[ByGuessByGolly]

Bike has been in the garage for a year. few months ago took it for a spin around the neighborhood and the rear breaks weren't working. could push the break all the way down but no pressure, engagement with rear disks. fronts worked fine. went to go for a spin today and now the fronts are gone.

I got some Dot4 and opened up back reservoir lid and tbh it was pretty full, could only put 5-10ml into it.
don't have the allen key to open up the fronts.

will get one tomorrow but figure it'll be full too as the level window looks fine.

known issue? easy fix or should I take it into a shop.

I bought the bike with 14K miles on it in Spring of 2020. It's the white one in the picture on the header of this page. 2018? or 2016? anyway. put around 2K miles on it Summer/Fall 2020, has been sitting since

thanks for any insight!

 

[ByGuessByGolly]

I just bled the back breaks but there is still no tension, no compression or actual engagement of the brake caliper. strange. the brake oil is not low, there doesn't appear to be any leakage, but the engagement of the caliper and associated tension is gone.

 

[K1W1]

Common Ducati issue. There have been plenty of posts about this previously on the forum.
This issue is not specific to Scramblers it is common across the whole Ducati range.

 

[ByGuessByGolly]

Common Ducati issue. There have been plenty of posts about this previously on the forum.
This issue is not specific to Scramblers it is common across the whole Ducati range.

thanks. I got the fronts to work fine with a bleed. backs fooked. I'll look for a link but figure it's a seal or something. going to take it into a shop on tuesday and have them fix it

 

[ByGuessByGolly]

OK, I found the thread where everyone started taking jabs at each other.. had to stop readying after a page or two as they didn't talk about a fix, but more about each other.

So for the Backs. Should I drain the fluid completely, refill and should fix the problem?

I couldn't get a enough pressure going by pumping the brake pedal to pump fluid through...
I tried sucking up through the siphon type hose and all I could get was 'air' that was wierd, I expected to be able to pull Dot4 through, but all I got was air with occasional bubbles.

So I thought.. this is not good. something big is wrong here and stopped. I'd rather not take this in and spend $100s of dollars on something I can do lickity split in my garage.

Any advice appreciated.

tks

 

[ByGuessByGolly]

I did use my Desert Sled as a commuter (30 mins each way) last Summer while I was on a project in Alabama. it does get hot and the bike would get very hot, I believe.

It has 15,000 miles on the clock

So figure the oil got cooked, like they say.

could there be damage to components?

 

[ByGuessByGolly]

OK.. just in case anyone new comes across this. This has been a major problem. my comment about air in the line is probably because the heat sheild or something else has cut into the line. Also, there has been a recall. I'll be calling in to a shop tomorrow with my VIN number to see if my bike is covered under that recall.

good luck to all.

 

[K1W1]

thanks. I got the fronts to work fine with a bleed. backs fooked. I'll look for a link but figure it's a seal or something. going to take it into a shop on tuesday and have them fix it

I spent an evening trying to get the rear brake working on our Monster (Pre ABS model) with no luck. we bled we refilled we tried every trick in the book that was available at home and could not get any brake pressure at all. I got the dealer to come and pick the bike up and sort it. They did charge for a seal kit as part of the fix so I can only gather that there was an issue there somewhere.

 

[Deano968]

Only to add what you may have already read from me… As K1W1 said, this is a common Ducati issue. However, after experiencing the rear brake going soft for four years on me (2015 Icon) the last service I had at the local dealers did fix the problem so there is a fix to this so far as I know. I'll ask if they did anything special next time I'm in but that won't be till next year now.

 

[motoman]

Drain and replace the brake fluid with dot 5, taking time to do the bleed extremely well. The issue is air bubbles and heat.

I have mine replaced at the annual service every year (I don't work on mine myself). The brake on front are strong enough to almost do a stoppie (abs kicks in). Rear brake works better than my multi.

 

[RDP]

I'm having th

OK, I found the thread where everyone started taking jabs at each other.. had to stop readying after a page or two as they didn't talk about a fix, but more about each other.

So for the Backs. Should I drain the fluid completely, refill and should fix the problem?

I couldn't get a enough pressure going by pumping the brake pedal to pump fluid through...
I tried sucking up through the siphon type hose and all I could get was 'air' that was wierd, I expected to be able to pull Dot4 through, but all I got was air with occasional bubbles.

So I thought.. this is not good. something big is wrong here and stopped. I'd rather not take this in and spend $100s of dollars on something I can do lickity split in my garage.

Any advice appreciated.

tks

I'm having same issue and there isn't a dealer near me, both brakes are totally soft after not using the bike for two weeks. Did you find any useful threads/links? Thanks!

 

[K1W1]

I'm having same issue and there isn't a dealer near me, both brakes are totally soft after not using the bike for two weeks. Did you find any useful threads/links? Thanks!

How old is the fluid in the brake system?
If the brakes have gone noticeably soft in just two weeks there is a problem that probably requires more than just a fluid change. Most likely there is an air leak somewhere or moisture in the system. With modern ABS equipped bikes it is not quite as easy to refresh the fluid or check for leaks as it used to be as the ABS pump system is in the middle of the system if the air is in the ABS pump area it may be difficult for a home mechanic to bleed it fully.

