'98 EV Brake Question

[FlyingG]

Hi Folks, it's been a while. I got an EV back on the road that had sat outside for several years & was in great danger of returning to the earth. Thanks for all y'all's help in getting it going.

However, the tail lights & turn signals stopped working, & while I was diagnosing that, I lost the key. A year later, I found the key, but after firing it up, I noticed the rear brake pedal was soft. I tried bleeding the brakes - very little comes out the front & almost nothing out of the rear. Sounds like something is clogged, but I'm suspicious about the rear proportioning widget - it's no longer working as the spring isn't even there.

Some questions - Could the widget be causing the problem? Is it worth getting a different one from a bike breaker? How important is this item - obviously Guzzi thought it was pretty important, but I've run without it for a couple of years. Has anyone bypassed the widget, other than de-linking the brakes? If so, what sort of adaptor/connector would be required? Any other ideas on what to check?

Cheers.

P.S.: Got my T3 back on the road, too. Ironically, just had to rebuild the front master cyl on it.

 

[john zibell]

As for the bleeding, make sure you are getting a full throw on the rear brake pedal. Also to get the rear to bleed properly, I remove it, place something between the pads so they won't pump in, and hold the caliper with the bleeder up. On the proportioning valve, either get a new spring, or just ignore it. If you think there is a blockage (which I doubt) it may be necessary to open the lines and flush the components with denatured alcohol.

 

[FlyingG]

Thanks John. I was wondering about that - the pedal contacts the floorboard without a lot of effort, so that's probably preventing me from really pushing much fluid through the system. I'll give your suggestion a go. Cheers.

 

[FlyingG]

I was able to get the brakes bled. I removed the left side muffler, unbolted the rear caliper, & held it up with a bungee cord so the bleeder would be the highest point, though there is still precious little fluid that moves from the rear caliper. I found a spring that fit the rear widget, but I'm still concerned about it.

There was ton of trapped air in the whole system. Lots of tapping on the calipers, fitting, & piping to dislodge the air. I used a trick that the late John Hoffman from Cycle Specialties of Athens (GA) taught when I worked for him one summer when I was racing - whilst holding pressure on the pedal/lever, crack open the banjo bolt with a rag wrapped around it & bleed the air out of the system. Air probably enters the system at least partially through these fittings & it seems to collect there - they are also often the high points in the system.

This works great at the rear master cylinder cylinder fitting as well as the junction block under the left side cover. The result is a very firm brake pedal. As always, thanks for your guidance. Cheers!