance. Having a job repairing equipment everyday. I carry approx 10 pounds of tools on my bike. Always.
As per my favorite saying: “Have toys! Need toolsâ€. Or “ Deep pocketsâ€
As per my favorite saying: “Have toys! Need toolsâ€. Or “ Deep pocketsâ€
Thanks, we do that on his, but not before every ride. From what I've read in this thread and in some others is that it can happen suddenly, i.e. both wheels could spin easily in the morning and then rear wheel lock in the afternoon. Is that too exaggerated, or is the consensus that there is a gradual drag (front and/or rear) and then final lock?
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To tell you the truth I don't know the answer to that question, but I have to believe it's reasonable to assume there would be some advance sign. For my own peace of mind that's what I go bye! That and regular maintenance and Observation of the system. If ever it DID suddenly lock on that will be the last time I ever rode that bike! 
Agreed. Thanks for your comments.
There was no advance indication prior to my failure. I will go out on a limb here,,, and suggest most smc failures are similar to mine. Here were the failure mode factors for my ST13
3 previous owners had not done any regular maintenance on the smc, except fluid changes.
Bike had 90,000kms on it.
There was a large build up of brake dust and rust caked under the boot.
Piston travel was inhibited by the caked crud.
Piston return spring had become weak with use.
Piston bore was worn and corroded.
Final failure was preceded by a normal but strong braking event.
Brake drag produced by the smc not fully releasing, caused wheel lockup over next 1km.
So I was stranded,,, but there was no resulting crash. And because of my reading on this forum, I had a pretty good idea what the problem was. And an our later, we were home on the back of a flatbed. Bottom line is that my bike was a prime candidate for this failure. And I bet that as our fleet ages,,, many other ST's are in that same category, and at risk. My advice,,, if you feel your bike is due,, or going to be due,,, have a new smc on the shelf and change it out,,, sooner than later. I rebuilt my original one and used it while my new unit arrived. While this is an option for skilled owners and shops,,, I recommend new unit replacement. Good reliable brakes will help keep us safe,,, and being able to ride without nagging worries just makes sense,,, right ?? A new smc is not that expensive,, and changing it out is a quick job (not including the whole 1st time bleeding sequence),,, IMHO,,, Cat'
ps: your bike probably needs a full bike bleed anyway. Ride safe everyone !!
To tell you the truth I don't know the answer to that question, but I have to believe it's reasonable to assume there would be some advance sign. For my own peace of mind that's what I go bye! That and regular maintenance and Observation of the system. If ever it DID suddenly lock on that will be the last time I ever rode that bike!
Actually, there is a sign, it's called a maintenance record! Look it over, how many miles on the bike and how often serviced (brakes fully flushed?) then look to see if the SMC was ever taken apart, cleaned (maybe new parts put in) and then a good flush?
I didn't realize the damage that old, stale brake fluid can do until I opened up the clutch slave on my 2010!
4: And that tells me the SMC isn't in that much better shape, except with my 2010, since I rebuilt it when it locked up my rear brakes a few years ago.So, the next time I do brakes on it or the 2012, I just might take the SMC apart and clean it up. Good idea to have a few extra parts on hand of course. (I already have a new ('08-on) SMC sitting in my parts bin...someplace, just need to locate it.
As for the 04#1, I'll be rebuilding everything on it, so it should be in good shape when it rolls out of the shed!
I'm not even going to talk about the 04#2, 8,000 miles more and I'll have 50,000 on it. After that, we'll see how much longer it can go.
MattInDenver
Shall Be known as MattInMadison
****Disaster**** Averted sort of. I picked up from the shop new shoes and full exhaust. I leave the shop. As I approach the stop light before getting on the highway I pull in the clutch to down shift from 3rd to 2nd. The bike Lurched forward and came to a stop. The rear break locked. Limp it back 3-5 blocks back to the shop. The bike came to a stop right at the drive way entrance. Well something strange happened. The front caliber piston locked into place triggering the linked braking system to engage the rear brake. The shop showed me the piston/pin and it was corroded and lodged itself into position.
MattInDenver
Shall Be known as MattInMadison
I am the only owner and she have 10k miles on her. 2012 model
Even with just 10K miles, have the brakes been bled?
So as far as your brake hydraulics are concerned,,,, you bike is about 7 years old. Mind you,,, I wish I owned it !! Glad that you were not hurt,,,, Cat'
Many reports over the years of sudden locking.
Here is one from the "Lemon Law" site.
After traveling about four miles at low speed on a secondary road, the rear brake of the motorcycle suddenly locked up and i came to an abrupt halt in the line of traffic. i was unable to push the motorcycle off the road and had to call a wrecker to take it to the honda dealer. i was told that there was a malfunction of the secondary master cylinder. when i asked to see the part that had failed, i was told that honda had requested that the part be sent to them for analysis. the dealer told me that they had never seen or heard of this type of malfunction before. the last brake service had been done by the dealer. i am not an aggressive rider and was not applying the brake at the time of the malfunction. the brake is now fixed, but i am very worried about a recurrence. if this abrupt braking had occurred on the interstate i would be dead and the blame for my death would fall on me , without anyone knowing what actually caused the accident. luckily, i was on a low traffic secondary road with nobody behind me when i came to a sudden stop.
Reported in: DAYTON TN || Crash: N || VIN #: JH2SC51476M
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Aside from doing the work yourself and knowing what you are doing I have no answer for you.
It's not a difficult job but compared to a non linked bike it's 8 circuits flushed vs 3 circuits plus removing the LF caliper and hanging it properly. A unscrupulous tech could just top off the reservoirs and pocket quite bit of flat rate money. The next owner thinks the brakes were done according to the receipts the seller had.
Subjectively you will probably feel a difference when they are done correctly and completely. I am amazed each time how much difference the flush and bleed makes and my brakes never get soft or mushy to begin with. If a ST1300 has a brake pedal drop when the front lever is eased the SMC has not been purged as it should have been.
Thanks for that Dave. Can the pedal drop test be done on the centerstand or does the bike need to be rolling such that the SMC is activated?