My SVs brakes don't work - what's wrong?
 

Hi guys,

I've got a serious issue with my front brakes, they dont work at all, I have stripped the caliper down, cleaned it all up, rebuilt it and now they wont bleed at all, in the end out of depseration i got an air blower, drilled a hole in the resovoir cap and pumped it through.

I still have nothing at the lever, I have a feeling that this is the master cylinder and requires a repair kit, could I be right?

Also where can i get a master cylinder repair kit, cheap and also front caliper repair kits, my calipers are well and truly seized, they are gsxr 750,

my local suzuki dealer want 77.06 + vat just for the seals then 97+ vat for pistons each side!

Re: brake issue
 

Check out wemoto.com for the bits, unless someone has a better suggestion. Bleeding to get some pressure at the lever means you need to get some fluid in, most of the air out, and pump the pistons out so the pads are touching the discs. By sucking (or blowing, not seen that one!) the fluid through you should pretty well flood the system. If you've just rebuilt the calipers then have you got the pistons all the way out again? Take one off and check it out, if there's masses of space between the pad and disc then the pistons are just pumping out to position. Try pulling the lever with the caliper off, you should see the pistons coming out. They'll go back in a litle but should slowly advance. If they're sucking straight back in then have you put something on the pistons you shouldn't have done? Also did the brakes work before?

Re: brake issue
 

Where are you based?

Re: brake issue
 

You did what?

Re: brake issue
 

Sounds like the opposite of your air bleeder, blowing it through from the top instead of sucking it through from the bottom.

Sounds a little wierd

Re: brake issue
 

Actually would be fairly effective, if maybe not so good for the cap...

Bleed it out of the banjo fittings too.

Re: brake issue
 

Im in northamptonshire

And I never had a pressure bleeder so got a spare cap, drilled a hole, fitted an old air blower, filled the reservoir up with up fluid then put a one man easy bleed on the nipple and happy days, plugged the air line in and it done it in seconds.

Im pretty sure now that it needs a master cylinder repair kit,

Re: brake issue
 

The reverse bleed procedure into the bleed nipples up the way was easier for me & the final bleed wasnt hard. All i had to do was rebleed it after a few runs. It's one of those jobs where you think its harder than it is & once you've done it, it's straightforward (as long as the components arent siezed!)

Re: brake issue
 

Reverse bleed isn't that weird, have to do it backwards on the back brake of my Raptor.....Brembo pile of poo designed for a lot of italian stallions.....just never heard it done as such on the front of an SV!
Usually on a fine Italian if it takes marathons of bleeding in any direction, with no good outcome, the master cylinder is buggered and the hunt is on for a new one.....yay its like 'where's wally'

Speaking of...the Sv back brake seems to be sticking on, discs getting squeel and very hot!

Re: brake issue
 

You don't have to do it backwards, take caliper off and bleed it uphill. I never had any trouble with matts, conclusion I came to is raptor owners have never had to deal with any properly troublesome calipers if they think that is bad...