Seized Brake Calipers

[CaptainDeano]

So, i'm an everyday rider, to and from work, whatever the weather, i've had my SV since early october, and the past few months, after the snow came/went i've diagnosed my rear brake calipers have basically, siezed up, i shove on the brake, and it doesn't come off again, has anyone repaired this themselves and if so, how do i go about doing it myself?

Many Thanks, Brad.

[yorkie_chris]

You need to strip it and clean all the crap out.

what gen bike is it?

[CaptainDeano]

Sorry, i should have mentioned it, it's a 2002 faired :)
I've had a look at it this afternoon, and undid whatever bolts i could, but the torque bar (?) bolt is completely rusted, and i may have stripped it down, now :/

[maviczap]

http://forums.sv650.org/search.php?searchid=2786921&pp=25

Just have a look through some of these threads. Most of them will have some advice on how to clean your pistons in your caliper, which will be the problem

You will need

Red rubber grease, copper grease,

Maybe some brake cleaner & an old tooth brush or a green pan cleaner

[svrich]

Been done, front and rear, several times. Where are you? There maybe a friendly member near that can offer help/advice if you need it. It's a job well worth doing properly though, and it will probably be a pig to do.

[araya213]

If you have stripped a bolt thread, a good engineering place will be able to re-thread it for you. You may need a different bolt as a replacement, but that's easier to sort out.

Always, always copper grease all your caliper pins before they go back in. SV caliper pins are evil. Once you've cleaned up the back caliper, do the same for the fronts. If your bike is regularly ridden, in all weathers, caliper cleaning should be a regular job. otherwise they seem to fade, and eventually seize, as you've found.