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Is this normal.on stock break pads?

my rear brake pedal is super spongy, I know the new pads need time to seat, but this seems a little too spongy.
There may be air and/or moisture in the system The brake fluid may be need to bled/replaced. Also be sure the brake pedal height is properly adjusted for your riding position and for your boots, so that you are able to adequately engage the brake pedal.
 
There may be air and/or moisture in the system The brake fluid may be need to bled/replaced. Also be sure the brake pedal height is properly adjusted for your riding position and for your boots, so that you are able to adequately engage the brake pedal.
The mechanic that came over to adjust my chain bled the rear brakes as well because he said it was spongy. I mentioned the new pads and he said he expects a little give but this was a lot. He even tried to lock up the rear tire. He could not.
 
The only time I have been able to lock up the rear wheel on the NC is in gravel (now with 57,000+ miles on the bike)....there used to be discussions on here a few years ago where people mentioned the rear brake wasnt all that....80% of braking capability is in the front brake on most motorcycles anyways (from what I have read in articles)...I mainly use the rear brake on gravel roads, wet roads, and stopped at stop signs, traffic lights. The feel you have for the rear brake may be normal for the bike....If you have a center stand, you can try this test...put the bike on center stand, ensure the rear wheel is off the ground...start the bike, put bike in gear to get the wheel spinning, pull the clutch lever in and press on the rear brake pedal hard, does the wheel stop quickly (may have to get someone to press the brake pedal while you are on the left side handling clutch/shifter (unless you have a DCT). Be careful if you have no experience doing this though...dont want to knock bike off center stand when wheel is turning....
 
The only time I have been able to lock up the rear wheel on the NC is in gravel (now with 57,000+ miles on the bike)....there used to be discussions on here a few years ago where people mentioned the rear brake wasnt all that....80% of braking capability is in the front brake on most motorcycles anyways (from what I have read in articles)...I mainly use the rear brake on gravel roads, wet roads, and stopped at stop signs, traffic lights. The feel you have for the rear brake may be normal for the bike....If you have a center stand, you can try this test...put the bike on center stand, ensure the rear wheel is off the ground...start the bike, put bike in gear to get the wheel spinning, pull the clutch lever in and press on the rear brake pedal hard, does the wheel stop quickly (may have to get someone to press the brake pedal while you are on the left side handling clutch/shifter (unless you have a DCT). Be careful if you have no experience doing this though...dont want to knock bike off center stand when wheel is turning....
Yeah, with the stock pads, its even worse now. I'm going to rebleed them. The bike has very low miles so I don't think anything is broken, just some trapped air, somewhere
 
Yeah, with the stock pads, its even worse now. I'm going to rebleed them. The bike has very low miles so I don't think anything is broken, just some trapped air, somewhere

Gotta be, or you have a bad seal around a line connection to either the caliper or master cylinder, allowing air in the system. Or there's an issue with the master cylinder.

If you run out of options, rig up something to keep the brake lever pressed down, lean something on it or tie something to it, whatever you can figure out. And leave it like this overnight. The idea here is that if any air is trapped inside the line, it will work it's way back to the top while the fluid is under pressure. Not a fix all, but might be worth a try.
 
Gotta be, or you have a bad seal around a line connection to either the caliper or master cylinder, allowing air in the system. Or there's an issue with the master cylinder.

If you run out of options, rig up something to keep the brake lever pressed down, lean something on it or tie something to it, whatever you can figure out. And leave it like this overnight. The idea here is that if any air is trapped inside the line, it will work it's way back to the top while the fluid is under pressure. Not a fix all, but might be worth a try.
So, I was able to get the rear brakes vacuum bled by a mechanic that lives in my neighborhood, and there wasn't really a difference. I have come to several conclusions.

I think I am expecting too much out of my rear brake. I think I was expecting somewhere around 50/50 not 80/20
I am 390lbs, I weigh as much as the bike, any machine will have trouble stopping double its weight.
I havent ridden daily in a few weeks due to my whole tire fiasco so maybe i am misremembering how the the bike felt
The mechanic that came to adjust my chain (different than the one mentioned above) said he thought the rear brake was spongy, me being the person I am (paranoid about every noise and smell) convinced myself that something was was definitely wrong, when in actuality there isnt
I did some googling and even searched this forum, The rear brake being "meh" on the NC is not an uncommon complaint.

I am going to call this chapter closed, and not put anymore of my energy into something that realistically is fine. Thank you everyone for the advice and tips.
 
As long as your front brake is solid, shouldn't be that big a deal. Should be using front brake more than rear anyways. If really needing to stop in a hurry, using the rear brake in unison with the front brake will reach maximum stopping power, but rear brake alone will not slow you down enough in an instant. It will lock the tire up and slide and still not slow you down. Just the way the physics works.
 
As long as your front brake is solid, shouldn't be that big a deal. Should be using front brake more than rear anyways. If really needing to stop in a hurry, using the rear brake in unison with the front brake will reach maximum stopping power, but rear brake alone will not slow you down enough in an instant. It will lock the tire up and slide and still not slow you down. Just the way the physics works.
Yeah, retrainging myself on how I
 
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