Rear brake pedal binding - 696

[metroplex]

I have a 696 where I bent the original rear brake pedal awhile ago. I bought an OEM replacement and now the rear brake pedal is binding. The brake light wont go out because the pedal won't return to the original position.

Anyone know why this happens? It's almost as if the return spring isn't strong enough. I tried adjusting the master cylinder pushrod and the pedal adjuster to no avail. Any ideas?

The original pedal didn't have an inner o-ring or washer, just an O-ring at the slider bolt. I bought a replacement washer and O-ring and it seemed too tight at first, so I got rid of the O-ring and kept the washer, but it's still binding.

[Speeddog]

Perhaps the pivot bolt is bent.

Or you've gotten the return spring on incorrectly and it's binding.

There should be an O-ring on each side and a washer between the lever and the rearset.

[metroplex]

When I got the bike new from the dealer, there was no O-ring or washer behind the rearset. I added a washer, and the bent pedal worked OK without any binding.

After I swapped in the new pedal, added the extra O-ring and the correct washer, the pedal binds big time. I used the same spring and pivot bolt because they worked fine with the other pedal.

I took out the O-rings and spun the pedal around the pivot bolt by hand and it seems ok.

What are the O-rings used for and can I leave them out?