Beta brakes

Got a technical question? Ask it in here.

Moderator: Moderators

XT John
Junior participant
Junior participant
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Nov 22, 2008 12:39 pm
Bike: nil
Club: nil

Beta brakes

Postby XT John » Fri Dec 05, 2008 6:50 am

G'day,
I'm currently in the market for a trials bike and test rode an 06 Beta 270 the other day. It went quite well but the front brake was atrocious! Is this typical of of Betas? If so, are there any fixes?
Also, the bike was fitted with a flywheel weight kit. Does this make a big difference to how they ride?
Thanks...XT.



David Lahey
Champion
Champion
Posts: 4062
Joined: Thu Jun 05, 2003 7:01 pm
Bike: Many Twinshocks
Club: CQTC Inc, RTC Inc
Location: Gladstone, Queensland

Re: Beta brakes

Postby David Lahey » Fri Dec 05, 2008 10:56 am

The standard front brakes on that bike are normally very good and the same or very similar brakes (4 pot AJP) are used on all the leading brands of trials bikes. If there is something wrong it is probably a fault with that particular bike.

The additional flywheel weight slows down motor response to aid traction in slippery conditions. They are not commonly used in Australia due to our normally dry riding conditions. Some people like them and some don't. Its easy to try the bike both ways and make up your mind for yourself.


relax, nothing is under control

User avatar
motostar99
Expert participant
Expert participant
Posts: 269
Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2004 12:42 pm
Bike: 2002 Sherco 290
Club: LRMTC, NDMC, SQTA
Location: Brisbane, QLD

Re: Beta brakes

Postby motostar99 » Fri Dec 05, 2008 12:24 pm

When you say they were bad, was it that they didnt feel like they were gripping enough or too much?

Generally they are very good and as David said, the same style that they use on all major trials bikes so i would assume it must be something with the bike you rode.

Nic 8)


Rockin with the Gas Gas crew...

XT John
Junior participant
Junior participant
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Nov 22, 2008 12:39 pm
Bike: nil
Club: nil

Re: Beta brakes

Postby XT John » Fri Dec 05, 2008 7:10 pm

Thanks for the replies. The brakes seemed quite ineffective, ie, not a lot of stopping power.
Maybe they need new pads or perhaps a good bleed?
Cheers...XT.



User avatar
motostar99
Expert participant
Expert participant
Posts: 269
Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2004 12:42 pm
Bike: 2002 Sherco 290
Club: LRMTC, NDMC, SQTA
Location: Brisbane, QLD

Re: Beta brakes

Postby motostar99 » Fri Dec 05, 2008 8:16 pm

yeah i would suggest pads or a bleed.. prob more likely a bleed unless it's been doing a lot of braking.. My sherco felt a bit like that, after bleeding them it felt great! If everything else on the bike felt good apart from that i'd say it'll prob be an easy fix!

Nic 8)


Rockin with the Gas Gas crew...

XT John
Junior participant
Junior participant
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Nov 22, 2008 12:39 pm
Bike: nil
Club: nil

Re: Beta brakes

Postby XT John » Fri Dec 05, 2008 8:22 pm

Thanks Nic.



Stork955
B grade participant
B grade participant
Posts: 68
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 9:04 am
Location: Tasmania

Re: Beta brakes

Postby Stork955 » Sat Dec 06, 2008 7:36 am

Gday, if the lever is "Soft" it will need bleeding. ( a spongy feel, with no definite point where you can feel increased resistance with your finger/s) If the lever is firm and the brakes just seem ineffectual look at the pads and the disc surface. This might save you a bit of extra work.

Cheers,

Stork.



gordonmichaellee
B grade participant
B grade participant
Posts: 92
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2007 4:21 pm
Location: Byron Bay

Re: Beta brakes

Postby gordonmichaellee » Sat Dec 06, 2008 2:58 pm

I agree with other posters. If this is the only fault, it's an easy fix.

1. To bleed the brakes.

The way I do it is to attach a peice ( 30cm long) of clear pipe to the bleed nipple ( point it upward). check the resoviour is fullish. then bleed the system by ( preferably two people ) aplying a slow presure on the lever and whilst this is being applied to undo the bleed nipple ( you will see bubbles in the pipe if it needed bleeding, if not you will just see clear fluid filling the pipe ) as the lever reaches fully applied re tighten the bleed nipple. repeat until there are no bubble in the fluid that is excreated ( in a worse case senario ( mostly with cars) it can be nessasary to do this with a compessed air bleeding system) ( never heard of it being nesasary for a bike)).

2 To clean the external parts.

first check that none of the parts need replacing, such as the pads or the brake pistons. then clean them with a comercialy available brake cleaning fluid. scuff the pads with emeery paper and be sure that the disc is fully clean.

this should be all you need to do to have a VERY efective brake system.


BUT it is saturday afternoon and I am on my fifth beer. so I would apriciate some one reading this and confirming I haven't missed anything.

Cheers Gordon



XT John
Junior participant
Junior participant
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Nov 22, 2008 12:39 pm
Bike: nil
Club: nil

Re: Beta brakes

Postby XT John » Sat Dec 06, 2008 4:57 pm

Thanks guys, I've pretty much narrowed the choice down to two bikes, both 06 Betas.
Clearly this brake thing is not a big problem so it won't influence my decision on which bike I go for.
Is there any big improvements in the 07 Beta over the 06?



Ferretflasher
A grade participant
A grade participant
Posts: 102
Joined: Fri Nov 24, 2006 7:45 am
Location: grimethorpe, UK

Re: Beta brakes

Postby Ferretflasher » Wed Dec 24, 2008 9:00 pm

HI there from Blighty,
I have a 4RT and a Rev4 Racing,, these share similar discs at the front and I too found them rubbish. No amount of bleeding, seals replacement, etc will sort out the weak feeling to the stopping power.
My solution was to fit Sherco wavy front discs, these are made by Galfer I believe. They are a different material or surface finish and used with standard Galfer pads are the best I can afford on a modest budget. I believe there is less chrome content in the disc material and a bit more iron, anyway thats my advice. You will also need the 4 small cups to mount the disc to the hub from Sherco also.
Next tweek I tried was the FUTURE Racing Carbon hoses from Italy, these are only about 4.5mm diamter with a smooth bore that does not trap air. The standard hoses are pants being made from concertinaed nylon /PVC inner with a stainless braid to the outside to withstand the pressure. I find these smaller hoses far better. The standard GAsGAs hoses are pretty good without being too expensive.
Anyway follow the advice on how to bleed the hoses and you should find that a Sherco wavy disc and a GAsGAs hose do the trick. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:




Return to “Technical help”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 22 guests