ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Makes And Models => Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ => Topic started by: Crissa on January 11, 2020, 09:37:25 AM
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Regen is no longer triggering from the front brake and the brake pull seems really weak. I don't see any leaks or missing fluid from the reservoir.
According to https://zeromanual.com/wiki/Front_Brake_Lever_Adjustment there's a push pin, but there are no photos. Is that the screw visible from the top?
-Crissa
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Regen is activated from a microswitch in the lever and would work even if there was no fluid, so the two issues are unrelated. I haven't taken the lever apart to see exactly where the switch is or how to get to it, but removing the lever blade should allow access to it. Then you can press it and see if the brake light comes on and if not try spraying some contact cleaner into it. If the light does come on but you're not getting regen then I think it may be a software issue.
As for the push pin, it's the part in the red box (might be hard to see in this photo) that pushes on the piston but I think the Zero Manual is actually talking about the part in the blue box. I wouldn't actually call either part a push pin, the red one is an actuation rod and the blue is the reach adjuster.
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Hmm, okay. Far be it to want to take it to the dealer again. *sigh*
Thank you for the diagram!
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I agree with TheRan in cleaning the switch. I'd spray lots of WD-40 on it while working it in and out, then find the connector to unplug and spray contact cleaner.
1. Does the brake light come on? The output of the switch goes directly to both the light bulb and the MBB.
2. Does the rear brake have the desired effect? The rear brake switch is wired directly in parallel with the front brake switch.
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The rear brake does have the desired effect. (I wish it triggered with a lighter touch, but I don't see anything in the manual to fix that.)
It's hard to tell if the light is coming on while pulling on the lever. I'm going to have to rig something up so I can see it at the same time. If I pull it all the way to the throttle, the brake and light does engage, but I have to pull it against the throttle, and that's not normal.
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No it isn’t. The switch is adjustable.
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To test the light just put the rear of the bike near a wall, you should be able to see it getting brighter.
I don't think there's a way to adjust the rear brake switch as it goes in the top of the master cylinder and is actuated by the force of the fluid itself pressing on it and not the brake pedal.
Is their a noticeable difference in the force required to pull the front lever as it gets close to the grip, like it's really easy to pull until that point? There's a spring that holds the lever out, it could be that the piston in the master cylinder is getting stuck part way in and for the first part of the lever travel you're just pressing against the resistance from the spring until the rod contacts the piston. It could also be that part of the rod has snapped off or it's become dislodged somehow.
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Not really, it's soft all the way.
I don't live where there are alot of walls! I live in the woods.
-Crissa
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If you trace the wire coming out of the lever area you'll know where the switch is. On MY16 the switch readily unscrews (I wasn't brave enough to take mine all the way out). See picture below... YMMV.
I note that the switch emits audible clicks upon engagement and release, and this occurs with minimal lever travel.
But yeah since the brake operation itself is weak you might want to change the fluid and bleed (if more than 2 years). I'd also suggest an M/C rebuild kit (O-ring and spring), but since it's this weird J Juan stuff, it might be hard to get parts.
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Wasn’t this bike crashed recently? They don’t sell the switch separately so you might have to buy a new master cylinder.
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It landed on the other side.
I'm taking it into the dealer on Wednesday. So far they're just requiring too much travel, so I'll set the regen high and take it slow and steady until then.
-Crissa
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Well... Today as I was prepping it for tomorrow's ride I figured it out. There's a pinhole in the brake line... Where it fell on it.
*sigh*
I'm going to try topping up the brake reservoir in the morning and seeing if I can limp over the hill first thing in the morning.
-Crissa
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Well... Today as I was prepping it for tomorrow's ride I figured it out. There's a pinhole in the brake line... Where it fell on it.
*sigh*
I'm going to try topping up the brake reservoir in the morning and seeing if I can limp over the hill first thing in the morning.
-Crissa
That should be a chilly ride. ;) Good luck getting your brake fixed.
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Brake fluid in, brakes are working much better now.
Topping off for the morning. It's 4 degrees F cooler above the trees than predicted, but I left the heater in their storage area on all night so it wasn't that cold in there. The ground is sodden so it resists dropping quickly, but the air fogged up while I was checking out the bike.
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Regen is activated from a microswitch in the lever and would work even if there was no fluid, so the two issues are unrelated. I haven't taken the lever apart to see exactly where the switch is or how to get to it, but removing the lever blade should allow access to it. Then you can press it and see if the brake light comes on and if not try spraying some contact cleaner into it. If the light does come on but you're not getting regen then I think it may be a software issue.
As for the push pin, it's the part in the red box (might be hard to see in this photo) that pushes on the piston but I think the Zero Manual is actually talking about the part in the blue box. I wouldn't actually call either part a push pin, the red one is an actuation rod and the blue is the reach adjuster.
That's a great photo (I had one but realize it's sitting in my backlog and not that great, anyway). May I upload/use it on the unofficial manual site?
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I'll try to compile the feedback in this thread into the unofficial manual, thanks.
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Regen is activated from a microswitch in the lever and would work even if there was no fluid, so the two issues are unrelated. I haven't taken the lever apart to see exactly where the switch is or how to get to it, but removing the lever blade should allow access to it. Then you can press it and see if the brake light comes on and if not try spraying some contact cleaner into it. If the light does come on but you're not getting regen then I think it may be a software issue.
As for the push pin, it's the part in the red box (might be hard to see in this photo) that pushes on the piston but I think the Zero Manual is actually talking about the part in the blue box. I wouldn't actually call either part a push pin, the red one is an actuation rod and the blue is the reach adjuster.
That's a great photo (I had one but realize it's sitting in my backlog and not that great, anyway). May I upload/use it on the unofficial manual site?
It's not my photo, it's off the Hollywood Electric site (https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2026/3613/products/brake_lever_600x.jpg?v=1538690396), it's the only one I could find.