I have a 2008 Aprilia Sportcity Cube 125cc, bought it used, had a few issues at first, I had to replace the Bendix and Front Pulley but then it was working fine, noticed the rear Brake Disc was abit warped so I replaced both the front and back, also took the rear Caliper apart to respray (was originally red but was fading), ever since that Banjo Bolt was taken out, the rear Brake hasn’t wanted to work, simply put the Banjo back on, bled it, didnt work, replaced the Master Cylinder, didnt work, replaced the Master Cylinder again, didnt work, replaced the Caliper, didnt work, it’s tried to be pressure bled, and a vacuum has been used, also the usual bleeding method, still nothing, I took the Hose out from the Bike and connected it outside of the Bike to check for leaks in the Hose but all looks fine, put it all back inside the Bike making sure the Hose wasnt squashed anywhere when putting the plastics back on, but for some reason now there is alot of pressure in the Lever… but once the Wheels turned, that pressure goes, and you have to pump the Lever a couple of times to get it back, when holding the Lever down, you can barely turn the Wheel, but it doesnt stop the Bike at all when riding, I have the original Aprilia Master Cylinder on now, and the new Caliper, with the original Hose (hasn’t been replaced yet), im just wondering whether this needs to be taken to a Garage to have a proper good bleed done, i’ve gone through about 5 bottles of Brake Fluid trying to sort it the past 2 months, my MOT expires on the 6th (in 4 days) so really need to get it sorted, im out of ideas on things I can do myself, i’ve tried tying the Lever down overnight aswell, but still no luck with it, is there anything anyone else can suggest I do before I take it to the Garage and have them charge me a lot, as I dont even know if they’ll be able to sort it yet i’ll still be charged for them ‘trying’…. thanks.
Answer #1
it seems to be improper reinstallation of the caliper. the forum for that bike is here. http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?24-Aprilia-and-Piaggio-150cc-350cc I’d suggest you get a service manual. your public library might have it, else get it from a dealer. one thing you can try is, disconnect the line from the master cylinder, and hold you finger gently on the outlet. you should get a stream of brake fluid coming out when the brake lever is squeezed, if not, then you have a bad master cylinder, if you DO get fluid coming out, then reconnect the brake line, and do the same for the line on the caliper. you should get fluid coming out no matter which way the wheel is turned.(you will have to pump it a few times to get the air out of the line) if it don’t work in one position, then the line is pinched somewhere, if you get the fluid coming out in all positions, then there is a problem with the caliper..