Hello fellow trials enthusiasts,

I was wondering could anybody give me advise on setting up the front brakes on a 2008 Sherco 250 trials bike, I am new to the trials scene (3 months) and having trouble with the front brakes, the problem I have now is that the front brake leaver is too tight to pull-in and this makes it hard to control with one finger, I have bled the brakes but then the leaver goes way to tight! this would be ok for a road bike but not on my trials bike, any help will be greatly appreciated........

Thanks

For starters you probably took out all the free play try to make it fit your hand. Loosen all the adjustments, start over and leave some free play at the lever.

Thanks for your reply, I will give that a go, when you say start over does that mean I have to re-bleed the brakes again?

Cheers

No, you should not have to bleed. What most new riders do is get the adjustments just right for the hands and then there is no room left for the piston (in the master cyl.) to do it`s job properly.

Does it have formula brakes - if so the whole system may need stripping and flushing out, some have black dirst and aluminium swarf in them from new.

I think there are other posts on this.

How can I tell if it has formula brakes on it?

cheers

if its 2012 or over it may have them. You profile says you have an 08 250, if this is the case you have AJP brakes.

Regarding your front brake, If it is hard that is good, it's supposed to be like that. as others have said you can adjust it but it won't make it soft, it will just change where it bites.

From what i can make out you are using it with one finger and you are finding you have to pull it really hard and it's not stopping too well.

If you want a powerfull front brake that is easy to use with one finger use Galfer pads. I ride lots of other peoples bikes and find some front brakes hard to use properly with one finger especially bikes with Goldfren pads in, even though I have shovels for hands and am pretty strong.

Yea, what Steve said. Normally lever should be firm, yet stop well and quite sensitive. Pads (even good ones ) can get WD 40 or something on them and cease to function well, so a steam off is needed to clean them up.

Take a bottle water, do a few good hard stops from upper gears to get the front disk hot, then douse it off(steam) with the water, then repeat.

After a few tries and things cool and dry to normal, you may find they will pitch you on your head, so be careful!

Poor pads just do not stop well, only other than Galfer I have found were the Braking pads, which seem better when wet, yet not as good dry.

Edited November 23, 201312 yr by copemech

The water trick works great, I'm not sure of the science behind it but it works and 99% of the time it will make the brake so much better.

If the brake is still not to you liking, Galfer pads, 1 finger, bike on it's nose simplez.

Thanks guys, I will check what pads I have on, and then try the water trick as well to see if it orks as good as you say it does! is it the brake pad that I put the water on? or the disk as well?..........

also great pic there steve_earle is that you doing stoppie?

ok update on the brakes...........the leaver is still hard, but I now realise that its ment to be.......... I tryed the water trick like you all said and what ya know? it works and it works very well, all thats left to do now is try and practice stoppies .....

thanks everyone for the solutions

Just realized you had the leaky fork seal as well. That will contaminate the brake!

also great pic there steve_earle is that you doing stoppie?

I don't normally show off (honest!!!) But our club was asked to do an Arena display at a show last year so I spent most of the 3 days doing wheelies, endo's, doughnuts and smoking the back tyre up on top of a skip.

Good to hear your brake's better now, Practice your stoppie's on not too steep long down hills as it takes less effort to get it airboune and it's easier to hold it about a foot off the ground with out getting in trouble.