Brakes dragging

OK, here's another one. I have NO mechanical experience with motorcycles BTW, but I was a mechanic in the Air Force.

My front brake is dragging. I've asked about this, and about half of the responses are that the pads need replacing, the other half are that the caliper needs a rebuild.

Bottom line, when front wheel is off the ground it'll spin, but drag in spots. When I apply and release the brake it drags consistently, you can't even turn the dang thing which explains my rotten mileage I guess.

Anyway... any ideas?

 

What have you done on the brakes? They are 30 y/o, and most of the parts have a service life under half a decade. You can rebuild you whole brake system now, and fix all the problems at once.
Caliper rebuild - recommended every two years. Sure that's probably a little more often than needed, but it's probably due.
Master Cylinder rebuild - not sure of the time span, but old brake fluid can gunk up the return port.
Brake lines - service life is 4 years. They'll fail when you need them most (high pressure causes them to bulge instead of transmitting pressure to the pads). Braided stainless steel last much longer.
Brake pads don't last forever. They age even without use.

Honestly, the return port on you master cylinder is a likely cause, but bring the whole system up to snuff is worth it.

(also, put your bike and location in your signature)

 

Solid advice.

Rebuild the brakes; everything.

Fix one component, the next one will act up; better to just get it all done at once.

 

i can second this advice pbergin. When i bought my bike my front brakes were dragging. For piece of mind i rebuilt everything, master cylinder, calipers, and new pads. Works great now. Besides that i actually trust the parts now. This was only a couple weeks ago.