[ArizonaJim]

Warwithwheels
In order to work, brakes must be absolutely free of any kind of oil. This includes the brake pads.

Unfortunately, you have contaminated both the disk and the brake pads with the WD40 and a simple washing of the disk with soapy water won't fix it.

If you wish to try to fix the problem you should buy a "Disk Brake Cleaner" which comes in an aerosol can.
Place the motorcycle on the center stand and use something to lift the front wheel off of the tarmac so it rotates easily.
Liberally spray the cleaner onto the disk and down into the brake pad caliper on both sides of the disk. As you do this, rotate the front wheel so that the cleaner gets between the pads and the disk. It may take several applications of the cleaner to destroy the WD40.

If Brake Pad Cleaner is not available you can also use MEK (methyl ethyl ketone. Also called Butanone), Denatured Alcohol (used as a shellac thinner), lacquer thinner (not the common paint thinner). As a last resort, pure gasoline or petrol can be used although it is dangerous and not as effective as the other solvents mentioned.

Another solution is to wash the disk with soap and water and replace the brake pads.

Perhaps the best solution from a safety standpoint is to take your motorcycle to a RE authorized repair center and have them fix the problem.

Good luck and remember to ride carefully.

[Warwithwheels]

Thank you for the elaborate reply, Jim.

Never knew that an overdose of WD40 could throw up such issues. I guess I'll restrict my future usage of WD40 only to non-moving parts.

Since I live along the coastal belt, rusting is a major concern for me. That's why I went little generous on the WD40.

Will try to fix it as suggested and update the thread. Thank you!

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

Thank you for the elaborate reply, Jim.

Never knew that an overdose of WD40 could throw up such issues. I guess I'll restrict my future usage of WD40 only to non-moving parts.

Since I live along the coastal belt, rusting is a major concern for me. That's why I went little generous on the WD40.

Will try to fix it as suggested and update the thread. Thank you!

You can use WD40 in other moving parts except the brake discs/drums/pads which requires to maintain the friction. It is safe to use WD40 on the pivot points of levers and pedals (clutch, brake, gear etc..) you can even use it in key holes and also inside the electrical switches (indicator, headlight etc..).

You can also use kerosine/diesel on the chrome parts instead of spraying WD40 on the whole. Use a soft cloth to apply kerosine/diesel after washing.

But I think we should also avoid spraying WD40 in the wheel hubs and other parts which runs on bearings, as the bearing needs to retain the grease in them. @arizonajim please let me know your thoughts on this.

[Warwithwheels]

@man_of_steel: What you saying is completely logical. Will stick to it.

Well, tried the soapy solution method and 80% of the braking power is restored

OMG!! WD40 is quite a tough nut. It just refused to shed its coating on the Discs. Only after repeated washing, it came off a bit. Hoping to do a complete clean up job at a garage shortly.


Here are few pics:

[gearbox]

Sick and tired of the wait now, I just feel i cannot wait any longer for my bull to arrive.

2 weeks back, I was told by my dealer to pay up the money and get the bull delivered in about 4 days, Somehow I just wanted to ensure that everyone at the dealership was in sync with that point, so i walked into the showroom, only to know that the guy who had asked me to make the payment had no clue about my booking date, and the manager there said the same too. They just said for Black Electra 350, you need to wait sir. But i can give you Red if you are open to it. I DENIED.

Called up Mr Abin from RE, informed of what had happened, and he spoke to the dealer and got back to me saying he would try and get the bullet delivered by Oct end or by Nov 1st week.

Now I had a word with the Dealership again, The guy co-ordinating with me said he would deliver it by 28th Oct (my birthday), I had requested him to deliver it by then. so about 5 more days to go.

They asked me to make the payment on 19th Oct, which i did, complete payment made by cheque, amount debited from my account on 21st.

I called up Abin again yesterday, since he had asked me to call him up around that time the first time we spoke, He said why did they ask you to make the payment, I do not have any vehicles to allot, i will get the allotment details only by this month end. That shattered my trust on believing the people at RE or their Dealership.

I called up the RE Dealer today and spoke to the contact I've been in touch with, he said call me up at 6pm, i might be able to give you more details about the allotments.. and they do NOT have a Black Electra in stock with them now.

I wonder how they will deliver it to me by 28th. Which to me, is not going to happen I suppose.

This is just irritating, if there's god darn demand in South India, why can't RE supply more here? Honestly, I have lost all the excitement and interest I once had, even in the 5 months wait i never felt this way, that i am doing now in the past 2 weeks.

[Jeroen]

Must be very frustrating! All I can say, that once you have it you will forget about all of this misery! I'm really enjoying my Bullet, trust me.
Jeroen

[chotu_r]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

Well, tried the soapy solution method and 80% of the braking power is restored

OMG!! WD40 is quite a tough nut. It just refused to shed its coating on the Discs. Only after repeated washing, it came off a bit. Hoping to do a complete clean up job at a garage shortly.

Please keep a look out while getting bike washed at garage. Sometimes they apply kerosene to better remove grease and apply it to the disc brake also. Then it would be back to square one!

