HondaCruiser Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Hi i just joined your forum. Thank u for having me! I’ve introduced myself in the Newbies section too. I bought a project bike a few months ago, an AJS 125 DDe 2013 model. It needs a rear brake reservoir unit, the one that fits next to the rear brake pedal and has a sliding piston going in and out of it as you depress the pedal. Try as hard as I can, I just cannot find one…neither new on nor a used one! Do any of you good people here know where I can get one pls…used or new, as long as it works. The brake pedal pushes the piston in when I press it, but the pedal feels kinda hard and doesn’t return. The return spring is ok. It’s a metal box that holds the brake fluid for the rear brake. I’ve attached a few pics to show you. Any help would be fantastic. I’m trying to get the bike ready for the road this Spring and this is all that it needs! Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RideWithStyles Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Hello and welcome. Well only a few things stop the pedal from returning if as you say the return spring is ok? (Is it worn out and lost strength?). So things to check. if the seals surrounding the piston (outer seals or the master cylinder it self) are swollen which is creating the excess friction. Hence you say its stiff. have you tightened anything to much? That piston just seems to be at abit of an angle to the block so Is that squed? Have you put too much fluid in there? is the diaphragm been sucked closly to the mc piston with lack of Fluid? is the caliper working as should be? Pistons clean and freely moving? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HondaCruiser Posted January 27 Author Share Posted January 27 41 minutes ago, RideWithStyles said: Hello and welcome. Well only a few things stop the pedal from returning if as you say the return spring is ok? (Is it worn out and lost strength?). So things to check. if the seals surrounding the piston (outer seals or the master cylinder it self) are swollen which is creating the excess friction. Hence you say its stiff. have you tightened anything to much? That piston just seems to be at abit of an angle to the block so Is that squed? Have you put too much fluid in there? is the diaphragm been sucked closly to the mc piston with lack of Fluid? is the caliper working as should be? Pistons clean and freely moving? Thank you for the swift reply! I haven’t had a look at the inside of the reservoir yet. But I’m sure that the pedal should not be as stiff as it is. I get the feeling that the spring would not have the force in it to return the pedal as the pedal is so stiff. Ill post some more pics in a few secs just show the angle of the piston, pedal etc. When the pedal is depressed, it does engage the rear brake and the brake light comes on too, but the pedal doesn’t return. I mean I’m comparing it to other bikes I have…the brake pedal should pop back immediately you lift your foot off it. This pedal just stays put. Strange! Heres a pic of the sliding piston…a better angle. Looks ok. And the pic shows the spring that’s supposed to return the pedal. I don’t know if the spring position is correct as you can see the end of the spring is not engaged anywhere. The last pic I took just now of the underneath of the spring shows a little nub and I don’t know if the spring should be anchored by that nub or not. Even so, the pedal is damn stuff…tried wd40 on it but still stiff. Would I be better off just replacing the reservoir or stripping it down to check the seals etc pls? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldgrump Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 Hi @HondaCruiser, first think I would do is undo the Allen bolt and nut that goes through the centre of brake pedal/brake rod arm a bit, if you say brake works ok. Just to see if that has any effect, it sounds to me the bolt is to tight. As for spares for these Chinese bikes, not a hope normally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rennie Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 I reckon it's just too tight but if not which Jap bike is it based on? The spares for that may fit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HondaCruiser Posted January 28 Author Share Posted January 28 17 hours ago, oldgrump said: Hi @HondaCruiser, first think I would do is undo the Allen bolt and nut that goes through the centre of brake pedal/brake rod arm a bit, if you say brake works ok. Just to see if that has any effect, it sounds to me the bolt is to tight. As for spares for these Chinese bikes, not a hope normally. Hi and thanks for the tip! I loosened the hex bolt but the pedal is still stiff. looks like the tension is in the piston assembly itself. I also noticed the spring isn’t doing its job bringing the pedal back. reasin fir tha is probably cos the spring has jumped from its anchor point underneath the fitting. but as I said, I reckyevrn if I place the spring in its right position, the pedal is so tight, it may not pop back to its rest position. looks like I may have to strip the whole asset down to see what bloody happened! other thing I checked is when the pedal is pressed, the rear brake does apply. it just doesn’t release when you remove your foot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HondaCruiser Posted January 28 Author Share Posted January 28 16 hours ago, rennie said: I reckon it's just too tight but if not which Jap bike is it based on? The spares for that may fit Hi thanks fir dropping in! this is half the problem…I don’t know what bike the AJS is based on. if I knew that, I could just buy a brake reservoir for that model and fit it on! