seized brake calipers
 

Because of the bike pulling to one side I decided today was the day to look at the calipers. Shouldn't be bad I thought cos the bike was M.O.T.'d very recently. Got some brake/clutch cleaning stuff, stripped one side down and its seized worse than I thought possible. AAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Bloody M.O.T.'d with seized calipers? excellent.
Bloody, basket cased calipers, once again AAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Fed up, rant over - for now. :mad:

Re: seized brake calipers
 

least you know they'll be ok for a month or two after you rebuild them

Re: seized brake calipers
 

two possible ways to try and free them... g gramp on pistons to push them in, then carefully squease brake leaver to push them out a bit, NOT TOO FAR ! repeat....repeat.. .until working. or the long way, disconnect brake line, remove pads and drop them in parrafin for 24 hrs.

Re: seized brake calipers
 

Still need to check the other side but the solution to my wee problem was a pair of molegrips, a piece of inner tube, about half a can of cleaning spray and a very angry bad tempered scotsman on the other end. Given three or four hours and that soon sorted it out.

Re: seized brake calipers
 

You're f*cking joking aren't you?


Do job reet, strip them down, clean the sh*te out, put them back together with some rubber grease.

Re: seized brake calipers
 

so you're relying on the yearly MOT check to highlight basic service issues then? well I suppose it's one way of doing it :smt102

Re: seized brake calipers
 

+1 that'll be new pads if you do that, and get some decent brake cleaner also!

I spend about an hour checking the bike every 600 to 700 miles or once a month which ever is sooner. My brakes have siezed twice in 8 months, with the rear being ok (hopefully, fingers crossed [-o< ) until the winter when i'll have a chance to swap the caliper with a better condition unit.
Best way to find problems and fix them for less money

Re: seized brake calipers
 

How do you work that out?

Strip them, clean them, reassemble them, fit pads back in. You do not need replace owt unless it is worn or damaged.

Re: seized brake calipers
 

Misread the quote earlier in thread, my bad!
Read it as drop the pads in parafin and not the calipers :smt021

Re: seized brake calipers
 

Sheesh, the other side was no probs.
Apparently ahm a muppet for not doing a service bordering on the extreme every time I take the bike out, oh well, the joys of biking, (sorry being nippy there) and forgetting the M.O.T. doesn't mean the bike is safe or in good nick just that its passed the tests that they do. So a service schedule needs to be drawn up, every six weeks?, oil, plugs, filter, check and re-rubber grease the brake calipers, check the wear on the chain and sprockets (checking adjustment before every ride) and taking note of the cables and any oddities arising as I bimble about. :rolleyes:
Does that sound all right? Advice greatfully received.