What have you tinkered with today?

[Toooldtodie]

Point taken. Cheers Bibio. Will take apart next weekend and re-apply RRG.

[R1ffR4ff]

Originally Posted by Toooldtodie

Cleaned my calipers for the N th effing time after riding through the winter and changed the brake fluid and bleed nipples for some s/s ones. Everything went to plan!! No sheared off bolts or endless bleeding... has my luck changed? or am I about to grab a handful of nothing and plough through a hedge? Or do I just need to cheer the hell up and accept some good fortune.

Once or twice a month on a clear straight road with no traffic in either direction and in front or behind me I check/test my brakes by doing an,"Emergency-Stop".
I'd rather find out when there's nothing about if there's any weakness in my braking system.

[littleoldman2]

Fitted the chain and sprockets to the Van Van. Checked and greased the back brake at the same time. Then took it for a blast a few times round the storage yard where it's stored. Just got to bend the rear rack back into shape, fit a new front mudguard, repair the speedo outer casing and give it a final proper checkover.

[Red ones]

Originally Posted by R1ffR4ff

Once or twice a month on a clear straight road with no traffic in either direction and in front or behind me I check/test my brakes by doing an,"Emergency-Stop".

I'd rather find out when there's nothing about if there's any weakness in my braking system.

If the sliding pin is stiff it first manifests as a gentle pulsing on light braking.

[R1ffR4ff]

Originally Posted by Red ones

If the sliding pin is stiff it first manifests as a gentle pulsing on light braking.

Yeh.I was getting that and the low-speed grabbing.It's was really noticeable when pushing the bike out of the garage

[proze]

Originally Posted by Bibio

the muppets that you see on youtube cleaning callipers by spraying brake cleaner on the seals and pistons are just that.. muppets who dont know what they are doing.

That's okay if you're stripping and cleaning, no? As long as you're reapplying brake fluid and RRG on reassembly?

[punyXpress]

Originally Posted by littleoldman2

Fitted the chain and sprockets to the Van Van. Checked and greased the back brake at the same time. Then took it for a blast a few times round the storage yard where it's stored. Just got to bend the rear rack back into shape, fit a new front mudguard, repair the speedo outer casing and give it a final proper checkover.

Not lost 'the need for speed' then, Malc
Hope all progressing well.

[Bibio]

Originally Posted by proze

That's okay if you're stripping and cleaning, no? As long as you're reapplying brake fluid and RRG on reassembly?

i'm talking about the youtube vids where people think that taking the callipers off, pumping out the pistons then spraying with cleaner is cleaning them and its good for them... its not its worse.

to fully service callipers you need to remove the pistons, remove the seals, clean the seal recesses out then assemble everything with RRG. do not under any circumstances use brake fluid to install seals. most and even the suzuki service manuals tell you to use brake fluid but they are wrong. brake fluid is hygroscopic by nature so using brake fluid to install seals will actually pull more moisture back into your nice clean seal recesses which is the biggest cause of them "furring up" in the first place as the moisture reacts with the bare aluminium.

pretty much every seal kit comes with a small packet of RRG/silicone grease these days as its now common knowledge that you dont use brake fluid.

a 500g tub of RRG will last a lifetime and then your kids lifetime as well as you only need a "smear" of the stuff on the seals.

top tips:
use a dremel with a disc brush (and autosol) to clean out the recesses.
if you have seized or really dirty callipers then boil them in a pot with some "oxy" washing powder.


dont forget that if your callipers are needing done then bets are the master cylinders are needing done as well.

[R1ffR4ff]

Totally agree with the use of RRG where applicable and all your other points Biblio.

I got a small tin ages ago off eBay as I didn't want a big tin around.

https://tinyurl.com/yc2t8bhk

Still got loads left

[dirtydog]

I bought a 500g tub of rrg about 15 years ago and it's still almost full, that's after I've given away a few small pots of it to people

Today I have tinkered with taking out the exhaust baffle out, sounds much better now