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldgrump Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 1 hour ago, HondaCruiser said: Hi and thanks for the tip! I loosened the hex bolt but the pedal is still stiff. looks like the tension is in the piston assembly itself. I also noticed the spring isn’t doing its job bringing the pedal back. reasin fir tha is probably cos the spring has jumped from its anchor point underneath the fitting. but as I said, I reckyevrn if I place the spring in its right position, the pedal is so tight, it may not pop back to its rest position. looks like I may have to strip the whole asset down to see what bloody happened! other thing I checked is when the pedal is pressed, the rear brake does apply. it just doesn’t release when you remove your foot. Hi @HondaCruiser, remove the bolt as far as the push rod to Master cylinder becomes free and then test the lever, if then it's still tight then look at master cylinder. As for identifying what Jap bike it comes from, good luck. I look after a AJS 250DD for a elderly guy, and yes spoke to AJS, and 2 distributor's could't find me the L/H switch gear!!! Suzuki Bandit was the same, Did think the Dragster but drum brakes on rear! Also if brake works and releases, when lever pull back try as @RideWithStyles, says and spray inside the master cylinder where the rod goes maybe just stiff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HondaCruiser Posted January 28 Author Share Posted January 28 50 minutes ago, oldgrump said: Hi @HondaCruiser, remove the bolt as far as the push rod to Master cylinder becomes free and then test the lever, if then it's still tight then look at master cylinder. As for identifying what Jap bike it comes from, good luck. I look after a AJS 250DD for a elderly guy, and yes spoke to AJS, and 2 distributor's could't find me the L/H switch gear!!! Suzuki Bandit was the same, Did think the Dragster but drum brakes on rear! Also if brake works and releases, when lever pull back try as @RideWithStyles, says and spray inside the master cylinder where the rod goes maybe just stiff. Thanks again for your help! I actually loosened off the pivotal bolt that holds the pushrod in place on the brake lever just to find out if it’s the actual brake pedal that’s stiff, or the piston inside the master unit. the jury is out on that one…I couldn’t ascertain whether it’s the piston or lever! looks like it’s going to be a long slog…taking off the master unit from the pedal etc, then getting inside where the piston slides in and out…however, that may be nigh on impossible, as these units are normally sealed I guess. if only I can find out from a dealer what Nike this same unit is used on, I can then go for a straight replacement. so…still lost until I disassemble everything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HondaCruiser Posted January 28 Author Share Posted January 28 4 hours ago, oldgrump said: Hi @HondaCruiser, remove the bolt as far as the push rod to Master cylinder becomes free and then test the lever, if then it's still tight then look at master cylinder. As for identifying what Jap bike it comes from, good luck. I look after a AJS 250DD for a elderly guy, and yes spoke to AJS, and 2 distributor's could't find me the L/H switch gear!!! Suzuki Bandit was the same, Did think the Dragster but drum brakes on rear! Also if brake works and releases, when lever pull back try as @RideWithStyles, says and spray inside the master cylinder where the rod goes maybe just stiff. Hi guys! Awrighty…I’ve some good news at last! It took just one message on a Fbook group called AJS Owners, and a great chap called Ray sent me a message saying he’s replaced his very same brake reservoir with one that’s used on the EOS bikes! And what’s more, AJS now have it in stock…not cheap though…around £80! But here’s the thing…when I’d contacted AJS some months ago, they sent back an email saying they haven’t got one in stock for the 125DD. But if I were an employee at a parts place, and I knew that another model uses the same unit, I’d have said Ok, so we have got one of yours, but you can fit the one we di have in stock for the EOS, which is the same unit. End of story! Anyway, problemo over! Next thing, once the mot is done, I’ll change the handle…it’s got that straight handlebar which isn’t bad, but it’s rusted in places so I’m planning to replace it with a half apehanger bar! Heres to some cool cruising in the coming Spring! Ride safe guys! ps I added a pic of the unit AJS supply 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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