arrrrrrrrr stupid bike :-(

[sladey1985]

if it aint 1 thing its another any ideas why my front brakes are jamming on..? its a honda cb 500 any advice would be great thanks in advance 

[garyboy]

probably corrosion (from salt grit) building up behind the brake piston seals, locking the pistons on.
dismantle and clean, especially behind the rubber seals, but also the sliding pins or other moving parts.
sometimes a temporary quick-fix is possible by moving the pads in and out and lubing moving parts, keeping the pads dry and clean .. but it usually comes back and a full strip down is eventually needed.
(this seems to be the most common diagnosis)

[walt-n-his 955]

 .

[ryan2305]

I had this problem on my thunderace and didn't do the complete strip down and eventually they totally seized and I wouldn't have been able to strip them without damaging the pistons as the salt build up was solidified.    At a surprisingly high cost (about £300) I had to replace the callipers  .   My advice is a tin of brake cleaner, some new (overpriced) piston seals and two or three spare hours.  This seems a bit of hassle but as it cost me so much not getting it done one time,  I won't be caught out like that again.   This preventative maintenance will save you a load of money.   

[Doctorbig]

Sounds like caliper seals, I changed the seals in both my front calipers about a month ago, I could feel a sort of pulse in the brake lever which showed up on the MOT test, when stripped down found one seal had started to twist and others had a white crusty muck behind them.

Seals cost £23 per caliper.

My advice get it sorted soon as you can.

[sladey1985]

ok cool thanks all time to get my hands dirty  i love it really lol 

[Lyndon]

Take particular attention to the sliding pins, the ones the two halves of the caliper slide on, remove the caliper, pull the two halves appart, emery cloth the sliding pins, copper slip them and refit, a tell tale is if one set of pads are worn a little more than the other

[daveb]

I have had the similar problem with the Tiger, I pumped out the pistons cleaned them,  cleaned inside the caliper where the pistons go, refitted the pistones, new brake fluid jobs good.

done the rear set last week as the pads were down to the metal  brakes are a lot better.Well tested in my shed as the weather changed bloody snowing here.

Bleeding the brakes is easy, I use the syringe method and pull the fluid down from the Res to the caliper.

[ryan2305]

I use a 50ml syringe (vet syringes which are sold at least double their value in bike shops) like daveb.  Just take your time and don't force the fluid.  I thought It might also be worth mentioning as you are a car (banger racer) enthusiast,  leave the brake fluid stand for 2-3 days before using.  Tiny (micro) bubbles that you can't see with the naked eye can affect braking on a bike but won't be noticed on your cars.  It is surprising how many people have said they never realised they had to leave it stand so I thought it may be worth a mention.

[sladey1985]

it feels like theres to much fluid in the res but ive have'nt topped it up for ages i put it down to frozen fluid but not sure if brake fluid even freezes prob not lol but that what i thought coz on a nice day there fine its just when the weathers cold it feels like im riding with the brakes on even to the point where there was smoke coming from the brake at lights which is not a good sign to see ever lol so its off the road for the time being its not about meeting the road with my face  but thanks for the advice ill give it all a good going over and see where that gets me thanks all 

[ryan2305]

As so many have said on this thread.  It is definitely a complete strip down to clean all moving parts, change of seals and new fluid and they will be like brand new  When you feel the difference when it's done it will convince you to maintain your brakes regular in future winters (especially when you see what you get for your money in the seals).   I just hope for your sake that they ain't seized as solid as mine did where I had to replace the callipers.  You seem to be a more mechanically abled person than myself so good luck and let us know how you get on.   

[Lyndon]

it feels like theres to much fluid in the res but ive have'nt topped it up for ages i put it down to frozen fluid but not sure if brake fluid even freezes prob not lol but that what i thought coz on a nice day there fine its just when the weathers cold it feels like im riding with the brakes on even to the point where there was smoke coming from the brake at lights which is not a good sign to see ever lol so its off the road for the time being its not about meeting the road with my face  but thanks for the advice ill give it all a good going over and see where that gets me thanks all 

The brake fluid wont freeze but moisture in the fluid can, my Iveco brakes bind when the weather is realy cold, so I have to drive a short distance for them to warm before they release properly
you might have moisture in the caliper

[blueracer]

it feels like theres to much fluid in the res but ive have'nt topped it up for ages i put it down to frozen fluid but not sure if brake fluid even freezes prob not lol but that what i thought coz on a nice day there fine its just when the weathers cold it feels like im riding with the brakes on even to the point where there was smoke coming from the brake at lights which is not a good sign to see ever lol so its off the road for the time being its not about meeting the road with my face  but thanks for the advice ill give it all a good going over and see where that gets me thanks all 

The brake fluid wont freeze but moisture in the fluid can, my Iveco brakes bind when the weather is realy cold, so I have to drive a short distance for them to warm before they release properly
you might have moisture in the caliper

    total strip and clean needed 

[sladey1985]

it feels like theres to much fluid in the res but ive have'nt topped it up for ages i put it down to frozen fluid but not sure if brake fluid even freezes prob not lol but that what i thought coz on a nice day there fine its just when the weathers cold it feels like im riding with the brakes on even to the point where there was smoke coming from the brake at lights which is not a good sign to see ever lol so its off the road for the time being its not about meeting the road with my face  but thanks for the advice ill give it all a good going over and see where that gets me thanks all 

The brake fluid wont freeze but moisture in the fluid can, my Iveco brakes bind when the weather is realy cold, so I have to drive a short distance for them to warm before they release properly
you might have moisture in the caliper

that sounds about right as they do free up after about 10-20 mins of riding but ill give it a full strip down and see where that gets me