RS/GS Parking brake "ratchet"... why?

[Michael211_2000]

Why does the parking brake have 3 or 4 levels of tightness (or whatever you call it)? Couple times now I thought I had it depressed down to the highest level of tightness (4 "clicks" I think?), only to pull on the rear grab rails and feel the Spyder roll with little resistance! Eeeek!

Is there a reason this thing is designed like this? And yes my brake cable is adjusted properly and I have good pads (~4K miles to date), but at the 2nd brake "click" there's very little holding power and even on the 3rd "click" it can be rolled with a good tug on the rear grab rails... only hitting that golden 4th "click" does the machine really stay put!

- Michael

[Chupaca]

I think it is just to let you know it is getting there.. At any point other than max you can move it but adjustment is key...

[ARtraveler]

From my GS/RS days: Once the brake is adjusted to spec, it should lock the bike up in one or two clicks. Beyond that, and the cable gets stretched. My ex was very prone to overstepping the parking brake, or even forgetting to release it some times. I got to be very good at adjusting the parking brake cable.

[MikeinGA]

Why does the parking brake have 3 or 4 levels of tightness (or whatever you call it)? Couple times now I thought I had it depressed down to the highest level of tightness (4 "clicks" I think?), only to pull on the rear grab rails and feel the Spyder roll with little resistance! Eeeek!

Is there a reason this thing is designed like this? And yes my brake cable is adjusted properly and I have good pads (~4K miles to date), but at the 2nd brake "click" there's very little holding power and even on the 3rd "click" it can be rolled with a good tug on the rear grab rails... only hitting that golden 4th "click" does the machine really stay put!

- Michael

If you have 4,000 miles on your parking brake that's due for an adjustment. The rear BRP pads on an RS only last for about 12,000 to 15,000 miles. When I adjust my 2011 RS-S SE5 parking brake cable it's for 3 clicks and stays put on an incline and I still adjust, clean, and lube the cable and ratchet every 5,000 miles when I change my oil and filters the other maintenance items. That's IMHO.


Mike

[NancysToy]

That's the way they work...very similar to the manual ones in your car. You push down until it is tight, not just a couple of clicks. If "tight" ends up more than 3-4 clicks, the parking brake should be adjusted. Unlike automobiles, the Spyder manual brake is not self-adjusting...it is a periodic maintenance task.

[Rob Rodriguez]

Like others have said. That's just the way it works.

I have to adjust mine quite often............probably every 1000 miles to get it to hold the bike. It's actually quite a pain in the A__ and I'd say a piss poor design on BRP's part. It's easy enough to adjust. It's just the fact I have to do it.

[Michael211_2000]

LOL!

Ok guys, yeah I was following the operator's guide maintenance schedule and it doesn't call for checking/adjusting the parking brake cable till the 6K mile mark.

And, where this diverges significantly from the way an auto parking brake lever works is that we have to push it down even FURTHER to release the thing instead of pulling a release handle somewhere like in a car or truck.

Anyhows, I'll check and adjust my cable a little tighter this weekend. I'm already in the habit of tugging on the rear grab handles to insure it won't roll before walking away from it... guess it beats having to deploy a "kick-stand" and worrying about the entire machine falling over spontaneously!

- Michael

[ARtraveler]

LOL!

Ok guys, yeah I was following the operator's guide maintenance schedule and it doesn't call for checking/adjusting the parking brake cable till the 6K mile mark.

And, where this diverges significantly from the way an auto parking brake lever works is that we have to push it down even FURTHER to release the thing instead of pulling a release handle somewhere like in a car or truck.

Anyhows, I'll check and adjust my cable a little tighter this weekend. I'm already in the habit of tugging on the rear grab handles to insure it won't roll before walking away from it... guess it beats having to deploy a "kick-stand" and worrying about the entire machine falling over spontaneously!

- Michael

One reason I liked my SM5 a lot. Never needed the parking brake--just left it in gear. The SE5 was the one that gave me fits.