Clutch & Brake Issues

[Flash]

Hi Folks,

I'm new to Big Dog and this site! I just recently bought a 2005 Pitbull which so far seems to be an awesome bike. It currently has 12,000 miles and i've had to repair some minor things already Luckily the weather in South Carolina allows us to ride most of the year!

I've been reading through threads and need some further clarification:

Clutch Cable: Broke this past week...very frustrating! What have you folks found to be the best replacement, BDM or other? Luckily i found the great thread with pictures on replacement.

Soft Clutch: Havent been able to find that much information on the modification kit to soften the clutch. Anyone have further guidance?

Front Brake: Seem to be losing pressure in the front brake. At times brake lever will pull all the way back. Have to pump the lever. I added DOT 5, bled the brakes as well. How do you get to the master cylinder? Any suggestions?

Finally does anyone have an electronic service manual?

Any assistance will be greatly appreciated

Thanks

 

[nine lives]

Best thing get a spare clutch cable, send your broken cable back to Bernett, they'll fix it for free. Unfortunately it's not the cable that causes the problem it's the clutch actuator (bad design) I am currently working on re-designing my actuator-maybe clevis design to alleviate cable stress at actuator. As for your loosing fluid, do you see any visible signs of fluid loss? (dirt sticking to rotor, caliper)

 

[PurpleDog]

Barnett makes the cables; they'll usually repair a broken one as good will. Keep a spare one on hand.

The new style ball ramp design will give you easier pull.

You presumably put Dot 5 fluid in the master cylinder; sounds like it needs rebuilt or replaced. What do you mean how to get to it?

 

[Flash]

No signs of leakage on the brake system. Yes I added DOT 5 to the reservoir. How and what do I remove to rebuild the master cylinder?

Where do you purchase the ball ramp modifications and how hard is it to install? Is it simply replacing the plates and balls that you remove when installing the new cable?

 

[Shredder]

Replace stock clutch with the Bandit clutch, that will help with the pull of the stock unit and the defective stock bearing carrier.

Shredder

 

[07bigdog]

I also had trouble with my front brake going soft. Bled it and worked good for about 3 weeks and acted up again. Bled it again and actualy got quite a bit of air out of the system. It has been good for a year now. Just started to act up now. I parked the bike for the winter, so i will bleed it again in the spring. The only way we got the air out was by removing the cover off the master cyclinder on the handlebars and watching it until the air stopped coming out. Be careful not to spill. Cover your tank up with something before you start. Good luck.

 

[RRRUFF]

The BD soft pull clutch comes with a new ball and ramp assembly which has a less agressive ramp. It also comes with a new clutch that I believe has more disc in it to compensate for the softer spring that comes with the assembly. This should all be eliminate the clutch cable breakage. Of course it will wear out over time. You can order a shop manual that will have the electronics in it.