Caliper rebuild

[Black_peter]

Show of hands, who has rebuilt their calipers?!?!

I hate the feel of my Kat's brakes.. This is saying something since my last bike was an 80 CB750F..
Yes I have flushed them and bled them..
I have SS lines on the way but should I rebuild the calipers while I have the system drained?
If so where do I get the kit? Pay through the nose at Bikebandit?

Thanks

[Special K]

Heck NO! I'll sell you a COMPLETE set!

Fronts $25/caliper plus shipping

Will need cleaning and hoses, but works well!.

HURRY! I only have about 40 of them!!!!!

[The CyberPoet]

(HAND WAY UP -- MORE THAN ONCE)

New caliper seals all around. Replace the bleeders with SpeedBleeders. Make sure you disassemble the caliper pistons and clean them very thoroughly -- use scotchbrite to get all the build-up brake dust off the outer edge.

Replace the pads with EBC brand HH-rated pads. These will increase the heat rate at the rotors, but will also increase the grab rates by more than 10% for any given lever pressure. NOTE: If using the EBC pads on the rear brake, do not reinstall the stock rear pad shims!

Brake fluid -- Castrol GT LMA is my first choice. Valvoline SynPower is my only alternative, and I like the feel/behavior of the GT LMA far better.

Remember this: your brakes are only as good as your rotors are clean. If your wheel is coated with grime, road grease, etc., your rotor is too. Make a habit of spraying down your rotor every week or so with a bit of brake cleaner and wiping it with a paper towel to remove the grime build-up... this will help keep the brakes feeling new and reduce brake pad wear as well (since you are eliminating small dust particles that can wear the pads and rotors).

Keith -- did I understand you correctly that you have 40 brake caliper seal kits in stock?

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Black_peter]

Heck NO! I'll sell you a COMPLETE set!

Fronts $25/caliper plus shipping

Will need cleaning and hoses, but works well!.

HURRY! I only have about 40 of them!!!!!

Seems he's saying he has 40 calipers..
So never reuse seals??

[Meikol2]

No, I think Cyber is right.

I need a couple of those as well. When I replaced my pads, I didn't clean the cylinders well enough and they hang up slightly.

Some will say you can as long as you clean the cylinders really well and are careful. They are CHEAP though. I did it, but I will feel better when I get it done right.

[Black_peter]

Cheap!?!?
Bike bandit lists the parts:
Piston seal: $4.24 (4 needed)
Seal: $4.11 (4 needed)
This comes to $33.40/ caliper.
This does not include the O-ring sealing the halves.
$6.45 (I wouldn't bother with this, and I could get it for free if it is buggered)
Grand total $40 per caliper.
Sure if Special K is selling them for $25
that is a deal but he mentioned "Will need cleaning and hoses, but works well!. " that implies calipers, no?
I'll buy three seal sets if they are $25

[Black_peter]

Wait a minute....
I just looked at the schematic again..
Rear shows a "wiper seal"
So is there only one seal per piston..
That means rebuild is only $27 for the whole bike.
The wipers being the "dust seals, unless I tear one
not critical to fluid sealing..

[Meikol2]

Yep. Those are dust seals, to keep dust out. If you don't clean the cylinders well though, they may sitck. I know.

That is why some folks choose to not replace those seals every time. It is still cheap insurance to replace the parts.

[The CyberPoet]

visit RonAyers.com and take another look at the diagrams -- normally the seals are available as a complete set for each caliper, and run around $12 - $14 per rotor. It's normally a combination of the seals ageing and dirt around the caliper that keep it from traveling straight in it's motion, resulting in poor braking performance.

As for the seals, factory manual specifies that they need to be replaced any time you make the caliper piston travel backwards manually (i.e. - pad replacements and caliper piston rebuilds), but most people skip it. My personal take is that I do replace them on mine at those times, and for those who don't, replacement them at least once every four years (same replacement schedule as the brake lines).

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Black_peter]

I'll take a look, thanks. I'm finding that search engines stink for this sort of thing.

Since we are talking about a 10 year old bike with front brake fluid that looked like mud I'd feel better rebulding the calipers.

[Black_peter]

OK, first off Ron Ayers does not list a 95 Kat.
Assmuming that the 97 brakes are the same:
The seal kit discribed, for one caliper would be 30.
(Item 1 points to seal and wiper for two pistons.
using the example of all the rest of the parts where if the item is 1/per each instance has it's own call out. ) Bike bandit list each seal, 4.24 and 4.11 for
16.70 per side or 33.40 per caliper. The individual parts are cheaper at Ron Ayers, but excluding wipers (dust seals)
I would save 50% going with bikebandit.

Right??

[Black_peter]

Just got off the phone with Ron Ayers..
I would need quanity 8 of their kit.
or 112 smackers!!!
Meanwhile I just got off IM with Bike bandit.
I would need 8 PN 1484480-001 @ $4.24.
Bike bandit at $34 wins.

[The CyberPoet]

Since we are talking about a 10 year old bike with front brake fluid that looked like mud I'd feel better rebulding the calipers.

If the brake fluid looked like mud, flush and flush again in a few days. Both of the fluids I recommended are crystal clear, making spotting contamination extremely easy (brake fluid darkens and/or becomes murky with humidity penetration, water retension). Given the fact that you said it looked like mud, I'd guess the seals are shot as well (ingredients in better brands of brake fluid keeps them in good health -- bad fluid = bad seals normally).

OK, first off Ron Ayers does not list a 95 Kat.

Yes, the '97 is the same as the '90 - '97 models for our purposes...

Assmuming that the 97 brakes are the same:
The seal kit discribed, for one caliper would be 30.
(Item 1 points to seal and wiper for two pistons.
using the example of all the rest of the parts where if the item is 1/per each instance has it's own call out. ) Bike bandit list each seal, 4.24 and 4.11 for 16.70 per side or 33.40 per caliper. The individual parts are cheaper at Ron Ayers, but excluding wipers (dust seals)
I would save 50% going with bikebandit.

Call them on the phone and tell them to verify the price for item #2, which is the seal set you need (four seals in one kit, suitable for the calipers surrounding one rotor). RonAyers is showing it at exactly the same price as item #1 (piston + seal set, which includes new pistons), which leads me to believe there is a typo in the database. It should clock in around $12 - $15 per rotor...

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Meikol2]

I am going to send an E-mail to Keith for clarification. I would like to know what parts are missing vs. Bike bandit. Especially at $25/piece.

[Special K]

What I've got here are very good condition USED complete calipers.......that I have taken off bikes or bought that way.

ALL would need cleaned..................

and I don't have the parts kits.............sorry