[Flywheel]

Love the product, hate the design. Gonna get the mushy brake lines replaced with stainless. Can't complain--they're 10 years old after all.

So I figure I'll do the mechanic a favour and remove the obscuring tupperware because I know better. Brilliant idea Flyboy. Multiple broken tabs, push rivets and an hour later, everything's off and I'm covered with sweat. Somehow a plastic body panel has skinned a finger. Blood is smeared everywhere.

**** LeDude, you make it look so easy. Even following your video to the letter (frame?), that central floorboard piece had no desire to come off--I'm guessing years of grit/mud glued everything together.

Okay, steam vented. :love1:

 

[yammer1hammer]

Hey Flywheel,

Just finished getting my wife's Burgy ready for sale; she's gonna quit riding for a while.
The scoot is six model years old, carrying 33.5 K miles, and with new pads and recent brake fluid change. Her front brake lever is a little mushy. Are all the '07 650s this way? Do you need to replace the brake lines or the master cylinder, or both? And, from whom are you purchasing your brake lines?
This scoot brakes real well- but the lever comes back farther than i'm used to, but my wife says this is the way it's been.

Thanks for the feedback and watch for texters in the fast lane- doing ten under the speed limit!

yammer1hammer

 

[Flywheel]

I have a 2003 650 (non-exec), but I suspect the braking systems are pretty similar regardless of year, at least until the 2013 model. The Suzuki service manual mentions replacing the brake lines every 2 or 3 years I think, so I'm long overdue even if the suggestion was included to generate visits to dealership garages. I don't remember what the service life of the master cylinders are. "When it starts leaking." was the advice of one mechanic. I've bled the brakes twice since I bought the scoot and was pretty thorough about it (scoured the internet for all the tricks too). In both cases, the levers never felt as firm as on my previous bikes. Not mushy or dangerous, just less responsive than seemed proper for something as heavy as the Burgman. Never had problems stopping, fortunately. The stainless brake lines will be custom and installed by a local shop that specializes in racing. The fronts won't be much different than any other bike (replacing the fender loop with a second dedicated line) but they might bypass the odd rubber/metal/rubber setup for the rear brake with a single length.

 

[Buffalo]

The first time removing the body work in the hardest. Once you have done it a time or two you can get pretty quick at it.

 

[NormanB]

Tie the brake levers firmly to the handlebar overnight
Operate the parking brake a few times prior doing this.
I hope you will not be too disappointed with the stainless steel lines - they may not be the silver bullet you are seeking.

 

[Flywheel]

I won't have much trouble next time I need to remove the bodywork since most of the tabs are busted! That central floorboard piece is a real bear. The ss lines aren't really a magic bullet in my case. The stock lines are just old and I'd rather avoid experiencing brake failure on two wheels--it's hairy enough on four! I've done the whole vacuum bleeder/zip-tied lever/clean caliper/new pads properly so I know the Burg's braking is what it is. Not sharp, but not dangerous either.

 

[Dave_J]

Hey Flywheel,

Just finished getting my wife's Burgy ready for sale; she's gonna quit riding for a while.
<<<SNIP>>> Her front brake lever is a little mushy. Are all the '07 650s this way? <<<SNIP>>>
This scoot brakes real well- but the lever comes back farther than i'm used to, but my wife says this is the way it's been.

yammer1hammer

Check to make sure both the lever handles are set to the same number. You can adjust the lever to your fingersand sometimes they are maladjusted. I did the "Tie the brake lever back" trick, it works.

 

[Jim]

I still have the '03 OEM brake lines, and have few issues. I occasionally have a mushy feel before I start out. I just pump the lever and hold it a fews seconds, and it's fine.

 

[greenheron]

The first time removing the body work in the hardest. Once you have done it a time or two you can get pretty quick at it.

...without breaking all the tabs off.

But the first time is a bitch.​

 

[Flywheel]

The (burger) King is back, with stainless! Confident, progressive and easy to modulate with two fingers in normal traffic. I'll need to do a practice session get familiar, but the lever travel vs effect suggests this whopper will brake like a mofo.

 

[westnash]

A regular brake fluid change and proper bleeding should be about all that is required.

 

[Flywheel]

I regularly clean my calipers/change brake fluid/inspect/change pads, so you're wrong in that respect. While I don't have a new 650 to compare it to, the stainless lines deliver. Regular traffic conditions only require a light touch of the levers to be effective. They're not hair-trigger and still have nearly the full sweep to work with. It makes sense, each time I get a new (used) bike, I try to convince myself that the stock braking/suspension is okay and kick myself for not doing it sooner once it gets sorted. Rider weight makes a big difference, no doubt, but I can't see anyone disliking the upgrade--in my case, nearly 900 lbs is a serious mass to control.