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    Brake Caliper Seal Kits

    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

    #2
    Always use genuine Suzuki for seals if possible.
    The Three Horsemen
    '85 GS1150ES (Current Income Eater)
    '83 GS1100ES
    ‘77 XLCR

    "Never ride faster than you can see. Besides, it's all in the reflexes."
    Porkchop Express

    Comment


      #3
      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.
      1983 GS850G, Cosmos Blue.
      2005 KLR685, Aztec Pink - Turd II.3, the ReReReTurdening
      2015 Yamaha FJ-09, Magma Red Power Corrupts...
      Eat more venison.

      Please provide details. The GSR Hive Mind is nearly omniscient, but not yet clairvoyant.

      Celeriter equita, converteque saepe.

      SUPPORT THIS SITE! DONATE TODAY!

      Co-host of "The Riding Obsession" sport-touring motorcycling podcast at tro.bike!

      Comment


        #4
        Where's the best place to buy OEM kits?

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by bwringer View Post
          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"?

          Comment


            #6
            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

            Comment


              #7
              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.
              Ed

              To measure is to know.

              Mikuni O-ring Kits For Sale...https://www.thegsresources.com/_foru...ts#post1703182

              Top Newbie Mistakes thread...http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=171846

              Carb rebuild tutorial...https://gsarchive.bwringer.com/mtsac...d_Tutorial.pdf

              KZ750E Rebuild Thread...http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...0-Resurrection

              Comment


                #8
                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

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by newold81 View Post
                  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.

                  Originally posted by Nessism View Post
                  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.
                  1983 GS850G, Cosmos Blue.
                  2005 KLR685, Aztec Pink - Turd II.3, the ReReReTurdening
                  2015 Yamaha FJ-09, Magma Red Power Corrupts...
                  Eat more venison.

                  Please provide details. The GSR Hive Mind is nearly omniscient, but not yet clairvoyant.

                  Celeriter equita, converteque saepe.

                  SUPPORT THIS SITE! DONATE TODAY!

                  Co-host of "The Riding Obsession" sport-touring motorcycling podcast at tro.bike!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by bwringer View Post
                    I have tried using these K&L kits to rebuild brakes with bad results.
                    Originally posted by bwringer View Post
                    That was sort of ominously vague, wasn't it?
                    The last one sure wasn't. The explanation was superb. Thanks Brian and Ed.
                    Erik

                    1982 GS550M

                    Dyna S, Dyna greens, coil relay mod w/LED, Sonic Springs (.90)

                    Comment


                      #11
                      From here on I vow to check "The GS Resources" before starting, or buying parts for, anything on my 81' GS850G!

                      Thanks folks!

                      Tim

                      Comment


                        #12
                        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

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Nessism View Post
                          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.

                          Comment

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