It seems like an eternity since I sat on this thing. Yesterday, I decided to plug the battery back in and reinstall the tail for a quick ride around the neighborhood. Had a blast just doing that, and quickly remembered how incredibly awesome it is to ride this bike.
The front brake problems just doesn’t want to go away, sadly. Once back in the garage, I noticed a small amount of brake fluid seeping around the bleed screw. I also now know that wrapping its threads in teflon tape is more or less placebo in effect, because the threads themselves don’t seal. The tapered end of the bleed screw is what seals.
I cleaned off the fluid and pulled the brake lever back overnight with velcro straps. My hope was that the leaked fluid was just residual from the brake bleeding process, and when I checked again, the bleed screw was clean. Couldn’t celebrate because 2 more problems arose, both the banjo bolts on the right caliper and master cylinder had leaked a bit of fluid now.
One thing after another… All the crush washers I used were new so I did the obvious, tighten down the banjo bolts a bit more. Exact torque specs tend to fluctuate in certain applications anyway… Right? :-)
As of now the brake system seems to be okay (emphasis on seems), fingers crossed it stays that way. Can’t say anything for sure because of how many issues have been creeping up. Que Sera, Sera.