• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Front brake overhaul

  • Thread starter Thread starter GSinNH
  • Start date Start date
G

GSinNH

Guest
Hey everyone. So now that I have my charging system operational, I need to tackle my front brakes. The master cylinder is the original from 1980 and its toast. So I need to find a replacement for that. The fluid was gross when I had removed everything. So I plan to overhaul the calipers. I have read the guide on bikecliff's site a couple times. I have a coup!e question that I am Hoping to get some help with.

1. Does anyone know of a master cylinder I can get on Amazon ? If notg, how about eBay...funds are limited and I have a Amazon card.

2. My calipers are already off the bike. CanI still get the pistons out?

3. What about a hydraulic stop switch? Easy enough to install one? I assume the new MC won't have a spot for the electric one.

Thanks in advance for any help!

PS. Excuses my typos, I am on my tablet.
 
The Chinese master cylinders you can buy on eBay (not sure about Amazon) will work fine sometimes but their quality is such that they may not be perfect. I have used four of them over the past couple years and one didn't have the surfaces machined well where the banjo bolt goes and cranking on the crush washers didn't fix the leak i had.... I had to file the thing flat. Other than that the others worked fine. They have a brake light switch with two contacts. Easy to hook up.

To get the pistons out, you obviously can't do it while they are on the bike. Remove the bleed valve, find a compressor with an air gun with a rubber nozzle and stick it in the hole where the bleed valve was. Best to put a towel in the caliper as the piston will come out violently. I don't know of another way to remove a piston.
 
3. What about a hydraulic stop switch? Easy enough to install one? I assume the new MC won't have a spot for the electric one.
Click to expand...

actually, cheapo ebay one I bought did have a stop switch- very similar to the OEM on the Honda I used it for...
but otherwise, the ebay cheapo hydraulic switch will work ok with two cautions:
-some MCs have finer-threaded banjos than others (example:My round reservoir on the 400TX won't take the ebay Hydr-switch's coarser thread)
-cosmetically,the wires may come out of the switch in a weird ugly way- but no big deal.
 
GSinNH;2296553 CanI still get the pistons out?.[/QUOTE said:
If you cannot get the Pistons out with an air line find a grease nipple that fits the bleed screw hole and pump them out with a grease gun.
Click to expand...
 
fastbysuzuki said:
If you cannot get the Pistons out with an air line find a grease nipple that fits the bleed screw hole and pump them out with a grease gun.
Click to expand...

Never would have thought of that. I'm planning to change the fluid in the rear brake as well even though everything is working fine. I may just hitch the calipers up to that line to pump out the pistons while flushing the old fluid out. I'm going to be working right there anyway.

I have some front lines off my parts bike that were put on it, then they couldn't get the bike to run so they are nearly new. I should be able to flush some fluid through them and make sure there's no gunk or water in there.
 
Last edited:
When using air to remove the pistons from a brake caliper there are 2 tips I can offer that may be useful --
1) use 2 paint stir sticks to stop the piston from coming all the way out (especially useful when there are 2 pistons or more)
2) mind where your fingers are at all times. The air can pop those things out with considerable force and it will hurt a bunch ! :hurt:
 
I put on my oem 2004 SV650N front MC and it works great! It also retains the mirror mount. Search eBay for one of those. I'd do it again if I had too.

Where in NH are you? Maybe you could check out mine before buying if youre not convinced.
 
tas850g said:
I put on my oem 2004 SV650N front MC and it works great! It also retains the mirror mount. Search eBay for one of those. I'd do it again if I had too.

Where in NH are you? Maybe you could check out mine before buying if youre not convinced.
Click to expand...

I'll have to check those out. I'm in Littleton, so a bit of a drive from Jaffrey.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top