Hello again,

After some warning from this forum I introduce myself again as I have bought a new CFMoto quad - not branded a Quadzilla this time I see.

Different beast completely from the last one: Injection engine is much more responsive; Brakes are excellent; Lights are LED and very bright - handy around here in Winter; Power steering is very useful but disconcerting!

I must admit to being in a quandry. I have had my old CF500 ES for a good few years and it has been pretty good. Rear brake does not work even though local agri engineer tried to fix it with a new master cylinder - but I did not want him to progress the work as the front brakes went rubbish until I took a tip from this forum and tied the front brake handle to the handlebar!

The price of all quads has gone a bit silly in the UK since Covid and I wonder if they will come down soon. We run a smallholding and I do not think I could justify the silly cost of a Yammie or the like. Besides, the winch and rear storage box have been very useful over the years.

I wonder how much it would cost to sort the old girl out! Exhaust is full of holes and the carb float sticks frequently so I have a small sealed soup carton to catch the overflowing fuel and put it back in the tank! (Especially important with fuel costs in the UK at the moment!)

I shall do a bit of research. At least the new CFMOTOs here have two year warranties.

Thank you, Murdo!

I have downloaded the service manual - except that the UK version of the quad is somewhat different regarding at least the braking system - and I can see why later models moved to petrol injection! Carbs have become much more complex than my last attempt to sort out a carburation problem on my old Yamaha 250!

I left it overnight with the battery on charge and it has started again after a few turns. However, I think I still need to sort out the stuck float business. They have not made it easy to remove the carb on this model too.

Hello again, Grandmaster Splash (and others)

My hand has been forced on the carb situation as it now refuses to start. My little "adaption" of a pot to store the excess fuel was full yesterday morning and the last time this happened it had trouble starting. It usually starts within a couple of seconds of pressing the start button.

I think that the fuel flow is stopped completely so I shall attempt to get at the carb.

Trust a Jock to have a big beast!

(From a jealous Welshman!)

Grandmaster Splash - That is one hell of a beast!

I have "retired" after many decades of IT work so am not as mechanically minded as many others around here. However, typically of people of my age, I know quite a bit about engines and especially two-strokes having had to fix bikes in the past. The local agri mechanic is rather stumped on the rear brakes as he tried his suction pump and failed dismally. Indeed, I bought a new master cylinder as originally that looked knackered. When he first replaced the pads on the front brakes they were pretty crap too. After some searches I tied the right brake handle tightly to the handlebar and they were good again the next morning. How that would have worked has foxed him and me!

There is a box which distributes the hydraulic pressure between the front and rear systems. I wonder if that is knackered. The mechanic tried lots of things to no avail. His next plan is to blank off various joints and see if that helps. Apart from an annoyance with the carb - I suspect the float is sticking as overnight a lot of fuel comes out of the overflow pipe (which I have diverted into an old soup container so I can put the fuel back into the tank!) - I have had no other problems with the quad. It has a busier life here as we have more land. It was not so busy on the Beacons but the terrain was much rougher. I nearly came a cropper many a time as there are hidden ditches everywhere.

I am building up the courage to let the mechanic loose on the brakes again and for me to have a go at the carb. They have not made access to the carb very easy though and I do not want to be without the quad for a few days at the moment.

I must admit that the braking fiasco has put me off getting another machine of this make as it has already cost quite a few quid and still no rear brakes. At least the front brakes are very good now.

My manual states that the left lever and foot pedal only operate the rear brake whereas they actually operate both. Well at least they should as the rear brake is not working at the moment and there is no resistance to both pedal nor lever when pressed. The pedal has always gone to the floor and I wonder whether the rear brake has ever worked. The parking brake is ok though.

Local mechanic bled the front and rear brakes with a suction pump and installed a new rear master cylinder to no avail.

Stuart1, does the manual state that?

Does the rear brake pedal go to the floor?

Hi Ger marsh,

I am from the uk too, yorkshire I have an X8 fab machine, do you only use your quad for work or do you go trial/green lane ride

Crikey - that is a beast! We only use the quad for the smallholding but it has been worth its weight in gold. I have knackered up the original allen bolts on the towbar so the towing capability is reduced as the bar is now only secured by a smaller single bolt. However, I have a tractor for bigger towing jobs.

