Lost my brake pedal, than came back

[Dan David]

While test driving 2 different Vmaxes I serviced, I lost the rear brakes after aggressive use of the rear brakes. It appears that the current owners have not changed the brake fluid since acquiring the bikes. My solution was to flush the old brake fluid, and replace with DOT4. I recommended to the owners to replace the fluid at least once a year.
DOT3 & DOT 4 absorbs water at the rate of 10% year. So after 3 years, the old brake fluid would have some 30% water, which boils, causing air bubbles that is compressible, ergo no brakes.

 

[5thhorseman]

Why would a person bleed the brake system when just replacing the pads?:ummm:

I remove the cap on the brake resovoir.
Squeeze the pistons in with channel locks or a c clamp.
Place the new pads in.
Pump the brakes back up
and done

I thought it would be easy to change the pads without taking off the caliper. I got the old pads off just fine, but when trying to compress the pistons......they wouldn't budge. Ended up having to take the calipers off, removing all the fluid and then compressing the pistons. Then had to bleed the system to get it all functional again. I took the opportunity to check the calipers over and clean them up.....without dis-assembling them.

They seem to work fine.....haven't been on the bike yet.....will check them out tomorrow.