 

[RDP]

How old is the fluid in the brake system?
If the brakes have gone noticeably soft in just two weeks there is a problem that probably requires more than just a fluid change. Most likely there is an air leak somewhere or moisture in the system. With modern ABS equipped bikes it is not quite as easy to refresh the fluid or check for leaks as it used to be as the ABS pump system is in the middle of the system if the air is in the ABS pump area it may be difficult for a home mechanic to bleed it fully.

that is super informative, thanks so much, definitely steered me to having a professional look at it. have a good night

 

[ByGuessByGolly]

of course my VIN number wasn't covered under recall. I took to a local bike shop who works on Ducatis. It was a just a flush and bleed to fix the back brakes issue.

I was told that I couldn't bleed myself because it's a 'vacuum' bleed. Not sure what that means other than I guess I needed some sort of 'vacuum' tool in order to do a proper bleed.

I pick up my bike tomorrow and will ask them more about this 'vacuum' deal.

looking forward to it

total cost sounds like it was a bout $150.00 will confirm when I get there

 

[K1W1]

I was told that I couldn't bleed myself because it's a 'vacuum' bleed. Not sure what that means other than I guess I needed some sort of 'vacuum' tool in order to do a proper bleed.

You can do a vacuum bleed at home you just need an inexpensive vacuum device from ebay or the like.
The difference is this.
With a traditional bleed you put fluid in the reservoir and pump it through by using pressure from the brake lever being activated. Once you have fluid only coming out the bleed nipple on the caliper you top off the reservoir and you are done.
With a vacuum bleed you create a vacuum at the nipple end that sucks fluid through the system rather than pushing it through using the traditional method. I think a vacuum bleed is required to make sure the ABS pump is fully purged of air.

 

[Nwsled]

My tuppence worth is that the brakes, front and rear, become soft if the bike is left standing. I use a vacuum bleed kit with Dot4 and they are fine for as long as I keep using the bike. I will research Dot5. No fluid leakage evident anywhere so there must be air getting in somewhere but I’ve got bleeding down to an easy process so can live with it. Just need to sort out the suspension now.

 

[Marlon]

Glad that's a solution that works for you, Nwsled.

It's still a royal pain in the arse. There has to be a better, longer-term solution. Even if it involves changing the reservoir, lines or caliper.

 

[samthebikeman]

Bike has been in the garage for a year. few months ago took it for a spin around the neighborhood and the rear breaks weren't working. could push the break all the way down but no pressure, engagement with rear disks. fronts worked fine. went to go for a spin today and now the fronts are gone.

I got some Dot4 and opened up back reservoir lid and tbh it was pretty full, could only put 5-10ml into it.
don't have the allen key to open up the fronts.

will get one tomorrow but figure it'll be full too as the level window looks fine.

known issue? easy fix or should I take it into a shop.

I bought the bike with 14K miles on it in Spring of 2020. It's the white one in the picture on the header of this page. 2018? or 2016? anyway. put around 2K miles on it Summer/Fall 2020, has been sitting since

thanks for any insight!

See this post I did a while back. Basically, you need to compress the brake pedal for 4 hours or overnight, with the system closed, and re-bleed. If this does not work, you have a problem with the seals, air getting into the system/leaking system. As a side note I never experienced loosing front breaks, and did not have to do the same process with the front.

Rear brake failure

Also, Would either of these work to reseal/rebuild the rear master cylinder? (Not sure of the size) Ducati Brembo 15mm PS15 PS 15 Rear Brake Master Cylinder Pump Seal Piston Seal Turbine Overhaul Rebuild Kit 110377310 Ducati Bimota Binelli Laverda Moto Guzzi Ducati Brembo PS12 12mm Front /...

www.scramblerforum.com

 

[Maxpanic]

Bike has been in the garage for a year. few months ago took it for a spin around the neighborhood and the rear breaks weren't working. could push the break all the way down but no pressure, engagement with rear disks. fronts worked fine. went to go for a spin today and now the fronts are gone.

I got some Dot4 and opened up back reservoir lid and tbh it was pretty full, could only put 5-10ml into it.
don't have the allen key to open up the fronts.

will get one tomorrow but figure it'll be full too as the level window looks fine.

known issue? easy fix or should I take it into a shop.

I bought the bike with 14K miles on it in Spring of 2020. It's the white one in the picture on the header of this page. 2018? or 2016? anyway. put around 2K miles on it Summer/Fall 2020, has been sitting since

thanks for any insight!

I managed to loose all brake pressure to the rear brakes whilst installing a new hose between the slave cylinder and the fluid reservoir. Bleeding seemed not to be achieving anything, however I persevered and after about 6 ineffective something at least started tto come out of the bleed valve, a further 6 and I got a bit of pedal feel and a whole heap of bubbles, and after a further 6 or so everything was as it should be .... and so it remains. My advice is to be prepared to make some mess and just keep repeating the bleeding process (whilst topping up the fluid reservoir) until you achieve the correct result.

 

[Max Kool]

Drain and replace the brake fluid with dot 5, taking time to do the bleed extremely well. The issue is air bubbles and heat.

DOT 5.1 you mean. DOT 5 is NOT compatible.

Also, y'all using a vacuum bleeder, or just pump by means of the brake pedal? pumping the brake pedal often won't get trapped air out.

(I know I'm replying to an old post, but the answer may still be relevant)