Harley Evo FLSTN Heritage Softail Brake Caliper Locked Up 

I love the fact that you learn as you go and use your resources.

I'm an ASE certified mechanic, and your theory and method about cracking the bleeder is 100% correct. Generally the first suspect in this problem is any flexible brake hose in the system. The rubber breaks down inside, and becomes like a check valve. It will allow pressure in, but then not let it release. You proved the wheel caliper was the culprit when you had no fluid shoot out.

another cool video, Saddle Tramp! I would check the rear wheel alignment, belt tension and the runout on the rear brake rotor.

Another great vid, Tramp. The caliper was seized because it was over-extended from thin brake lining, and the piston not straight in the bore because of the uneven wear. You broke it loose c- clamping the piston back in. Weird...just fixed my rear brake on my 98 Ultra 2 weeks ago with the exact same problem. IMHO, add a little light to the subject being worked on for better visuals. Great channel. Ken

Well my poor old soft tail still had drums in the rear. She don't stop fast so I have to give a lot of space in front. Old bike old man. God Bless.

Great tip on checking pressure, I'll remember that one. Appreciate the video Sir. Cheerz!

Thanks for taking the time to share with us drummer! Those brakes can be a lil tricky at times. Thanks for the rock solid folks over at Scooters, gotcha back up and ready to roll again! Thanks again brother, stay safe, and you be good to yourself also! Blessings your way 🧷✌️!

Glad to see you're showing some love to the Heritage Softail. Also happy your break problem was just a new set of pads... 🤘

We love kind, humble and real people. Great vid!

Good job,Saddle this is why I check regularly the pads on the bike.Have a good day.

Hey Tramp love the way you did this video . Every video you do gets better and better .Keep up the great content.

Thanks Tramp and Mark! Just had this problem on my ‘97 FX. Very helpful for a new Harley owner. ✌️

I learned a couple of things from the vid - diagnosing brakes and I need one of those chrome rear master cylinder covers for my FLSTN. Good stuff as always!

Nice video and glad to see it was simple. Goes to show that some times we tend to think the worst and stuff turns out ok. Will also help new wrenchers as they try to work through troubleshooting. Great Stuff

Awesome video bro always love seeing someone with a passion for motorcycles sharing their knowledge

Happy to drop by your joint and nice to see you appreciate me coming all the way from Australia. Glad to have made that long trip :) rsm8

Because of you, I want an evo powered bike to go with my twin cam, I like wrenching and evo power, I think I can handle. Love the vids, thanks for the inspiration

There you go reminding me I need to get motivation to do my winter maintenance.

Thanks for the video, I like looking through the comments and some of them I agree with. One think that I did not see below is when doing a brake job not a bad idea to change the fluid as well. HD recomends now every two years. While you have it apart it only take a few minutes. Hats off to your buddy for the information and setting the parts out for you. Thanks

Another GREAT video by one of my favorite youtubers. I prefer watching your content even more than Blockheads. Might have a first place tie between you and shadetree man. Always extremely informative and well explained videos. LOVE IT. Keep the Rubber side down brother.

Morning from Ireland...I had the same problem with my springer but it was the caliper, never seen pads to lock up like that before...guess we learn something new every day. Ride safe Brother

Your shop is in such better shape than mine🧐you must not have the hoarder bug yet

Always good to learn something new! Thankxx for the share!

Enjoyed this video, actually been wanting to change my rear break pads on 2009 Softail but been hesitant not knowing what I be getting into this helped me Thanks

I always check fit of pads to assure freedom of movement. And adjust via carbide bit. Removing the powder coat on pads helps as well

We never stop learning...so true. Ride on my brother

Thank you for a really good video. I have often wondered what your name is. I get it that your hardtail sporty is the Tramp. I understand that you might not give your real name, but I always wonder what to call you. What I am about to say is given to you in the spirit of total respect. I believe that one of your secrets to the success of your channel is your ability to make us, the viewer, feel like we are right there with you. You always include us in the project or conversation or whatever and its very cool to be included. Now here is the part that I hope you dont take offense to. In my much younger years, Im 64 now, I used to faithfully watch another guy who had the same ability to include his viewers. His name was Fred Rogers and he invited us into his neighborhood. I always think of him during your intro. I know that you are thinking, oh great now Im be compared to Mr. Rogers and my shop to his neighborhood, but I had great respect for Fred and I also have great respect for you. Im pretty sure that you are wishing that I hadnt brought this up, but its to late now. Much Love. Good job.