There aren't many green lanes around here. We lived up the Brecon Beacons before moving here and there was a lot of mountain to ride on. Some hidden hazards though. You could not go very fast on that terrain. The National Park Authority does not allow any motor vehicle on much of their land too.

Thank you, Murdo - Looking at the image you sent, may I assume that the environment is quite dry? Ours is the opposite most of the time. Indeed, I took the quad a few weeks ago across a salt marsh to help rescue a cow which had calved in a ditch (a bit stupid of it!), and the local farmer was quite surprised I even attempted it as when he did so on his Honda he got it stuck! The Honda was carrying much more weight than mine though.

I note that the photo of your quad shows CF500 on the tank. Mine says Quadzilla - but just crappy stickers which are now working loose! As a matter of interest, does your owner manual state that the rear pedal operates both front and rear brakes?

I am sorely tempted to get a suction pump and try to bleed the brakes from scratch again.

Have you tried adjusting the idling speed?

I do hope someone has solved this situation, which may be common amongst some CFMoto models. When I first bought the Quadzilla ES500 some years ago I thought the brakes were quite good as I was comparing them with an ancient Yamaha. However, I have since discovered that the rear brakes are not working at all and I suspect that they have not worked for some years.

The owner manual and the workshop manual both state that the front right brake lever operates the front brakes whilst the rear brake is operated by the left hand lever and foot pedal. The pedal has always gone to the floor. The mechanic found out that the rear pedal drives a master cylinder which, if you follow the routes of the brake pipes, operate both front and rear brakes. Local dealer says that it was changed to ensure it is road legal in the UK. However, I have now had the rear brake master cylinder replaced and the mechanic has followed the instructions on bleeding the system as stated in the Dealer Bulletin but there is still no effect on the brakes - front and back. This will need much more research. (After he replaced the front pads the front brake was not too good too. However, this was sorted by tying the levers to the handle and leaving overnight! I know a few things about physics and was surprised when this brought the front brakes back to normal!)

The mechanic has tried many combinations regarding bleeding the brakes but to no avail. He suggests trying the trick with tying the levers to the handlebars overnight tonight but he has no idea if that would work.

I suspect that this could be complicated due to the modification for the UK market whereby the brake pipe from the rear master cylinder goes into some sort of box whose outputs are the feeds for front and rear brakes.

Any help would be gratefully received as I have already spent a few "quid" on the mechanic's time as well as for a new master cylinder which it probably did not need.

(Wife has just bought a 300cc Kymco quad and the brakes are lightning sharp on that one.)

Thank you so much for that quick response, Murdo!

I know that the mechanic - who is an ex agri mechanic but services our cars - had to buy a vacuum device to bleed the system so I assume that it sucked the fluid and air out. He was complaining that they have seemed to over-complicate the system. Not helped by not being covered by the workshop manual!

(What time is it in New South Wales at the moment? It is 10:18 AM here (British Summer Time).)

Welcome. I have a similar 2013 model 500 classic and it has not had any major problems too.

Thank you, Murdo. I have discovered that the rear brakes are not working at all. The owner manual and the workshop manual both state that the front right brake lever operates the front brakes whilst the rear brake is operated by the left hand lever and foot pedal. The pedal has always gone to the floor. The mechanic found out that the rear pedal drives a master cylinder which, if you follow the routes of the brake pipes, operate both front and rear brakes. Local dealer says that it was changed to ensure it is road legal in the UK. However, I have now had the rear brake master cylinder replaced and the mechanic has followed the instructions on bleeding the system as stated in the Dealer Bulletin but there is still no effect on the brakes - front and back. This will need much more research. (After he replaced the front pads the front brake was not too good too. However, this was sorted by tying the levers to the handle and leaving overnight! I know a few things about physics and was surprised when this brought the front brakes back to normal!) Wife has just bought a 300cc Kymco quad and the brakes are lightning sharp on that one.