An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and maintaining your brake lever on your dirt and motocross bike as this is crucial to being able to stop your dirt or motocross bike, whether stopping normally or in an emergency. Here are a few things to keep a look out for and what you can do about them.
Check your dirt and motocross bike brakes by squeezing your hand brake. How far does the brake lever move? Less than half an inch from the grip? If so, you have a problem. You need half an inch finger clearance to keep one of your fingers from being trapped behind the brake lever in an emergency. If this happens you won't be able to properly stop your dirt or motocross bike. Sometimes a simple adjust is enough to fix the trouble.
If the dirt or motocross bike brake lever actually touches the hand grip, you have a bigger problem. Most likely there is air in your bike's brake line. You will need to bleed out the brake system and replace it with fresh brake fluid. This should take care of the problem.
However, if there's not any air in your dirt or motocross bike brake line, then the rubber tubing may be getting weak. If this is the case, you'll need to replace it entirely, and there is a better alternative to rubber. Try replacing your dirt or motocross bike's brake line with armour clad flexible tubing. You'll notice a definite boost in your dirt and motocross bike's braking power, and the line will last far longer.
A little maintenance on your dirt or motocross bike's braking system can not only save you money, it can save you from serious injury by helping prevent failure of your brakes.