Tramp I've got a 94 fxstc , had same problem apparently you have to grind the edge slightly off one of the pads ( metal part of the pad ) More Evo vids please. Brilliant channel.

Love it, learn as we go

I was rebuilding my brakes and came across your video. How cool to see a friend in RU-vid land!

Just now, my rearbrake stuck. I didn't look yet, first youtube consulting. this video was very helpful. I'm going to check what's wrong with my brake...

Nice video Saddle, your channel is growing congrats

Hi, I had a similar case these days. I disassembled the piston and put on some special break piston grease. Also when I assembled the breakpads I put some copper grease on the points where that has to move.

Looks like I’ll be doing this to my ‘94 SN this weekend. Thanks for sharing.

Going through same thing with my 87 FLHTC. THANKS AGAIN BROTHER. love,peace,and chicken grease.

Thanks. I know it's been a while but this video with its information has been very helpful to me. Appreciate ya. Mark from Maryland

I've just been down this road with the front calipers on my '08 RK. Don't mind my saying but I think you could've taken the opportunity to clean that piston before pushing it back in and since seals are cheap I'd have replaced them too just for good measure. I believe the sticking/dragging issue I had with my RK stemmed from the previous owner crudely forcing the pistons back in (the pads needed changing for the annual Gov. test) even though they were covered in hard grime. This led to sticking and warped rotors. I also rebuilt the master cylinder as it was a $30 part plus a couple of copper washers so it seemed sensible to just do it at the same time. So much expense could've been avoided had the guy just been more thorough in his work. Enjoying your videos by the way. Ride safe.

I described the background of the following details in another comment on "knowing your limits" when wrenching on your bike. You would think that a single piston on a floating brake caliper would have a simple fix. My Sportster had a piston that would compress the discs against the rotor and then relax just enough to let the rotor turn when releasing the brake. However, the piston would not compress when I wanted to replace the pads which were paper thin, just like yours. (I bought the bike from another person after it had sat in the garage for about 10 years, so I figure this was the initial cause of the problem.) After a couple days of using many different tools, I figured I should get professional help before I seriously broke something. I rode the bike to the local Harley dealership's service department to fix it because I don't have a good shade tree mechanic nearby. After working on it for over 6 hours, they had rebuilt the caliper, flushed the system and still didn't have it fixed. the pedal was hard but I had no brake. I explained that the brake was working when I gave the bike to them and now I only had a front brake that would work. I couldn't ride it home over the mountains for two hours. Since it was closing time and I had no way home, they gave me a loaner to ride home. I called them every day checking on the progress. They would order a part and try it, and then order another part and try it, etc. Nine days later, the bike was repaired. They ended up replacing every part of the entire rear brake system including the master cylinder, reservoir, brake line, caliper and rotors. They admitted they never did find out the root cause. They got it fixed but they didn't know which part was bad. Since it was a safety issue and a major inconvenience on my part (even though they loaned be a new bike), there was no extra charge for anything beyond the initial caliper rebuild. This dealership has been in business for over 50 years and they have a good reputation, so I didn't feel so bad about not being able to fix such a "simple" problem. So, don't feel bad about your troubleshooting skills. You "did good"! Great video!

Learned some new things today. Thanks man!

One of the things I never see anyone do is change out the brake fluid, it goes a long way to a healthy hydraulic system. If you check your shop manual I believe it should be changed every 2 tears, also get the ceramic lube for the friction ponts on the pads, they slide way easier. Also clean and lube all the slider pins on the calipers, you can make them like new again.

