Brake Caliper Seal Kits

[newold81]

Ok, so I purchased front brake caliper seal kits from Old Bike Barn for my 81' GS850G.

The package says "K&L Genuine", made in Japan (www.klsupply.com).

Did I make a $44.00 mistake?

Should I have bought the parts from the Suzuki Parts House?

Does it matter?

Has anyone used these and had problems?

Thanks for the input!
Tim

[Greg B]

Always use genuine Suzuki for seals if possible.

[bwringer]

Good gravy, is OBB still around?


I have tried using these K&L kits to rebuild brakes with bad results. Dangerous imitation junk, IMHO.

Get the kit from Suzuki, and it will also include a new piston, which the K&L Krap omits.

[newold81]

Where's the best place to buy OEM kits?

[newold81]

Good gravy, is OBB still around?


I have tried using these K&L kits to rebuild brakes with bad results. Dangerous imitation junk, IMHO.

Get the kit from Suzuki, and it will also include a new piston, which the K&L Krap omits.

What do you mean "bad results"?

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Cheap caliper seals can leak. You don't want brake fluid on your rotors.

If you read your "mega-welcome" you will find a list with most of our favorite vendors for OEM and aftermarket parts and accessories. I think the best prices for OEM can be found among partshark.com, gssuzuki.com, and boulevardsuzuki.com.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Nessism]

Member here had a set of K&L caliper seals that were too tight and didn't let the piston adjust itself close enough to the discs - lever was spongy as heck. Changed to OEM seals and the bike was fixed. Problem was it took us countless hours figuring out what the problem was. Huge pain in the butt.

I also had a K&L master cylinder kit that bound up in the bore. Had to remove the plunger and trim it down before it fit correctly. Not good.

[newold81]

I'm convinced, I just ordered (2) OEM Piston Kits w/Seals. Or I assume they mean piston & seals in "Item 1".

The last thing I want is leaking seals...I've got them now, that's why I'm working on brakes in June.

Looks like I've got a lot to learn.

Thanks folks!

Tim

[bwringer]

What do you mean "bad results"?

That was sort of ominously vague, wasn't it?

I don't know of anyone killed by K&L's krappy parts, but that's probably just because they don't work well enough to get out of the garage.


This is the problem I've seen -- not leaking, but binding.

Member here had a set of K&L caliper seals that were too tight and didn't let the piston adjust itself close enough to the discs - lever was spongy as heck. Changed to OEM seals and the bike was fixed. Problem was it took us countless hours figuring out what the problem was. Huge pain in the butt.

In detail: the exact dimensions and elasticity of the seals in motorcycle brakes are very, very important, and K&L gets this wrong. (K&L carb kits are krap, too, in case you're wondering. I don't know why anyone sells this evil junk.)

What enables disk brakes to work without excessive drag or lever travel is a very precisely engineered amount of elasticity in the seals that pulls the pistons back by an almost imperceptible amount after the brakes are applied -- something like .001 inch. The dimensions of the seals must also be precisely correct.

The K&L seals are either slightly too hard or are the wrong dimensions (or, more likely, both), so they pull the pistons back too much. Hair loss ensues as Nessism outlines above.

FWIW, I would not trust these seals to last as long as OEM either. There are lots of original seals from 30 years ago out there that are still working fine, as long as the system gets flushed regularly, gets used, and is not allowed to corrode.

I have had shop owners try to tell me that K&L seals are made by the same manufacturers as OEM. This is either pure bunk or the factories are not using the correct molds and formulations.

[Missile99]

I have tried using these K&L kits to rebuild brakes with bad results.

That was sort of ominously vague, wasn't it?

The last one sure wasn't. The explanation was superb. Thanks Brian and Ed.

[newold81]

From here on I vow to check "The GS Resources" before starting, or buying parts for, anything on my 81' GS850G!

Thanks folks!

Tim

[Assaf]

Hi folks

Any suggestions of UK Dealers for OEM calliper seals and other rubber parts?
The Mega Welcome and most other posts on the forum point to North American shops.
Any UK folk out there aware of decent UK dealers?

Many Thanks
Assaf

[oldrookie]

Member here had a set of K&L caliper seals that were too tight and didn't let the piston adjust itself close enough to the discs - lever was spongy as heck. Changed to OEM seals and the bike was fixed. Problem was it took us countless hours figuring out what the problem was. Huge pain in the butt.

I also had a K&L master cylinder kit that bound up in the bore. Had to remove the plunger and trim it down before it fit correctly. Not good.

Just to confuse the issue--that is EXACTLY the problem I had with my brake rebuild last summer. Bwringer figured it out for me after I ran way past my knowledge base.

Problem was-- I purchased Suzuki seal kits (two of them, I was trying everything I could think of) from Boulevard Suzuki. I had read the warnings about aftermarket seals and was determined not to make that mistake. Had plenty of others I had already made and didn't need another.