brake and kick starting problems

[motofreak2007]

ok a couple problems i have with my bike its a 1990 rm 250 and the rear brake doesnt work and it is very hard to kick.

first the brake-- i thought it was the brake line so i put a new one bled it and didnt work. than i tightened down the bolt that made the foot brake push in the plunger more and the brake seemed to work it push the pads in and there was pressure but it would still go all the way to the floor sometimes and have no pressure. ok one thing is im missing the spring that goes from the lever to the frame. but i dont think thats the problem i got on the bike and started it which took like ten minutes. but anyways it would brake sometimes and lock up and skid so that was good but at certain points it would just go to the floor and no brake and i would have to bring the lever up by foot b/c of no spring but anyways i think the problem is that the rotor is warped,(not completely flat). the reason why i think this is b/c i had this problem once before, my mom was putting her harley for sale on the sidewalk so she put a disc lock on the rotor, and she forgot went to start it and the rotor hit the caliper or forks but anyways she dropped it and it warped the rotor and the front brake worked the same like my dirt bike it would work at some point and than when it got to a point the lever would just pull but no pressure and no brake so after we got a rotor it worked fine again. so if you think that it sounds like a need a new rotor please tell me.

ok second problem-- when i kick the bike there is barely any kick when i do kick it down when it goes back up it clicks only 4 times and the 4th is really hard to get i have to play with it. i think the crank teeth are stripped or something so please let me know what you think about it. or if it has happened to you what needs to be fixed with it. so if you have made it this far thank you very much and help is greatly appreciated it really sucks riding a bike with no back brake and i hate starting the bike with a passion and also my bike goes through spark plugs like every two to three times i ride it and when i take the plug out it is black and has oil on it so what needs to be adjusted with that? again thank you very much. and thanks for your time.

 

[sick 96 250]

Ok first, I now have a headache trying to read this post after the way you type. With that said, how exactly did you bleed the rear brake and how long did it take you to do? Some bikes can be a real PITA to bleed, I have to use a vacuum brake bleeder to bleed the brakes on my RM. Rarely ever have any luck the traditional way. You probably still have air in the line. How do the pads look?

Second: I'm not to sure what you are saying about the kicker. Are you saying when you go to kick it, there is no pressure when pushing down? A symptom of low compression? If thats the case, you most likely need a new top end. Could be another reason your fouling plugs so much. Another reason to fouling plugs is your jetting is off. Please explain a little better what you mean about the kick start issue.

 

[motofreak2007]

when i kick start the bike sometimes it just kicks and theres no pressure. but if i bring the kicker up and play with it, i can kick it and it gets a sound trying to turn over. but i cant kick it while sitting on it, its just too hard and when i stall the bike it takes like anywhere from 1-5 kicks to get it started its kinda easy if its warmed up. but if i ever race and it stalled i'd be screwed and look like an idiot trying to start it. but its really hard to explain how it doesnt work. my friend has a honda, and when he kicks the bike, it start like a normal one, sitting on it and with one kick. but if he kicks it so that it doesnt start and when he brings the kicker up to the resting position it will click about 10 ten times. and like i said before mine only does it four times. 3 actually and i have to play with it to get the 4th. it feels like it has compression it is pretty good at least well actually the pipe isnt sealed onto the head at all it rattles around and smoke comes out of the head. i ordered a spacer and a o-ring so i hope that fixes it. but i do think the jet needle needs to be adjusted. but like i said about the kicker it feels like there is a couple teeth inside the kicker stripped. ok maybe this will help. there is pressure at the very bottom and top of the range of movement but nothing in the middle. and i think that is whats causing it not to kick right. but thanks again for your help.

 

[motofreak2007]

and about the bleeding of the brake i did it the standard way and i took the bolt with cotter pin out to disconnect the master cylinder to bleed it that way. the pads are about a 1/4 inch thick. so they look okay. i dont know what it is maybe i should just take the bike to a shop and have someone look at it too find the various problems i have. or maybe i just shouldn't bother. i leave for boot camp in the marines in about 20 days so it most likely wont be worth it by the time it is all fixed. it is rideable now but a pain to start and no back brake which is the worst part but i still have some fun on it when i can.

 

[sick 96 250]

You took the bolt out with the cotter pin? Are you referring to where it attaches to the pedal? The normal way to bleed the brakes is you pump the pedal a few times and hold in down "for the rear". As you are holding it down, there is a little nipple on the back of the caliper at the rear of the bike where the pads are. You unscrew that nipple maybe a 1/4-1/2 turn, in doing so you will feel the brake pedal lose pressure, keep holding the pedal down and tighten the bleeder nipple back up. Repeat this several times until you get the brakes working. When the bleeder nipple is open do not let the brake pedal come back up or you will suck more air into the line. You also do not need to push down extremely hard on the pedal when you are doing this, just apply enough pressure so it goes down.

As for the kicker, really cant tell you but it is possible its messed up. Could be something really simple once you pull the side cover off but cant be certain without seeing or feeling exactly what is going on.

 

[motofreak2007]

yea for bleeding the brake that process is what i did but i disconnected it from the lever to get more of a push on the rubber plunger b/c at first it wasnt pushing it in enough when i pushed on the brake than i adjusted it and it was fine. and there is no air in it im pretty sure the rotor is messed up and i will try taking the side cover off to look at the kicker. but i need a manual cause i took all the bolts out once and the cover didnt want to come off but i didnt pull too hard so if it takes a little power than ill just have to take them out again and yank on it. but thank you for all your help.

 

[sick 96 250]

yeah a manual will def help you. Can you put the bike up on a stand so the rear wheel is off and spin the wheel to watch the rotor? I say keep on bleeding them and see what happens. Like I said for me, I have to use a Mighty Vac to bleed mine or they dont seem to fully bleed out properly sometimes. I say keep on bleeding them and putting new fluid in just to make sure. Just make sure no air is getting in there, and do it with the pedal connected so you are sure its pressed down when you tighten the nipple back up.

 

[76GMC1500]

If it's not plunging enough when you push the brake pedal, you've got a bad master cylinder.