Bloody handy tips mate, love ya vids, How many others hit the thumbs up before you get to the end.. keep up the great vids Mate

Had the same same thing happen on my 85 wide glide chopper. Rear brake only. Noticed it was dragging and grinding when I was pushing it out of the garage towards the end of the first riding season of not running a front brake. Brakes wore down more than I expected, new pads fixed it right up

I like your caliber C Clamp press, I usually just use regular C Clamps with a hockey puck of wood...

Hey man you're doin really good btw I just felt the need to say you were correct both ways it can be called a banjo bolt or fitting same thing.

Thanks man! There are no other videos out there. It's for my daily

Great Video, I'm having the exact same problem! Thanks for the tutorial!

I have the same exact bike. ‘94 Heritage soft tail nostalgia .. great bike.. Thank you for the video it was cool seeing my bike in someone else’s garage LOL

Your wheel is adjusted wrong! Rotor hits high on 1 pad and low on the other pad! Belt not tracking correctly???? Use a 1/16 rod to measure with. From axle to the swing arm bolt on both sides. It's in the shop manual.

Another great video tramp, we all learn together and really appreciate you sharing the problem solving. I have a old EVO as well, so I will keep this video in my memory bank as I do with your other videos. Thank you tramp take good care of yourself as well!

I hope you cleaned that brake fluid off of your front fender! Lol. Glad you found the issue and wasn’t a costly repair

Good video! Just helped me solve the same issue on my 97, keep it up man.

Good explanation good job! Mine is hanging up now gonna follow your lead Thanks

Great information 👍 keep up the awesome videos brother .

Motorcycle brakes can get touchy. Confusing even for a good mechanic sometimes, I know. Been working on mine. Rebuilt master cylinder twice, had to get a suction tool to get it right. Good luck on your brakes. Good videos.

Can't beat having a good parts guy they are few and far between but when u have that kind of relationship it has its perks for sure

OUTSTANDING

Well Tramp, we all have our opinions as none of us know what's really wrong but luckily with brakes you're limited to only a few things, including the possibility of a warped rotor, which only you will know. Now IMHO just because you found the problem doesn't necessarily mean you fixed it, or at least I don't think replacing the pads is a cure but merely a bandaid. If I were you, since you bought the rebuild kit and considering you and the Misses travel on the bike, I would rebuild that caliper and put all new fluids in her, should't take you no more than 2 hours. Open up the reservoir and lock that brake in place for 24 hours, I can hold mine with a small piece of 2x4 block of wood. You don't want that brake locking up on you when riding 2 up. Do the right thing Tramp, not the easy thing. Stay safe friend.

I have the same problem right now,, also my break pad also finished,, thanks for this video

When opening the bleed nipple, please use a clear hose that points upwards, then curves down into an empty bottle. This will allow the hose to fill up with any brake fluid. That way when you crack open the bleed nipple, it doesn’t suck in any air.

Thank you for the lesson

Great video thanks!! 👊🏼 Ride safe!

Well done !

Great video. Thanks for not posting BS.

Now job Mr Tramp sir ! Now I know where to find brake pads in the grill 😁

Your initial test was a good one for pressure stuck in the system. Brakes can also hang up mechanically. The caliper itself can be hanging up on 2 sliding pins. The caliper needs to float in and out. Check/clean/grease the pins every pad change. Or the piston can be stuck- overhaul needed. Or the brake pads themselves can be hanging up where they attach inside the caliper. Always replace the anti-rattle hardware when replacing pads. Make sure the pads move freely in the caliper. A thin layer of ceramic brake grease on the clips is best. In general, a worn outer pad indicates stuck piston or pad hung up. A worn inner pad indicates caliper not floating or inner pad hung up. Both worn even is a good thing.

