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What is that zip tie doing?

PAULBACH

New member
N8.jpg

What is the function of that zip tie holding the brake lever in place?
 
It's keeping the bike from rolling off of the center stand, right?
 
I would find it odd that the padock stand for this bike would be so susceptible to having the bike roll off that it required the brake to be held on. Just a guess, but maybe a wrench needed the front tire held in place for some procedure, or it could be the brake bleed thing.
 
N8.jpg

What is the function of that zip tie holding the brake lever in place?

Wrong question Paul. The zip tie is holding the front brake engaged. That is intuitively obvious to even the most casual observer. :)

The real question is "why" is the zip tie holding the brake engaged - and to that I don't have a clue. Except - maybe spectators are getting on and off the bike and somebody cautiously thought the some bozo just might knock it forward off that axle stand.

Or maybe it's on a ferry boat. :)
 
All of the above!

I've done this on ferry crossings to keep my bike from sliding forward and off the side stand or the center stand.

This tactic has been used to bleed air bubbles out of brakes and to hold the front wheel stationary to tighten a brake disc or some other front wheel procedure.

Or it could be the bike was running and the throttle needed to be held at a particular RPM for some testing reason...........
 
Or is that how the team indicates that something needs to be changed/fixed/replaced before it hits the track? Their own "DO NOT USE" sign.
 
Maybe it was placed there by a competitor in hopes that Nate would not notice it. Racers... always looking for an edge.
 
real story

Hey all,

As the one that took this photo, let me tell you the real story. Nate was having real problems with the front brakes in the trial laps with his HP 2. He thought at first that the heat was boiling back to the master cylinder. Daytona is hard on brakes. It turned out that his master cylinder was faulty and leaking air around the piston back into the reservoir. Lucky for him, Cooper's HP 2 was in the pits also and a master cylinder transplant was done. The zip tie, as marchyman stated, is keeping pressure on the lines to get the final bubbles out after a brake bleed.

It was a very interesting weekend for me working with Nate's pit crew in Daytona. I tried to help in whatever way I could and to stay out of the way the rest of the time. Nate is racing on a shoe string with an all volunteer crew and few spares. We switched a rear shock back and forth three times so that he would have a properly working unit on the correct bike for his various races. He could use some support and some of us are looking at ways to accomplish this. More later.

tb
 
I would find it odd that the padock stand for this bike would be so susceptible to having the bike roll off that it required the brake to be held on. Just a guess, but maybe a wrench needed the front tire held in place for some procedure, or it could be the brake bleed thing.
And, the padock stands for these models fits into the big hole thru the final drive and has rollers on the bottom so that the bike can be moved around while on the stand. It is VERY stable and a front wheel lock is not necessary.

tb
 
I knew there was something wrong. Yes, maybe on an old airhead you gan get the lever all the way back to the grip, but on a modern sportbike that indicates a problem.

A zip tie is a great tool to apply constant pressure to a closed circuit, like a brake system, that is adjustable in small amounts (clicks) as you look for the source of your problem.
 
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