xj750 front brakes

I bought a 1982 xj750 seca about a month ago and the front brakes need attention, I am wondering why I have no pressure when I apply the front brakes, Nothing happens. Thr handle bar brake stays compressed when I let go. Any Idea on how to go about fixing this issue?

 

is the handle hard to move either way, is the cable good, do you have any fluid in the system, have you checked the date code on the brake lines (they likely need to be replaced)?

 

How could this happen?

 

There is a spring inside the MC, if that is broken you won't have brakes, also the brake fluid has a tendency to get thick with the passage of time as it absorbs moisture from the air. Try replacing all of the brake fluid in your system first, then bleed them and try the brakes. After I bought my bike, which had been sitting for 10 years, that's what I did and my brakes worked fine.

 

Besides the fact that the brake lines and master cylinder guts are still original and 30 years old?!?!

Parts do break, leak, wear out and that's with normal proper use. Who knows what the previous owners did to your bike.

FYI: Fixing the brake/master cylinder problem properly so the bike stops and possibly saves your life on a regular basis is not a quick or cheap fix. It is affordable and do able by most any shade tree mechanic but doing it RIGHT will cost way more than a new bottle of brake fluid and bleeding the brake lines.

 

Hey, sorry for the thread hijack, but everybody always says "check the date codes" but doesn't elaborate. I know about tire date codes, but I don't see anything on my brake lines that looks like a date.

What *exactly* does a brake line date code look like? What is the format? Month and year? Four-digit year or two? Is it all numbers or letters? A lot of folks could probably use this info...

 

off the top of my head i thought it was mm/yy

Basically if you see any thing like 81 82 83 84 etc on the hoses they are original. Replacement ones might not have been labeled.