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Potentially Lethal Design fault on Mille
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oakleyspatz View Drop Down
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    Posted: 01 Oct 2011 at 12:12
I recently purchased a secondhand Aprilia RSV-R Mille (2003 model. It was in immaculate condition having only done 2500 genuine miles with full service history and one previous owner. The bike was like new!
So I went on it to Brighton with a few friends and upon joining the seafront main straight road, we stopped at one of the many sets of traffic lights. Once green I accelerated a little hard and the front wheel came up, on hitting the ground, I suddenly realised that the front brake lever was just flapping in the wind and I had absolutely no front brake whatsoever. I indicated into the side and had to use rear brake and engine braking to stop. After examining the brake lever, I realised a major and potentially lethal design fault. The brake lever pivot is a pin held in place with nothing more than a small cir-clip at the base, no nylock nut, no split pin just a small thin cir-clip. If the cir-clip comes off (which it obviously did in my case when front wheel came down after the unintentional wheelie) the pin is free to jump out of the lever which then means no front brake. I am only glad I wasn't riding round some twisty lanes or approaching a roundabout or a set of traffic lights or behind some traffic which suddenly stopped....It doesn't bare thinking about what could have happened and this is purely down to a very dangerous design fault. I am surprised this hasn't been commented on before but to anyone who owns a pre-2003 Mille, I recommend you change to quality after market levers and avoid a terrible accident just waiting to happen!
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More likely a maintenance issue from a previous owner or a one off. I have had 2 Aprilia's and a Ducati all using the same Brembo levers without issue and i've not heard of anyone else having that problem either.
 
The same brake levers are on Ktm's Aprilia's, Ducati's, Mv's and anything Brembo based.


Edited by Spoonz - 01 Oct 2011 at 21:11
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oakleyspatz View Drop Down
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Points: 7 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote oakleyspatz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Oct 2011 at 21:24

The 2004 onwards RSV had a different type of lever with no pivot on the lever itself. But placing your life in the hands of a small circlip seems a bit reckless to me. Maybe you're right, maybe the circlip wasn't seated correctly but that is still something that could happen again to someone else. Surely a threadlocked and washer'd bolt would be a safer bet than a circliped pin?



The later lever design




Edited by oakleyspatz - 01 Oct 2011 at 21:44
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Ian75 View Drop Down
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Hi Oakleyspatz,
 
I cannot comprahend it,, after reading your post above, I mean .........You have a back brake..Awsome dude...
 
 But seriously, i will check my levers
thanks
RSVR - Not just a bike, it has a soul
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oakleyspatz View Drop Down
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Points: 7 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote oakleyspatz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Oct 2011 at 00:20
hahaha...yeah, only barely though...It took me half a mile to slow down from the 20mph I was doing to standstill using the back brake! 
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Points: 448 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nc30pete Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Oct 2011 at 00:48

wow, im going to check my bike as i put these on my modded nc30, they are so awesome on the little corner muncher, they performed brill on the trip round the nurburgring - glad i have not had any slam down wheelie instances on it lol
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to get the circlip off is quite tricky maybe it got caught on a cloth whilst cleaning where as a nut could be undone by some knob    head  both can be checked quickly
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oakleyspatz View Drop Down
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Points: 7 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote oakleyspatz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Oct 2011 at 00:17
Originally posted by camngetit camngetit wrote:

to get the circlip off is quite tricky maybe it got caught on a cloth whilst cleaning where as a nut could be undone by some knob    head  both can be checked quickly

Now I know that it could be a potential problem I will keep an eye on it. 
But you have to agree that something as critical as your front brakes should not be able to be disabled by a cleaning cloth!! No cleaning cloth would be able to undo a tightly torqued, washered, threadlocked nut would it and a knobhead undoing it to intentionally kill me is pretty unlikely compared to catching a circlip with a cleaning cloth don't you agree?
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Yes I agree
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Hi folks...
 
New around here, but I suspect there's a different reason for this issue... how many times has the circlip been messed about with? If the levers have been removed for any reason (or the circlip damaged by a cloth), it should be replaced with a new one, especially in such critical applications. Should be a nice snug fit, if not, it's had it... Go through boxes of them quite frequently at work... Wink
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Posted from under a bridge perhaps?
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good one, never seen that before!

worth a check isnt it!

Cheers

Griff

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Points: 525 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote andy777 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2011 at 19:04
Aren't all bike brake levers like that?

Andy
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Points: 3391 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kiwi_rsvr Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Dec 2011 at 10:05
Both Honda & Yamaha use a threaded pin that screws into the bottom part of the mounting and in turn a nyloc nut to double secure it(I should add not all models).

But also its why the retaining pin goes in the way it does so that if the circlip does come off the pin stays in place, there are many many automotive applications like this.
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