Very unlikely to be anything to do with the ABS. Unless it's activated it operates a by-pass. If the valve did get stuck a couple of presses on the pedal would fill the resevoir and then the brake would operate as normal.

It sounds as though your caliper piston has probably seized, but you say that it hasn't.

Pull the ABS fuse first to deactivate it. The brakes should then work normally. If they don't, the best solution is probably to connect the master cylinder directly to the slave, by-passing the ABS unit while you fix it. Get the brake working like that, then go back to the ABS. That way you'll prove whether or not there is a problem with the unit.

If the brake is soft, it needs bleeding.

Rob

 

same problem!!!

hello there. i too have been having a problem similar to yours. did you resolve your problem? everyone tells me this should not be an ABS issue. but i live i thailand and the mechanics are pretty poor to say the least!!all they do is replace parts until they find the problem they do not troubleshoot first and the ABS unit is very expensive

kawa ninja 650r ABS problem - Bikes in Thailand - Thailand Forum

 

If the seals in the master cylinder are going, they might still push fluid when they have no resistance, but leak when they have to work against some. My guess is your master cylinder is failing. Seized caliper piston is also possible, but in my experience, this usually results in the brake dragging.

 

in my case the master cylinder has been replaced but it didnt fix the problem. my calipers still have movement but will not resposnd to the brake pedal so there is a hydraulic issue somewhere.
also i am in thailand where the mechanics speak little english and are poorly trained so its a bigger problem than in the 'west' and i am not particularly mechanically gifted.

since they have 'tried' to fix the problem i now have a rear brake pedal that does nothing.[its gone from being immovable in the off position to just floating around doing nothing] i cant even bleed the brake system now. the whole brake system goes to the ABS unit which is almost impossible to get to. on an 09 model its right up under the rear spring.

at least the ABS module here in thailand is about half the price as the bikes are made here bit its still bloody expensive, esp if its not the actual problem!!

 

Two broken bikes in one thread-fun.

Kev: What does the pedal do when you press it? Does it refuse to move, or does it move but not result in any brakes being applied?

Illy: What method are you using to try to bleed the brakes? I haven't read the manual for bleeding the ABS version, but I'd wager a vacuum bleed should work.

 

my bike had the same problem as first noted here..the rear brake simply would not move when connected to the brake line. mechanically it would move when disconected and the calipers have movement but when its all connected up the pedal is just stuck and wont move so the brake is "off"

now the thai 'mechanics" have messed with it [replaced the master cylinder] the pedal moves and there is no pressure at all...i will try to vacuum bleed , but the whole ABS system makes everything complicated.

i do believe it IS an ABS problem but i dont want to pay so much for a complicated part if its NOT the ABS.

 

I have the same issue - can anyone help?

Hey guys, I think I have the same issue with my 2007 ER6-f ABS bike that was imported from England. The bike has just ticked over 17,000km and has never had an issue.... until now :crying:

The rear brake pedal became extremely firm, and I would have to push down hard for it to engage the brake pads. With a 2-3 second delay in getting rear brake power, I knew it was silly to ride it as is. Should the day come when I need that brake in a microsecond... *splat*

So I took the beauty into the local Kawasaki dealer, who cleaned out and reinstalled the slave, which then produced zero braking resistance on the pedal and the pads don't move (pushing on the pedal just goes straight to the floor - no brakes at all).
They then tried to bleed the brake which was unsuccessful, so believe it is an issue with the ABS pump valves, meaning a full replacement of the pump is needed - they were nice enough to tell me I'm the first Kawasaki ER6 owner they've seen with this problem :crying:

A replacement part from the warehouse is a chilling $1600 NZD, or $1150 USD. Plus labor and shipping, I'm looking at a $2000 NZD repair. Sad stuff, considering I paid $6000 NZD for the bike only a year ago.

I've been trying to find a second hand pump but with no luck... does anyone know any good scrappers I could contact to find one?
Part number is 160820009 or 160820025. I've found a few for the later models (2009+) but nothing for the 2006-2008 model

 

Hey guys, I think I have the same issue with my 2007 ER6-f ABS bike that was imported from England. The bike has just ticked over 17,000km and has never had an issue.... until now :crying:

The rear brake pedal became extremely firm, and I would have to push down hard for it to engage the brake pads. With a 2-3 second delay in getting rear brake power, I knew it was silly to ride it as is. Should the day come when I need that brake in a microsecond... *splat*

So I took the beauty into the local Kawasaki dealer, who cleaned out and reinstalled the slave, which then produced zero braking resistance on the pedal and the pads don't move (pushing on the pedal just goes straight to the floor - no brakes at all).
They then tried to bleed the brake which was unsuccessful, so believe it is an issue with the ABS pump valves, meaning a full replacement of the pump is needed - they were nice enough to tell me I'm the first Kawasaki ER6 owner they've seen with this problem :crying:

A replacement part from the warehouse is a chilling $1600 NZD, or $1150 USD. Plus labor and shipping, I'm looking at a $2000 NZD repair. Sad stuff, considering I paid $6000 NZD for the bike only a year ago.

I've been trying to find a second hand pump but with no luck... does anyone know any good scrappers I could contact to find one?
Part number is 160820009 or 160820025. I've found a few for the later models (2009+) but nothing for the 2006-2008 model

Yeah, that's weird and too expensive to fix :frown2:

When I bought my bike I never considered ABS anyways but from what I remember from a test ride it was a very basic unit with quite rough operation.

I am sure that with a bit of practice you will brake more effectively without it while avoiding an expensive repair at the same time.

Just a suggestion though :smile2:

 

This is a pretty common problem with these old abs bikes. i have had this problem twice on my 2008 er6n.

first time in 2020:
the rear brake became extremely firm. i could literally stand on the rear brake pedal with my whole body weight and nothing happened what so ever. The master cylinder worked perfectly and the brake caliper was not seized or anything like that. It turned out that the abs pump was completely clogged so i had to replace it. I found a used one on ebay and i bought it. It wasn't cheap and it was a pain in the ass to replace it. (i replaced it myself at home).
After that my brakes worked perfectly!

Now 3 years later in 2023 my front brake is starting to get stiff 😢. I tried replacing the master cylinder but that did not help at all. I have also checked the front calipers. I'm pretty sure that my new abs pump is starting to get clogged up as well!
I have searched on ebay but i can only find one single abs pump for sale and that one costs over $500. I cant spend that much money on my old bike so i don't know what to do.

 

This is a pretty common problem with these old abs bikes. i have had this problem twice on my 2008 er6n. first time in 2020: the rear brake became extremely firm. i could literally stand on the rear brake pedal with my whole body weight and nothing happened what so ever. The master cylinder worked perfectly and the brake caliper was not seized or anything like that. It turned out that the abs pump was completely clogged so i had to replace it. I found a used one on ebay and i bought it. It wasn't cheap and it was a pain in the ass to replace it. (i replaced it myself at home). After that my brakes worked perfectly! Now 3 years later in 2023 my front brake is starting to get stiff 😢. I tried replacing the master cylinder but that did not help at all. I have also checked the front calipers. I'm pretty sure that my new abs pump is starting to get clogged up as well! I have searched on ebay but i can only find one single abs pump for sale and that one costs over $500. I cant spend that much money on my old bike so i don't know what to do.

look for er6f one same model same numbers