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[Dryer667]

Just picked up me SS9 RS last week and have been enjoying some extremely cold miles lately. Pretty consistently the first pull of the front brake is about double the distance of the second. Both activate the brakes but the extra distance on the first pull is irritating if not safety jeopardizing when not relying on regen.

There were many Triumph models with Brembo masters that had this happen a few years back so perhaps they are the same problematic components. Theories from that whole thing were that the pistons in the caliper were sticking and not pulling back all the way when the brakes were released. I haven't tried to bleed it or anything yet but that will prob be a next step.

Anyone else have this experience?

[SBK74]

I do not recognise this brake behaviour. What did your dealer say?

[Pard]

Unfortunate that this is still happening.

Brembo is a premium brand, but it seems their products when sold as OEM on some bikes have this issue.

Read this thread about the exact same thing on the Panigale.

No fix for it, Just replace the hand master and the calipers, one part a time until the issue is gone, or live with it.

ABS delete was the cure for some.

I would press Energica to replace the parts.  Not acceptable.

https://www.959panigale.net/threads/front-brake-first-lever-pull-feels-soft.12305/

[jotjotde]

Same issue here, but not very serious. I thought it to be some air bubble which will vanish after next fluid change.

Is that really a safety issue? In my case I think not because it is not that much difference in lever travel.
If travel would be that much more that the lever hits the handlebar when trying to do an emergency stop, that would be dangerous! To claim it as a serious fault at your dealer would be my recommendation as well.

@Pard: Thx for providing that link. But when reading about the ABS deletion I get the shivers -  the Panigale guys did it for track use only, right?

[Pard]

Same issue here, but not very serious. I thought it to be some air bubble which will vanish after next fluid change.

Is that really a safety issue? In my case I think not because it is not that much difference in lever travel.
If travel would be that much more that the lever hits the handlebar when trying to do an emergency stop, that would be dangerous! To claim it as a serious fault at your dealer would be my recommendation as well.

@Pard: Thx for providing that link. But when reading about the ABS deletion I get the shivers -  the Panigale guys did it for track use only, right?

ABS delete is not for everyone, that is for sure.  Dirt riders and old timers (don't need no stinking ABS ) are pretty comfortable without ABS, so for them deleting it for street use is not daunting.  Some of the guys I ride with always delete ABS on the street bikes just for a better feel to suit their taste.

I like my ABS, street and track.

[Dryer667]

I was the first Energica purchase at my dealer and I was honestly not too impressed by that whole process so I'm not sure I'd trust their thoughts on it. I will still make them aware for warranty reasons but I think Ill reach out to Tom first. Its not an issue I want my bike to be sitting at the dealer for but one they need to know about.

@Pard - thanks, I recall seeing similar threads like the Ducati one when many guys on the Triumph Thruxton R forum were dealing with it.

[Specter]

Dryer - Sad to hear you had dealer issues.
Unfortunately that seems to be a problem in more than one place

I have found that while Energica has been great, easy to reach etc etc.  Some of the dealers, just plain SUCK.

With that being said though, even if it is warranty, YOUR issue is not Energica specific, in that, it's ONLY something that can happen to THEIR bike, because of the uniqueness etc etc.  It's a brake issue, ALL bikes have brakes.

Id think any decent bike shop can do brake work if needed, so might not have to rely on just the guy you got your bike from.  Id also like to think that any reputable dealer would be able to change a break for you too, including getting the parts shipped in from energica etc etc.

Maybe im missing something being new to the bike thing here, but, you may not have to suffer thru dealing with your less than satisfactory - selling - dealer.

Don't see where it could hurt to ask around a bit.

Aaron

[PWM]

Anyone else have this experience?

Yes, suspect trapped air in ABS unit because conventional bleed does not help.

[Dryer667]

Thanks for the responses all. Agreed, mechanically, it's a Brembo problem and not an Energica problem. I wanted to post here to get a feel if others had similar problems with the brake setup. Knowing there is already a pattern of this problem on other makes and models w/Brembos, I thought it would be good to see if Energica's had a similar pattern identified or not.

Side note: I have had a top tier experience with Tom and Energica overall so far despite the dealer challenges.

[Dryer667]

Below are some quotes from the Triumph forum that talks about [the best guess] of what is happening. Since the lever is never spongey I'm less inclined to think it is air in the system. This caliper seal explanation makes sense.

"The problem is actually the exact opposite - the pistons are not moving forward in the calipers the tiny fractional amounts needed to make up for the tiny fractional pad wear that occurs continually. As a consequence the seals, which have overly distorted (we're talking tiny fractions here), pull the piston back a little too far so the first pull has to push the piston out a little and then the second pull of the lever only has to push it by the requisite amount. Then the seals s-l -o-w-l-y retract the piston again but just a tad too far and so the cycle repeats."

"I am 100% convinced of what Terry, Steve and Decosse have said. It's the calipers pistons seals retracting the piston. People here have reported master cylinder been replaced, another the ABS pump and many multiple bleeds with different techniques, but to no avail. I will go the route of cleaning the pistons and lubricating, before replacing the seal."

One user apparently fixed the problem with new stainless [pricey] pistons. Through his process he could actually see the pistons retracting back into the caliper. I am going to see how mine plays out over the next couple hundred miles and go from there.

https://www.triumphrat.net/threads/16-speed-triple-front-brake-issue-brembo.953404/

[Dryer667]

A quick follow up - since my road trip the double pull has gone away. I think with more use the pistons were forced to shift a bit which fixed the problem. Glad it was short lived!

[most]

My ExPee was only registered some four weeks ago and it‘s got the double pull quite noticeable. Was not present on my SS9, neither the Ribelle. I‘ve done 500km so far and did not see any change. However the weather is currently not to my liking. Was planning to have it fixed with the 1000km initial service.