Rear brake seized 2013 M1100 -Problem found!

[Skybarney]

So today while riding somewhat spirited the bike started to slow down mid turn.  I was dropping gears and heading for the side of the road when the rear wheel locked up.  I get off the bike and there is a ton of smoke pouring off my rear brake.  I mean a TON of smoke.  I had no choice but to hit it with a water bottle as there were tiny little flames licking up off the pads.  Needless to say the bike was stuck in the lane and could not be pushed, shoved or dragged out of it.  I walked it to the side of the road using the kickstand.

The reservoir was smoking hot as were the lines.  I poured water on it, waited 20 minutes and broke out the tool kit.  I finally got the reservoir cap off and used a screwdriver to pry the pads off the rotor.  End result, rotor looks pretty scored, brake pads are defiantly toasted and it is simply not working well.

Been riding 34 years.  Did not drag the brake during the ride but used it to set the suspension upon entrance to turns.  I have had well over 20 motorcycles through 600k of riding.  This is a brand new never happened before kinda thing.......

Had to add,  Stock rear brakes 5200 miles on the bike.  


Thoughts?

[Ddan]

Have you made any adjustment in the pedal? It sounds like the fluid return port in the master got blocked.

[Howie]

Have you made any adjustment in the pedal? It sounds like the fluid return port in the master got blocked.

Or install rear sets without adjusting free play?

If not, this is a warranty issue.  Either way, speak to the dealer.  New pads free play and a good flush might get things working again, but caliper, rotor, pads and hoses should all be changed.

[Skybarney]

Never adjusted the foot brake nor did I install any rearsets.  About 4k ago I installed a Rizoma fluid reservoir but had no issues until yesterday.  First time anything like that has ever happened on any bike I have ever owned.

[Howie]

Ddan's explanation is the most likely cause, could be due to dirt too, anyway, brake wear is not warranty, a malfunction is as long as you didn't mess with it.  When the return (compensating) port is blocked, pressure builds up, brakes drag.  This creates heat, heat makes the problem worse due to expansion.  This might just be the first time things got bad enough for the brake to lock.  Opening the bleeder to reduce pressure might allow the bike to roll.

[Raux]

other's have had rear brakes lock up like this.

take a quick search. most had warranty work on the newer ones IIRC

[Skybarney]

Took some time this morning and checked out the rear reservoir fluid levels.  Seems my small Rizoma reservoir is only 3/4 full so I would have thought that would leave enough room for expansion.  Perhaps not.  Either way the rear disc is still straight, not warped and no grooves.  All of the magic smoke has escaped the brake pads.  The rear brake line looks undamaged but the fluid is black.  

So:  Should I replace the brake line just to be on the safe side?  Should I only half fill the reservoir?  Should I replace the Rizoma with the stock reservoir and go talk to the warranty folks?  

[Speeddog]

I've seen a high incidence of broken return springs on recent Monster rear brakes.

Perhaps?

If the bike is 2013, warranty it.

[oldndumb]

Had a similar experience with my 2012 1100Evo, but I felt it needing more throttle than it should and pulled over. I found that the free play was not adjusted correctly. Adjusted it and have not had a problem since.

A while after that happened, I installed DucaBike rear sets for more bling, adjusted it correctly, and have not had a problem with those either. BTW, it has the Rizoma reservoir also.

As an aside, the DucaBike rearsets do not provide for a return spring, so I made my own. Don't know if the spring was necessary, but I wanted one less thing to worry about.

[Howie]

I've seen a high incidence of broken return springs on recent Monster rear brakes.

Perhaps?

If the bike is 2013, warranty it.

 

[Greg]

Same thing happened to my friends 2012 Monster Evo

[Skybarney]

Return spring is good, fluid level not to high in reservoir, confused.....  Either way upon further inspection the rear disc is purple, I suspect it needs to be replaced.  Likely the line as well.  Off to warranty land......

[Skybarney]

Dropped it off for warranty today    Left the house for the shop to put on a tire and the rear brake was fine.  Bike was rolling, within one mile the rear locked up again.  This time with zero use.....  Checked the return spring all was fine.  checked the reservoir, fluid level at 1/3rd.  Parts?  Smoking hot.

The odd thing is after it happened the first time I rode 30 miles home after it cooled off.  This time zero brake use and boom, locked.

One thing I did find odd is that the screw to the brake light switch was extended pretty far out.  It is a confusing issue.

Either way the shop said it is under waranty. they will let me know if I can toss a few bucks at an upgrade to better pads and a Galfer wave rotor along the way.  All is happy in Duc land even though my baby is sleeping in another mans garage for a couple of days 

[Speeddog]

~~~SNIP~~~~
One thing I did find odd is that the screw to the brake light switch was extended pretty far out.  It is a confusing issue.
~~~SNIP~~~

Ding Ding Ding we have a winner.

Locknut AWOL, yes?

[jerryz]

this all seems to be a problem for new monsters ....but replace your brake fluid every 2-3 years on old ones as they absorb water which can cause similar problems