Neutral lamp is constantly on on my bike, even when gear is not engaged. I am sure that the wiring is frayed but where is the location of neutral switch on TBTS?

[Warwithwheels]

Originally Posted by chotu_r

Neutral lamp is constantly on on my bike, even when gear is not engaged. I am sure that the wiring is frayed

That's how it is supposed work right? Or did you mean engaged?

[ArizonaJim]

man_of_steel:
I agree with you. The ball bearings in the wheel hubs need the grease for proper lubrication and thin oil-like fluids like WD40 can wash it out. This also applies to the speedometer drive gear on the front axle.

As for general lubrication, IMO, WD40 works rather poorly. It is a very lightweight oil that tends to evoporate over time leaving a gummy deposit behind.

If one wants to properly lubricate their moving parts there are a lot of different products that are meant specifically for lubricating. The words "oil" or "lubricant" will appear on their label and unlike WD40 they don't leave gummy material behind.

chotu r
I'm sure you meant to say the neutral lamp is on even when the gears are engaged?

To answer your question, the neutral switch on the UCE engine is on top of the transmission, right behind the starter motor and in front of the rear engine mount.
There will be a couple of wires connected to it.

If the neutral light is constantly on, beware of starting the motorcycle with the electric starter without first pulling in the clutch. It can start while the transmission is still in gear. Of course, if you kick start the bike the clutch will have to be released but if the motorcycle starts moving as you kick it over I'm sure you can figure out what the problem is.

If it is still in gear and if the clutch lever is not pulled in when the engine starts, you may find yourself traveling down the road before you are prepared for the trip.

[gearbox]

Finally. Got the Electra Delivered to me this evening, after a lot of running around.
Loving every bit of it

[gearbox]

Just observed today, there is a slight drag/tilt to the right when i leave the handle while riding, is this anything major to look into right away? Or can she wait for the 1st service?
Please advice.

[ArizonaJim]

When a motorcycle starts to turn to the right or left while the riders hands are removed from the handlebars it indicates the rear wheel is not properly aligned with the front wheel.

This is not a major issue for most riding but it should be addressed at the next scheduled service.

My experience has shown that the chain will need to be adjusted at all service intervals and because the rear wheel must be loosened to accomplish this, realigning the rear wheel is a normal part of the process.

Failing to keep the rear drive chain adjusted is a good way to wear it and the drive sprockets out prematurely.

[chotu_r]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

That's how it is supposed work right? Or did you mean engaged?

Typing blunder, i meant it lights up when gear is engaged also.

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

To answer your question, the neutral switch on the UCE engine is on top of the transmission, right behind the starter motor and in front of the rear engine mount.
There will be a couple of wires connected to it.

Thanks! Located it and will open it up to see what's wrong sometime soon. The last week was very wet here, so it ended up always being on. Now that dry weather has returned, it is still glowing albeit very faintly. I think water seepage into the connections may be an issue.

Originally Posted by gearbox

Just observed today, there is a slight drag/tilt to the right when i leave the handle while riding, is this anything major to look into right away? Or can she wait for the 1st service?
Please advice.

My bike had the same issue, initially i thought it might be caused due to a rim bend of front wheel, which might have happenned when i dropped it. My mech claimed that the castle nut arrangement on my UCE bullet should point away from the chain and changed it accordingly. He was wrong, but since the problem went away i did not bother to point it out

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

When a motorcycle starts to turn to the right or left while the riders hands are removed from the handlebars it indicates the rear wheel is not properly aligned with the front wheel.

What if its the front wheel? i assume that the handlebar would 'shake' in that case.

[ArizonaJim]

It is fairly rare for a front wheel to be out of alignment with the steering head/frame unless the motorcycle has been in an accident.

If the front forks were subjected to an impact or were assembled incorrectly it is possible that the front tyre wouldn't be pointed in the right direction.

This would be noticeable because the handlebars would need to be turned one direction or the other and held in this position in order for the bike to travel in a straight line.
Loose steering head bearings can cause similar alignment problems with the front fork/wheel.

If this front fork/wheel alignment issue it thought to be the problem the motorcycle should be taken to a reputable service center so they can adjust the steering head bearings and forks to the correct position.

Getting back to the rear wheel alignment issue, it is fairly easy to check.

With the bike on the center stand on level ground, take a long, straight pole or stick and insert it between the legs of the center stand.
The stick/pole must be very straight and it should be long enough to reach from the back of the rear tyre to the front wheel. A very long broomstick will work.

Straighten out the front wheel with the handlebars so it is pointing straight ahead.

Place the stick against the rear tyres sidewalls at the forward and rearward side of the rear wheel. The stick/pole will be fairly close to the ground because if it is higher, the stick will interfere with the centerstand. The important thing is that the stick must be contacting both the forward and rearward part of the tyre.

The forward end of the stick should be laying along side of the front tyre.
It should not be hitting the front tyre or out away from it more than 20mm

After checking one side, move the stick to the other side of the rear wheel and repeat the check.

[Jimmy_u]

Hello Team,

noticed something strange today morning, when applying the front brakes, there is a small / slight amount of shudder and then the brake grips the disk, is this OK ? or will this need to be checked , please advice.