Front disc brake is very spongy, sometimes it grabs properly but mostly the brake is useless (pads are fairly new)

New brake pads can cause a spongy feel until they "cure". This means that they have to heat and cool a few times and have the initial outer layer wear smooth to the disc before they become fully effective. If, after a week or so there is no improvement, check the caliper slides to ensure they move freely and there is no rust or binding occurring as this can affect braking strength.

For 2002 DYNA to replace front brake pads FIRST remove the front master cylinder reservoir cap because as the pistons are pushed back into the caliper the fluid level may rise and you will need to see this and may have to remove some excess fluid, the3n loosen but do not remove both (12 pt/0.25 in.) pad pins, remove both 10 mm caliper mounting bolts, detach and remove the caliper from the front forks and brake disc, pry the pads back to force all four caliper pistons fully into their bores, with the pistons retracted, remove the pad pins and brake pads. The front left, front right (if present as not present on all motorcycles) and the rear brake calipers use the same exact brake pad set. On the right side of the vehicle, the pad with the two tabs installs on the inboard side of the caliper and on the left side the pad with the two tabs installs on the outboard side of the caliper. Install new brakepads into caliper with the curved portion of the pad facing the rear of the motorcycle, loosely install the pad pins until you hear an audible click, attach the caliper to the front fork, on models with dual front calipers check the alignment of the brake discs to the calipers. Loosen the axle pinch bolt nuts, tighten the axle nut to the proper torque, insert a 7/16 in. drill bit through the hole in the axle as far as it will go so that the contact point will have the edge of the drill bit touching the edge of the fork leg, place the caliper over the brake disc with the bleeder valve facing upwards, loosely install the long 12 pt/10 mm mounting bolt into the top hole on the fork leg, install the short 12 pt/10 mm mounting bolt into the bottom hole on the fork leg, tighten the bottom mounting bolt to 28-38 ft-lbs (38.51.5 Nm), final tighten the top mounting bolt to 28-38 ft-lbs (38.51.5 Nm), final tighten both pad pins to 180-200 in-lbs (20.3-22.6 Nm)., on models with dual front calipers, tighten the pinch bolt nuts while holding the slider against the 7/16 drill bit if necessary, remove the drill bit, pump the brake hand lever to move the pistons out until they contact both brake pads, verify the piston location against the pads and if the front wheel is off the ground, rotate it to check for excessive brake pad drag, check the brake fluid level in the master cylinder and fill it to the proper level if necessary using D.O.T. 5 SILICONE BRAKE FLUID, install the master cylinder reservoir cap and tighten its cap screws to 6-8 in-lbs (0.7-0.9 Nm), turn ignition switch ON pump the brake hand lever to verify operation of the brake lamp, test the brakes, test ride the motorcycle and if the brakes feel soft or spongy, bleed the system until you get a firm/hard brake lever and avoid making hard stops for the first 100 miles (160 km) to allow the new brake pads to become conditioned to the brake disc(s).

DEPENDS WHAT PROCEDURE YOU USE TO REPLACE THEM.IF YOU PUSHED THE CALIPER PISTONS IN WITHOUT OPENING THE BLEEDER AND USING A **** CLOSED THE BRAKE HOSES YOU MANAGED TO SENT BACKWARDS THE FLUID INTO THE MASTER CYLINDER WHERE IS THE POSSIBILITY TO CAUSE THE SEALS ROLLING IN AND ARE NOT HOLDING PRESSURE. THE OTHER REASON IS EITHER YOU NEED TIME UNTIL THE BRAKES BED ON THE DISCS SURFACES.

bleed the brakes so that there is no air
spongy pedal
apply the foot brake and use the hand brake to adjust the thread to the back of the piston
the slots in the pistons are only to screw the piston back along the thread to get the new pads in

For 2002 DYNA to replace front brake pads FIRST remove the front master cylinder reservoir cap because as the pistons are pushed back into the caliper the fluid level may rise and you will need to see this and may have to remove some excess fluid, the3n loosen but do not remove both (12 pt/0.25 in.) pad pins, remove both 10 mm caliper mounting bolts, detach and remove the caliper from the front forks and brake disc, pry the pads back to force all four caliper pistons fully into their bores, with the pistons retracted, remove the pad pins and brake pads. The front left, front right (if present as not present on all motorcycles) and the rear brake calipers use the same exact brake pad set. On the right side of the vehicle, the pad with the two tabs installs on the inboard side of the caliper and on the left side the pad with the two tabs installs on the outboard side of the caliper. Install new brake pads into caliper with the curved portion of the pad facing the rear of the motorcycle, loosely install the pad pins until you hear an audible click, attach the caliper to the front fork, on models with dual front calipers check the alignment of the brake discs to the calipers. Loosen the axle pinch bolt nuts, tighten the axle nut to the proper torque, insert a 7/16 in. drill bit through the hole in the axle as far as it will go so that the contact point will have the edge of the drill bit touching the edge of the fork leg, place the caliper over the brake disc with the bleeder valve facing upwards, loosely install the long 12 pt/10 mm mounting bolt into the top hole on the fork leg, install the short 12 pt/10 mm mounting bolt into the bottom hole on the fork leg, tighten the bottom mounting bolt to 28-38 ft-lbs (38.51.5 Nm), final tighten the top mounting bolt to 28-38 ft-lbs (38.51.5 Nm), final tighten both pad pins to 180-200 in-lbs (20.3-22.6 Nm)., on models with dual front calipers, tighten the pinch bolt nuts while holding the slider against the 7/16 drill bit if necessary, remove the drill bit, pump the brake hand lever to move the pistons out until they contact both brake pads, verify the piston location against the pads and if the front wheel is off the ground, rotate it to check for excessive brake pad drag, check the brake fluid level in the master cylinder and fill it to the proper level if necessary using D.O.T. 5 SILICONE BRAKE FLUID, install the master cylinder reservoir cap and tighten its cap screws to 6-8 in-lbs (0.7-0.9 Nm), turn ignition switch ON pump the brake hand lever to verify operation of the brake lamp, test the brakes, test ride the motorcycle and if the brakes feel soft or spongy, bleed the system until you get a firm/hard brake lever and avoid making hard stops for the first 100 miles (160 km) to allow the new brake pads to become conditioned to the brake disc(s

check that fluid level is ok, by changing pad and opening calipers you may have lost fluid our of resovoir.

if your discs where not changed or skimmed at the same time you will have ridges, that do not match to the smooth pads, when you drive for a few miles eventually the pads will wear down and form the shape of the discs.

if they continue to be soft, bleed the fluid to make sure there is no air in it, if the brakes are still soft after this you should replace the brake fluid completely if it has not been done for a while as brake fluids absorbes moisture and that makes the brakes feel spongy or soft.


i hope this was useful.

W hen the rear work fasterr than the front or any wheel grabs faster then you need to check the brake hoses. In your case the front brake hoses could be starting to clog up. they deteriorate from the inside and collapse

If the brakes are spongy after a brake job the dealer should have blead them as part of the repair procedure...bleed the brakes and the pedal should firm up again.

you can renew the master cylinder seals, the calipar seals can also cause the lever to feel spongy, they grip the pistons and pull them too far back into the bores instead of letting them return just enough to realease the brake, in this condition when you apply the brake most of the lever travel is just pushing the calipar pistons out to reach the pads and the little travel that is left is pushing the pads on to the disc, hense the spongy feel

Either you did not bleed the brakes properly or they need adjusted. (rear only) Front most likely are disks. If you put pads on the front and spread the caliper pistons, you should pump the brake pedal 10 or 15 times to move the pistons out. Some ABS systems are notoriously hard to bleed.