Tony in Oxford asks:

When my Kawasaki ZX9 sits in the sun, or even if it is a bit warm out, my front calipers seem to stick on and won't let go. The warmer it is then the more gripping until it just locks up. I have to pull out a 10mm spanner and release the pressure from the bleed screw. I have completely flushed out the fluid, inspected, even disassembled and clean all components. I have even pressure bled the system (used 1.5ltrs of fluid to flush). I am confident that there is no trapped air or moisture in the system but this phenomenon just doesn't go away. OK so its cold now but I really don't want to just ride in the Winter!! I have called 3 local shops, and their response being "never heard of such-a-thing". Please help!

Well, Tony

Happily our first ever Dr Bike is a surprisingly straightforward one!

In the cap of your brake fluid reservoir there is a breather. Sometimes there's a hole in the cap, but more often there,s an internal one from the master cylinder back in. That's also what the rubber membrane in the top is for. The breather is quite straightforward to find and clean, and then the problem will go away.

Next patient please!

Mike in Norwich says:

I am the 2nd owner of my 2000 R1. My problem is that at higher speeds (around 120ish) my bike begins to wobble quite dramatically. I have re-adjusted the front and rear suspension back to the owners manual settings yet still have this problem. The previous owner swapped the rear tyre from a 190 to a 180 and had the suspension set on high at the rear and the forks dropped about 15mm through the yokes. I have left the rear tyre as is, I have checked the steering geometry and had the frame & forks looked at, all to no avail! Is it just that a steering damper will cure it or is there something drastically wrong with the bike? If it's just a damper...can you suggest one?

Oh Mike...

It sounds as though the combination of a pretty radical suspension setup, a thinner rear tyre and a bike that has a bit of a twitch anyway are working against you here. The modifications you mention are quite popular to get the R1 to turn in better - never it's strongest point. Putting everything back to stock will ease things a bit, but the fact will still remain that R1's are fairly keen to shake their heads.

No, you've got the right idea I reckon. Keep the suspension pretty well as it is and pop a decent steering damper on. Which one depends on how much you want to spend and how much a brand name matters to you. Sprint dampers are excellent (and British, dammit) but nobody has heard of them. Hyperpro are very good indeed if you can find a supplier, while everyone has heard of Ohlins and so you buy the badge.

One other thing. Make sure that the rear tyre isn't worn square - that'll make the head shake as well. Also it's always a good idea to look at the tyres generally. Some bikes don't like certain profiles, and the race rubber some folk fit to R1's makes them even more nervous than usual.