Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Rear brakes hotter than fronts

I have been chasing a gas mileage problem most of the summer by jetting ,jetting and more jetting. (Did I mention jetting?) This morning when I got to work just for kicks I felt the brake rotors. The front was warm but the rear was hot. I thought maybe my right foot was touching the brake pedal so on the way home I paid particular attention to not touching it. Sure enough, when I got home the front was hot but I could hold it without a problem. The rear rotor was HOT. I use the brakes pretty evenly so I know that more use wasn't it. And it doesn't drive like anything is hanging up. The linkage has a slight amount of play so I know the pedal is not hanging it up. Is it normal for the rear brake to run hotter? The bike only has 1400 miles. Any thoughts?

For the same amount of use it'll get slightly hotter due to the smaller disk, but if you've avoided using it it shouldn't be more than warm. If you've got a stand/lift/whatever get the rear wheel up and give it a spin by hand, see if you can feel/hear it dragging. If so you've found your problem (tho the next problem is diagnosing WHY). If not, dig further.

If you find your rear brake is dragging, check your pistons.