Cali 1400 owners - Has this ever happened to you?

[OldMojo]

About 250 miles into a 9 day trip. Get off the interstate onto a secondary road about 40 miles shy of that night's stop. We're facing down bumper to bumper traffic at least 6 stoplights to the horizon. Thermometer on the gauge says 93F and I have zero reasons to doubt it. We're start-stop-dog paddling for what seems like forever. Get to the 4th stoplight and my rear brake pedal bottoms out - zero resistance and it will not pump up.      Crap.

Call to my riding buddy on the bluetooth - "Is my back tire wet?" - "Nope"

I can see that the reservoir is still full. It's then that I realize just how ridiculously close the master cylinder is to the exhaust. At this point I postulate that the exhaust heat has either softened the seals or melted them entirely.

If the former, I might get the brakes back once we get out of traffic and get some air blowing over the works. If the latter?   

I spend the next 10 minutes or so dog paddling and considering my options. Tonight's option is to do what it takes to get the 40 miles to the hotel.

Traffic finally dissipates, and within a couple miles the rear brake is back! We get into town and I'm abusing that pedal, and it's like nothing ever happened. And so it remained for the next 8 days and 1500 miles.

I've never heard of this, and I've experienced my share of hot weather backups. This may have been the "perfect storm", but I'm going to see about rigging up some sort of heat shield for that master cylinder.

[moto-uno]

  On another forum , you'll find more than a few references to this same occasion .
  My 2018 Eldorado has once or twice become somewhat softer after extended periods
  in stop and go traffic . I've since bought a small sheet of foil type heat shield used
  in many Yamaha FJR's that is over the motor and under the tank . Of course since then
  I've not been in heavy traffic to test it's ability to reduce the heat on the M/Cyl .  Peter

[moto]

Your brake fluid must have boiled. Since gas is compressible, you lose braking when the fluid becomes a gas. This recently happened in one of my cars, always at the same spot after coming back from a grocery across town. The first recommendation of the mechanic was to stop going there. In my case the actual problem was a stuck caliper. Being stuck, it made the disc and caliper get quite hot and boil the fluid. So consider the possibility of a stuck caliper, as well as the possibility that the exhaust itself might be boiling the fluid.

Moto

[lucian]

You need new rear pads , The 1400's eat them for breakfast , take a look. If you let them go longer the  caliper pistons  will cock in their  bores and lock up  solid. Been there done that!

[Moparnut72]

How many miles do you guys generally get out of a set of pads?
ok

[Jorg66]

Agree with lucian , seems like the rear gor 2-3 times as fast.

[kballowe]

I'd think about flushing the rear brake fluid, assuming that it got that hot.

I also agree that these 1400's like to eat rear brake pads.

[moto-uno]

  As for the pistons cocking in the bores of the rear caliper with the pads still in place ?
  You gotta stop reading what ever it is you're reading :) . Peter

[lucian]

  As for the pistons cocking in the bores of the rear caliper with the pads still in place ?
  You gotta stop reading what ever it is you're reading :) . Peter

Not something I've read, It happened on mine .  I had no idea the first set of pads would be shot after 5.000 miles. They actually still had a bit of friction surface left but the rear brake stuck on anyway. I called the dealer where I bought the bike and it wasn't the first time they had seen this happen. Replaced the pads and it hasn't happened again in now 30,000 miles. I no longer run them down to the bitter end and am more conscious about using the fronts and rear in concert . I think the big rear brake pedal along with the 700 plus pounds of bike makes it easy to to wear out the rear pads quickly if used frequently without the fronts.

[Kiwi Dave]

I run Premier P270 sintered pads on my Cali 1400s.  The stock ones didn't last very long at all.

[BobtheBuilder]

after 30,000km, my rear pads are almost shot. Got some new sintered ones to fit this week.

[et18]

My Touring has about 27k miles on it and I’m deep into my 3rd set of rear pads. They’re not that thick to start with. Fronts are still fine.

[larrys]

Different bike but a similar issue. My Monster rear brake got soft then no brake at all around 4K miles. Jim Hamlin told me that the fluid had degraded and boiled, now air in the system. Flushed it and bled it, back to normal.
Larry