Nice work

Old guy with '97 WG. Have not watched the whole video yet. Will delete comment if not helpful. Went to a bike rally last summer. Very hot that day.... 94 degrees. Front brake caliper locking up. Just had the brakes "serviced " ? about two weeks before. After removing chrome cover found that master cylinder had small leakage around cap. Removed some of the excess fluid from reservoir. So far .....so good. Brake fluid does expand when hot, don't know if too much will not allow caliper to release like it needs to. ?? Just my 2 cents worth.

Good video. Just to be sure always check that rear wheel alignment. Very important. Especially for the belt.

Hey, this is like Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. Biker garage style. I like it.

Good learning video.

Hey man ! Nicole says to tell your lovely missus hello !

Awesome tips. Graci!!!

Good video, good info.

Great video so much to learn thank for share love this!

If you have an older bike with brake lines that are made of rubber, you should replace them with stainless steel braided lines. The rubber can deteriorate inside and cause the brakes to tighten up and not release. It happened to my '93 BMW a few years ago. It also may be necessary to disassemble the calipers from time to time for cleaning and inspection.

Great video 🤙🏻

Make sure the caliper is not stuck on its carrier. It wants to “float” smoothly as the pads wear.

New sub here. Thanks to Scooter Tramp Scotty!

Got the Screaming Eagle exhaust. Nice.

Good stuff.

Obligatory comment to drive RU-vid algorithms. Thanks again for taking us along

Thankyou sir..

i'm fixin' to check that grill for some old '82 Suzuki GS450 brake shoes!!!

Great video Thanks 👍

Thanks for sharing these tips. As a lady rider, it is nice to know that some repairs can be done yourself with the right guidance. The more we can learn about of bikes the better. What kind of motorcycle jack are you using?

I had my front wheel lock up on my Evo softail, the rotor wash dished 1/4” and rubbing on the caliper. Dude who replace the rotor last didn’t line up the key way on the hub with the slot in the rotor.

Had my front brake lock up on mine once that was fun wasn’t to bad til I hit the ground hahaha

thanks mate

I have the same exact bike brother!👍

Hope you made that up about the grill cause others might go looking for parts after hours !

Hell yea

Good Deal

I had a locked up back brake, and it went through two professional mechanics without being fixed. So you may have more skills then some people that are actually motorcycle mechanics by trade.

Great video man!! I learned a lot today Thank You.!! >;-)

Saddle Tramp...clean the master cylinder piston of dirt before you push the piston back.....otherwise all the dirt on the piston goes back with it behind the seal and you might damage it and get a leak in the future. Just a thought !

Awesome video man thanks. This is why Brembo brake calipers suck, Takiko calipers are far better. My rear caliper seized when I was riding, my 08 Low Rider, after finding out Brembo makes Harley calipers I switch brands. No issues since.

Regularly check the caliper temperature after a ride. No it shouldn't be warm if you didn't use it a fair bit. Hot is dragging. The stock brakes on my '99 FXDL with EBC HH pads would catch out anyone who says Harley brakes are cr*p. In the UK HD parts are twice what they are in the US which is already 4 times what they should be.

I just got a 2015 HD 883. I'm a pretty new rider and took it out on a first ride after I got it delivered. I had only gone about 2 miles, but that was a lot of stop and go because I was working on some smooth quick stopping. Around mile 2 it seemed like it was losing power and started to die despite throttle. I pulled to the side of the road and turned it off. It would not push at all, not even rock a bit like it does when it's in gear. My neutral light was on and I even depressed the clutch, it would not budge. After about 30-45 minutes and it let me roll the bike in neutral like normal. I didn't want to leave it so I cautiously drove it home a mile and had no issues. What would cause this to release the wheel when the bike cooled down? Thanks for the advice.

I have a Custom Evo Hardtail Springer Chopper , when the bike gets hot , the brakes lock up and I can't move the bike with my legs, but after the bike cools down its fine

Hi, 9.10 sec in video the rear pad shims are you sure they fit that way as i thought they end of shim facing you slotted between mounting bracket and rubber boot as it holds it in place while you put pads in, great videos, hope you don't mind me asking. Thanks