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Rear brake jammed

stevec

stevec

Training Wheels
In several occasions recently, the rear brake pedal on my '09 ABS has jammed, it won't move at all.  Stomping on it several times fixes the problem.  The brake recall had previously been done.

Anyone else see anything like this?
Thanks,
Steve
 
Steve C said:
In several occasions recently, the rear brake pedal on my '09 ABS has jammed, it won't move at all.  Stomping on it several times fixes the problem.  The brake recall had previously been done.

Anyone else see anything like this?
Thanks,
Steve
Click to expand...

You might check that the pivot of the pedal lever is not corroded or otherwise binding.  Take it off, clean it, and apply some grease.
 
jwh20 said:
Steve C said:
In several occasions recently, the rear brake pedal on my '09 ABS has jammed, it won't move at all.  Stomping on it several times fixes the problem.  The brake recall had previously been done.

Anyone else see anything like this?
Thanks,
Steve
Click to expand...

You might check that the pivot of the pedal lever is not corroded or otherwise binding.  Take it off, clean it, and apply some grease.
Click to expand...

That was the first thing I thought of.  Right now the pedal is free, and doesn't seem to have any obstructions, resistance, or grinding.  This isn't just a 'stiff pedal', it's a pedal that seems to be mechanically locked in place.  Again, 3 very aggressive stomps with my heel and it moves again.
Neighbor seems to think its the ABS module?
Steve
 
ABS module-  possible but highly unlikely.  Start with the basics and go through a process of elimination from simple to more complex.  First thing I would do is make sure the physical aspects of the pedal are operating properly- no binding at the pivot.  Next, ensure fluid is fresh and clean and make sure both feed and return ports at rear brake master cylinder are clean and unobstructed.  Next would be caliper- again, clean and unobstructed.  I will bet that by the time you reach the third step in this process you will have solved your problem.
 
TxMotoTech said:
ABS module-  possible but highly unlikely.  Start with the basics and go through a process of elimination from simple to more complex.  First thing I would do is make sure the physical aspects of the pedal are operating properly- no binding at the pivot.  Next, ensure fluid is fresh and clean and make sure both feed and return ports at rear brake master cylinder are clean and unobstructed.  Next would be caliper- again, clean and unobstructed.  I will bet that by the time you reach the third step in this process you will have solved your problem.
Click to expand...

Everything's clean and unobstructed; the fluid was replaced 10 months ago.  Question about the caliper - if it was stuck, wouldn't I be able to push down a little on the pedal as the fluid compresses?  This feels more like a mechanical lock - no movement. But I will check the caliper.
Thanks,
Steve
 
was it locked in the "on" position or couldn't you tell?
mine fell prey to the dreaded "pebble" wedging thing, roasted the disc and caliper.... was fixed under warrenty....
prior to the first recall notice.

you do know they sent out a second notice for a second retrofit don't you? if you didn't get that done, have them run your vin number and check, they will have a record of what you have... those recalls are honored for the life of the bike no matter what.
if you don't have those both recorded, and you have a failure, you will likely have a hard time getting the brakes replaced....
the symptoms are exactly the same, stomping and releasing the pedal 2 or 3 times, ejects the offending rock/pebble, so you will never see it...
 
I will certainly check that out, thanks for the info.  I suspect the frequency of these occurrences probably means that there aren't repeated pebbles causing the current problem, but that 2nd recall needs to be addressed.  Good info, thanks!
Steve
 
Kawasaki Concours 14 Recalls
http://wemakeitsafer.com/vehicle-recall/Kawasaki-Concours-14-Recall-4406464
(Concours 14 police motorcycles: four recalls out of five.)

Kawasaki Shelves Concours 14P Motorcycle
http://www.policemag.com/blog/vehicles/story/2012/08/kawasaki-shelves-concourse-14p-motorcycle.aspx

---------------------

Kawasaki Zg1400a8fl Recalls
http://wemakeitsafer.com/vehicle-recall/Kawasaki-Zg1400a8fl-Recall-3656406

---------------------

Kawasaki Zg1400b8fl Recalls
http://wemakeitsafer.com/vehicle-recall/Kawasaki-Zg1400b8fl-Recall-2309773

---------------------

Auto Recalls For Consumers: KAWASAKI CONCOURS 14 Recalls
www.arfc.org/motorcycles/kawasaki/concours_14/recalls.aspx
 
I had a locked rear brake pedal also.......I paid my local Kawasaki dealer to do a service and change all fluids.  A month later is when the pedal locked up.  I took it to a different bike shop and the problem was the brake fluid was old and had moisture in it which caused the caliper to rust internally and the ABS sensor to malfunction.  What an expensive lesson!!!!!!!!!  My kawasaki dealer will never see my bike again.

Steve
 
I had the same thing happen to mine well over a year ago (2012 model). The brakes would literally lock and you couldn't move. The dealer finally had to replace the ABS unit as the culprit (under warranty). They wanted me to pay for it since they found corrosion in the unit and tried to blame me for it. The bike had just been serviced and fluids changed the week before by my very trustworthy shop (not the dealer). After some interesting calls to the dealer, an email from my shop attesting to their work and finally an email to the head office in California with all the attached info, they agreed (the next day) to cover everything ($1800). It only took them 6 weeks to repair it as the part had to come from Japan (on a very slow boat....) :mad:. I have heard of a couple other instances of the same problem so you're not the only one on this. Good luck.
 
Hey, Always did the ABS light come on?  I bet it didn't.  There is a bug in the electronics which does not switch the warning light on with this type of failure.  I had a similar failure on my gen 1, a number of which are showing up in recent times.  I had a link to it in my previous post.
 
No, the ABS light never came on. It happened two or three times before I took it to my local shop for service and asked them to check it out. They couldn't duplicate the problem. That night as I took it home it locked up. It would lock up when you stopped and would take a couple of minutes to release. In the meantime cars were coming up on your ass.  :-\ It took some gingerly riding to get it the three miles to my house. I explained this to the California rep as being a serious safety issue. That got me some quick response. I called Kawasaki in Cocoa and told them to come and pick it up as it couldn't be ridden this way.
 
Thanks Always.  It seems to be an increasing problem - for Kawasaki.  Yours is the first report I've seen on a linked-brake bike.  Not at all good and a major safety issue as you say.
 
Yes it did but not as noticeable as when I used the rear brake. It happened a few times which got my attention but gradually got worse. The ABS module would not release in the proper amount of time thus locking the brakes solid for a couple of minutes. It's very hard (not :-[) to move this bike when the brakes are locked.
 
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