Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 998 / 996 / 916 / 748 > Ducati 996 front brake locked up?

[steveg]

front brake locked up, threw me off 9mnth old 996s. dealer now(accident occured 02/02/2003), claims inferior fluid caused this, not paying up!!. i had the bike 4 days, first ride, clear sunny day. Bike had 12 month service prior to delivery(900 miles on clock). master cylinder, was first id'd as problem by dealer(verbally) and changed. Accident damaged parts replaced by dealer - as good will gesture. will not pay up for helmet leathers injuries etc.. help any one?- Solicitor seems to be given up. (n.b. mastr cycl sent to brembo - no fault found, blamed wrong brake fluid). dealer claims can not verify who put fluid in - as if i would change after 4 days!!. Once again advice would be great

[ziggi]

Hello, I'm not expert but if you have some proof that the dealer has sold you the bike with the wrong brake fluid and that it caused the accident, you've probably got a good case to sue them.

I'd contact RiderSupport.co.uk talk with them and see what they say. Costs nothing and they can be really heavy when required.

If they say not to pursue it then I wouldn't

[Harv748]

Name the dealer...its probably not the first time!

[Jools]

Errrrmm,

I'm no expert on this, but didn't I read somewhere that people often 'adjust' the brakes using the screw that sits in the brake lever and pushes on the master cylinder actuator. I'm sure I read somewhere too that if you screw it in too far, you might think you're adjusting it for a nice firm lever feel, but you can also stop the fluid returning to the master cylinder. Wouldn't this jam the brake on after a little squeeze?

Easy to hide again as well, I'd have thought? Just tweak it back again and say 'not me guv'.

[WeeJohnyB]

erm...neither I am any expert on this, but can't think of why a different brake fluid would cause it to lock up....there can't be that much difference in different manufacturers fluids for a standard road bike can there? More likely to be pads? Or suspension set up? Or road conditions - wet, gravel etc?

WeeJohnyB

[skidlids]

Yes Jools that has been known to happen

[chris.p]

It depends if the brake fluid has been mixed with the previouse, ie dot 5 mixed with lower spec dot 4 or below, it happened to my mates race bike after dot five was added. Or if you mix synthetic with mineral, it is how they react with each other & what they then do to the seals in the calipers, master cylinder.

I am sure Neil or Shazam will come up with a more technical explanation shortly.

Chris.

[steveg]

Unable to prove what brake fluid M&S motorcycles and scooters (Wesgate road Newcasle upon tyne) put in, as after the crash the master cylinder was changed and i presume the brake fluid replaced. To be honest i dont think it was the brake fluid, but im not sure whether manufacturer is going to admit a fault with the cylinder.
Conditions on the day were dry, no oil on road, slow left hand 2nd gear corner.
Does this kind of excuse mean, that when you purchase a bike with a warrenty it counts for nothing, if a dealer could turn around and say"you must have changed the brake fluid or you have put dodgy oil in the engine". Surely any one with an ounce of commom... could see that on this occasion no one other than M&S have touched the bloomin thing - i only had it for 4 days?

Thanks for the replies, i will contact those groups that you mentioned and i am considering contacting MCN's and my local rag. Cheers again. from one disapointed, disillusioned motorcyclist, getting screwed on the road and screwed off it.

[nelly]

Sounds like more than a fluid problem IMO.
You can mix "conventional" fluids, such as DOT 3, 4 or 5.1.
The .1 is the crucial part where the 5 is concerned though.
A DOT 5 is a silicone based race fluid whereas the 5.1 is a high performance road fluid.
The silicone based 5 doesn't mix with normal fluids and can cause the seals to swell. This stuff is expensive though, and you wouldn't see it in a normal service workshop??
The small screw that controls the piston travel isn't there on the brake lever, only the clutch.
The one thing I can think of that could cause it would be a pattern lever. There are several types and some are crap.
I fitted one to an Aprillia RS250 and it wasn't quite right and didn't allow the piston to return fully. Essentially it dragged the brakes and as the heat built up, it locked solid. Fortunatley, it happened pretty quickly, I was riding it and the RS isn't exactly endowed with buckets of torque to pull off quickly.

[ziggi]

Good thinking Nelly. I also heard of other people buying supposedly genuine levers for Dukes and Aprillias from ebay and they were pattern parts.

Do a search on here for 'levers' and see what comes up. I'm sure it was discussed here before. If the bike was secondhand, contact the previous owner from the reg doc.

MCN would be a good route - the dealer will not want that at all !!