Brake rebuild me thinks

right, I go and open my bike mouth and I say the bike is ready to ride...well it isn't. Was going to go for a spin this morning but front wheel was locked - pads binding to disc. I've had a look and one of the pistons is sticking. One popped out fairly easy, but the other has 1cm to go - but it isn't budging. Any ideas?

Cheers

Rob

Yip:
- put the 1 piston back in, and block it from coming out
- put compressed air into the caliper ***

*** : mind, when it comes out all the fluid comes out as mist/droplets as well, so put a cloth over it when you squeeze the trigger

Oh, forgot: sticking caliper-pistons is a sure sign of lacking maintenance. Brake fluid is hygroscopic (attracts water) and needs to be renewed every year. If not the unavoidable water in it will cause corrosion/rust, and you now know what that does ;-)

Burp as always is spot on Rob...
My 1100 had dodgy brakes when I brought her....time and effort and they were as good as new.





You can see my airline connected .



Popped the pistons then held them in a pillar drill and polished them....carefully.



Good as new once cleaned up...



All takes time but worth doing and can be costly if you have 6 pistons as the seal sets become expensive...

Good maintenance is vital keep them clean and the retaining pins free from corrosion, I have stainless pins in my 650.

Yea, the PO did absolutely no maintenance.

Well i read about the airline one but unfortunately I don't have an airline. I'm thinking stick the caliper back on the line, put the other piston back in, lock it down with a clamp, bleed the line and pump out the other piston.

Or how much will a compressor and a line set me back?

On the other hand one of my future mods was going to be a 4 pot caliper brake and stainless steel line. I'm kind of inclined to just go for it now.

Does anyone know what options I have? I don't want to be going mental price wise.

stainless steel line

4 pot caliper (options?)

Will I get away with using the honda master cylinder? Or will I need to upgrade that too?

The bike is a supermoto and Scotland does have some very twisty roads, so I want as little fade as possible

Decisions, decisions.

Mauser,

that looks NEW mate, good job done!
You guys still have salt on the winterroads?


Rob,

that could work, but don't go levering on the lever any heavier than you would during an emergency stop.
Take the caliper to a petrol station or workshop, and use their air maybe?
Reassembling this (like Mauser's stuff) I'd get brake paste, a grease-like paste. Use it liberally, especially behind the ballow, and smear the piston fully with it.
And, if you chaps still have salt on the roads, there you have a nice cleaning springjob

I presume any 'foreign' caliper will take some doing to get it fit, dunno about any 'easy' one.
I'd go for a 320mm disc in any case, those kits come with a caliper-relocator bracket. If a 320 will fade on you please tell us, we want to see the youtube how low you fly

Mauser,

pls tell us where you got stainless brakepad pins?? Bloody good idea, I like!

Thanks Ricko!

yw

Sorry guys been on holiday for last 10 days....I take it my postcard never arrived
Glad to see your sorted with your pin Burp they do salt the roads over here but I don't ride my ZX12R in the winter months, she is put away till spring. The pictures posted were of my old bike GPZ1100 which looked clean but as you can see was in a poor state of repair when I got her, new rotors and braided hoses, new pads and seals and the brakes were as good as new...still crap but least as good as they could be, the ZX12R however stops much better, radial brakes + Carbon Lorraine pads etc