Spongy front brakes / can''t find a reservoir???

Hey all,
I'm new to this forum and also to XJ's, so please forgive me if this is a common issue or a dumb question;
I've got an '83 xj750rk that I love, but it has very spongy front brakes (escpecially for dual disc). I've pullrd the calipers off and found no problems (good pads, clean piston, etc.) My problem is this: I cant seem to find a fluid reservoir. There is also lines connected to the shocks, is fork oil and brake fluid combined???

Any help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks,
Brian

 

I'm pretty sure you've got a remote reservoir behind the headlight - follow the linkage from the brake lever to it.

The lines connecting the forks are for air pressure balancing - your forks are air-assisted, and the hose makes sure they have equal pressure.

 

Altus,
I had the whole front fairing off and all I found was a slave cylinder?

there is a cable from the front brake lever to what I believe is a slave cylinder and then on to the banjo's, calipers etc.
The only place I can find for fluid to enter/exit the system is the bleeder screws.

Thanks,
Brian

 

Hmmm - parts diagram shows it's a reservoir, not a slave cylinder:

 

You will find a hex head reservoir bolt on the body of the reservoir. I have used a syringe to fill mine since pulling the reservoir is a pain. Best of luck.

 

Well,
I guess I stand backhanded and corrected!
Thank you very much for the diag. and suggestions they should prove useful.

 

Any luck with the mushy front brakes? The guys I bought mine from complained about that as well. He said he never could find a fix. I was thinking maybe good aftermarket discs and pads might help. But if the resevoir is just low, that is a lot cheaper.

 

The brake lines going down from the front calipers are the "anti-dive" connections to the front forks. No the fork oil and the brake fluid do not mix.

Air adjusted fork connections are at the top of the forks, nothing to do with the brake lines below.

 

I assume you've bled the brakes and replaced the fluid?

Air in the hydraulics is the likely cause of mushy breaks.

 

I did find the reservoir, and bled the brakes. It helped, but did not cure the problem. The bike is out of commision right now due to an electrical issue. Unless I figure out the problem soon I won't be back on the road untill next spring (tearing her down this winter).

 

I recently purchased this bike from the past owner of 13 yrs. He is a liscensed airplane and auto mechanic and he has done everything from bleeding them to replacing the pads and can't seem to "fix" it. He also said his brother has had an 82 and it seemed to have the same problem.

It's not that they don't work, but they are way softer than I, or he, would have expected from a dual disc system. When I take down the front wheel to do the new tire, bearings, etc. I am going to look them over real good.

 

Snoop, let us know how things turn out after you get them done.

 

Changing the old rubber brake lines to stainless steal braded line made a big difference in the firmness of my brakes. I am lucky I needed one line being that it only has one caliper. Your local dealer can get the line in many lengths and fittings for application. They also look really cool.

 

My brakes on my 82 SECA are the same. I am going to replace the brake hoses soon and hopfully that will help the problem.

 

When I reassembled my bike one of my choices was to ditch the original brake lines for SS lines. I have no comparison but find these brakes to be very firm on the SS lines!