Bent Rear Brake Pedal

So I dropped my bike 2 days ago in my driveway. I was putting it on the center stand on my cycle shelter and the stand wasn't completely square on the metal platform. It slipped and I lost her to the right side. The damage doesn't seem to be too bad, a few scratches, the shelter padded her fall pretty well. I noticed today on my way to work though that the rear brake pedal is bent in. I shouldn't have a problem straightening it out right? I was thinking of just removing it from the bike, putting it in a vise and I guess pulling on it or hitting it with a rubber mallet. Any advice would be really appreciated.

I have straightened mine with vice grips while on the bike. It would probably work better to remove it, put it in a vice, and heat it up a bit with a torch.

Just don't snap it off, those buggers are expensive.

[image: View Post]jeremy556, on Jul 17 2008, 02:05 PM, said:

I have straightened mine with vice grips while on the bike. It would probably work better to remove it, put it in a vice, and heat it up a bit with a torch.

Just don't snap it off, those buggers are expensive.


:+1: for the heating... you will love yourself for heating it just a bit.. doesnt hafta to some crazy heating temp, just enough to increase pliability...

Good luck..

Yep, straightened the one on the race bike a couple weeks ago. Put it in a vice, heat it up with a torch and bend it back in small increments. Heat, bend, heat, bend... Doesn't take much heating either as Jeremy/VolatileVFR point out. It'll soften up nicely with a few seconds from a propane torch.

Edit: I used a pipe wrench with a rag in the jaws to do the bending...

I did mine by heating and sliding a pipe over (1.5"?) over the end and using the 2 ft length as leverage. No/insufficient heat? You'll snap it. Rush and try to do it in big steps? You'll snap it. Go slow and you'll get a feel for what effort it takes to move it X amount.

I've straightened the brake lever, the footpeg brackets, the brake/clutch levers, and bent the gear lever (down, to make changing better), all with great success. I don't have a gas torch, but a hot air gun on full heat is just about the right temperature. It doesn't melt it, just makes it pliable enough to not snap.

It seem the metal must retain some sort of memory though - I have to keep repeating the bending of the gear lever once or twice a year. But then the amount I'm benind it isn't much - just a few mm to help stop missed shifts between 1st and 2nd. Oh for properly adjustable lever, like CBRs and the VTR have, and the VFs used to have! Maybe on the 7th Gen VFR? (But I won't be holding my breath waiting. More likely if there is a 7th Gen, it will be loaded down with high-tech gew-gaws again, so there won't be money in the budget for adjustable levers, good suspension / brakes, etc.)

[image: View Post]enzed_viffer, on Jul 17 2008, 04:01 PM, said:

It seem the metal must retain some sort of memory though - I have to keep repeating the bending of the gear lever once or twice a year. But then the amount I'm benind it isn't much - just a few mm to help stop missed shifts between 1st and 2nd.

The reason it's moving back is when you heat alloys and let them air cool they remain "softer", if you heat, bend it back slowly, when it's where you want it take a wet rag and cool it fast, that will take it back close to original hardness.

+1 on heating it up firs to bend it. Did mine with a propane torch, right on the bike. Heated it up, clamped a set of Vice Grips to it and bent it back. I've had to do it twice and the brake pedal has held up fine.

Thanks everyone, I'm glad I asked, I didn't think about heating it up, makes sense!

yep, it will bend back...


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[image: View Post]cruzinaz, on Jul 18 2008, 08:21 AM, said:

[image: View Post]enzed_viffer, on Jul 17 2008, 04:01 PM, said:

It seem the metal must retain some sort of memory though - I have to keep repeating the bending of the gear lever once or twice a year. But then the amount I'm benind it isn't much - just a few mm to help stop missed shifts between 1st and 2nd.

The reason it's moving back is when you heat alloys and let them air cool they remain "softer", if you heat, bend it back slowly, when it's where you want it take a wet rag and cool it fast, that will take it back close to original hardness.

I took them off the bike, heated and bent them in the vice, then cooled them down in a bucket of water. :warranty:

[image: View Post]Dutchy, on Jul 18 2008, 06:21 PM, said:

yep, it will bend back...


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I don't think the issues of heating and bending back rear brake pedals applies to our 4th gen bikes Dutchy, We have steel brake pedal assemblies that will have no problems being bent back to shape. The later gen VFRs have aluminum alloy pedals which are heat treated and tend to crack if bent without proper measures like heating and re-tempering by proper cooling is done.