Check Your Brake Fluid!

[babblefish]

This probably shouldn't need to be said, but if your scooter has disk brakes, check the brake fluid level at least yearly. I bought my 2006 Blur used in 2008 and never checked the front or rear brake fluid levels until yesterday. Yeah, I know, stupid. I work on bikes and cars all the time so I of all people should know better. Anyway, my front brake lever had been feeling soft and rubbery for quite some time and although the front brake would still bring the Blur to a stop, it just didn't have the same power as when I first got it. Also, in order to get any real stopping power, the lever was almost to the point of touching the grip. The rear brake lever still felt firm and could lock up the rear wheel with minimal lever travel. With the power my scooter now has, I thought I'd better get off my lazy butt and check the brake fluids. It's a good thing I did because the front brake reservoir was completely empty! The strange thing about that is that there was no sign of fluid leakage around the master cylinder nor the brake caliper. I cleaned the inside of the reservoir, filled it with fresh brake fluid (several times) and flushed out the remaining old fluid. Surprisingly, the old fluid wasn't all that dirty. Front brake lever is nice and firm again with minimal travel. Braking action is nice and strong again.

Now for the rear brake. Remember, the lever was still nice and firm with good brake action at this point. But...the reservoir was almost completely empty, too. About a millimeter of fluid on the bottom. And again, no sign of where the fluid went other than a very small amount of paint peeling around the master cylinder. The plastic panel under the master cylinder was clean and dry. Flushing and purging the fluid of air for the rear brake is a little more difficult to do with only one person as it's harder to reach both the brake lever and the rear caliper bleeder valve at the same time.

So, to make a very long story just long, don't be dumb like me about your brakes. Either check your brake fluid yourself, or have your mechanic do it as part of a regular maintenance check. Don't go by how the brake lever(s) feel.

[DeeDee]

Brake fluid gets contaminated and should be replaced every 3 years or so. If you have a Buddy, and you are going to the trouble of removing the head set to check it, you might as well flush out the old and bring in the new. It is an easy one-person job to bleed the front brakes on a Buddy.

[Dooglas]

Brake fluid gets contaminated and should be replaced every 3 years or so.

Agree. Brake fluid is also quite hygroscopic and especially absorbs water in humid or damp surroundings. If you have had your scooter for several years and have not changed the brake fluid, take some out and look at it. You will likely find that it is quite discolored.