May 11th, 2015, 12:44 PM | #1 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Brandon
Location: Cleveland, OH
Join Date: May 2014 Motorcycle(s): 99 Ninja 250 Posts: 217
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Deep Clean YOUR Calipers!!
I just wanted to inform everyone how vital it is to deep clean your calipers every so often. The wiki page has a DIY on this and it really is not difficult. The reason I am posting this is because the previous owner of my bike only did basic maintenance and when I say basic I mean basic. My bike only has 13k miles on it but the pistons in side the calipers are rusty and pitted. If they were not pitted I would be able to sand them down and reuse them. So the rebuild is expensive if you have to go through with replacing pistons. You can avoid all of this if you deep clean and lubricate every once in awhile. I want to thank Crazymadbastard for having low mileage replacement calipers that I was able to buy to replace mine. I will be deep cleaning my old ones just to have an extra set lying around for parts or if someone is in need of a set (per the warning that the pistons do have some pitting). So please deep clean your calipers as your brakes are vital to your safety and others. Do not neglect them as the previous owner did. Also, there were freaking cobwebs within the calipers, cobwebs!
Picture is large due to Photobucket running into an error when I tried to re-size.
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May 11th, 2015, 01:26 PM | #2 |
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Name: bob
Location: Earf
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I put some permatex on my piston after the last rebuild. Seems to be keeping things moving smoothly.
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May 11th, 2015, 01:59 PM | #3 |
Cat herder
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Just popped over to the wiki and didn't see anything that looked like caliper maintenance. Gotta link?
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May 11th, 2015, 02:02 PM | #4 | |
in your machine
Name: Scott
Location: Summer Shade, Ky.
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Something like this look familiar,
Quote:
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May 11th, 2015, 02:28 PM | #5 |
Daily Ninjette rider
Name: Hernan
Location: Florida
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How do you use to "clean and re grease the sliding pins"? Do you replace the internal seals every two years as recommended by Kawasaki? Any particular installation orientation for those seals?
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May 11th, 2015, 02:29 PM | #6 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Brandon
Location: Cleveland, OH
Join Date: May 2014 Motorcycle(s): 99 Ninja 250 Posts: 217
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Here are some links:
http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Brake_caliper_rebuild http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/How_do_..._brake_pads%3F Just look through that website and it is full of information you need.
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May 11th, 2015, 02:35 PM | #7 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Luis
Location: Miami
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what is pitting?
pitting...
mine have like external deposits, like rust... I will try and sand... is pitting the opposite of external deposits and more like little dents?? I'll post pics when get home... |
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May 11th, 2015, 03:04 PM | #8 | |
Daily Ninjette rider
Name: Hernan
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Quote:
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Motofool .................................Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly "Mankind is composed of two sorts of men — those who love and create, and those who hate and destroy. Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world." - José Martí |
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May 11th, 2015, 03:11 PM | #9 | |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Luis
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Quote:
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May 11th, 2015, 03:58 PM | #10 |
in your machine
Name: Scott
Location: Summer Shade, Ky.
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All the answers you seek are in my write-up, it's very clear about condition of the pistons.
Ask yourselves what your your safety and possibly life is worth? Mine is worth more than a new piston and/or seals. Brakes are one of the things you NEVER skimp on.
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May 12th, 2015, 10:52 AM | #11 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Brandon
Location: Cleveland, OH
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Do you think the pistons can be saved within the calipers I have?
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May 12th, 2015, 11:27 AM | #12 | |
in your machine
Name: Scott
Location: Summer Shade, Ky.
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Quote:
In the end it's your judgement call.
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June 3rd, 2015, 02:26 PM | #13 |
CPT Falcon
Name: J.Emmett Turner
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Mine looked worse than the OP the first time I ever replaced the pads. The DIYs only said to use brake cleaner, which did absolutely nothing. Why would I have to rebuild them on the first brake job? What can I do to keep it from happening again? Is that what hi-temp brake lube is for?
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June 3rd, 2015, 03:06 PM | #14 | ||
in your machine
Name: Scott
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Quote:
Okay one more time, Quote:
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June 3rd, 2015, 07:34 PM | #15 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Travis
Location: so dak
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A good cleaning once and awhile never hurts the pistons. Most of the time that I have seen stuck pistons in the caliper has been due to leaking fork seal/s, more so that brake dust or anything else. The oil catches all the dust and dirt and the piston makes a nice collecting area.
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June 3rd, 2015, 07:44 PM | #16 |
in your machine
Name: Scott
Location: Summer Shade, Ky.
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Calipers should be serviced every time when changing pad, at the very least.
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violente et ignorantia ZX-2R BLOG Twitter and Instagram = Ghostt_Scott I'm not here to change your mind, just to inform. |
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June 4th, 2015, 05:47 AM | #17 | ||
CPT Falcon
Name: J.Emmett Turner
Location: Newnan, GA
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Quote:
Quote:
That's what I'm saying: They were already trashed when it came time to service them, so what can I do before then? How do I keep my pistons from getting pitted and corroded between brake pad changes? |
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June 4th, 2015, 06:12 AM | #18 |
I'm crazy,your excuse is?
Name: Winston
Location: Connecticut
Join Date: May 2013 Motorcycle(s): 250 2007 ninja Posts: A lot.
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Use a brass brush, not steel as it can damage the finish.
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June 4th, 2015, 06:23 AM | #19 |
Freedom for Germany
Location: This World
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I remember times when even after 200000 km there was absolute NO service for the brake calipers necessary...
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June 4th, 2015, 06:42 AM | #20 | |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Luis
Location: Miami
Join Date: Sep 2014 Motorcycle(s): 1995 Ninja 250, 2005 R6, 2002 Ducati Monster S4 Posts: 250
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Quote:
my plan is to keep try and keep my bike inside... also to get stainless steel pistons... but good questions you have. Last futzed with by Qomomoko; June 4th, 2015 at 12:43 PM. |
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June 4th, 2015, 11:45 AM | #21 |
CPT Falcon
Name: J.Emmett Turner
Location: Newnan, GA
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Now that I think about it, a dealer installed the first set of pads so it had to be the second set of pads that I first installed myself (that's when I discovered the poor condition of the pistons).
My bike was a daily driver for 3 years (didn't own a car) and was almost always outside and uncovered, rain or shine. I expected it to take it as well as a car treated the same way. The only additional precautions for rain I recall from the manual were to clean and lube the chain after every rain ride and to re-oil the air cleaner element after cleaning with solvent. As a result, I did this more frequently than most, but at least it was San Diego so it didn't rain very often. Can I dip a toothbrush in brake fluid and brush the exposed part of the pistons every now and then? If it is safe to put the same hi-temp grease on them as the sliding pins, would that at least prevent dust and stuff from caking/solidifying on the pistons? |
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June 4th, 2015, 06:54 PM | #22 |
in your machine
Name: Scott
Location: Summer Shade, Ky.
Join Date: Oct 2014 Motorcycle(s): 98 Ninja 250/F12 aka ZX-2R "SERENITY", 91 Ninja 500/A5 aka ZX-5R "Phoenix", 84 Honda GL1200A "SIREN" Posts: A lot.
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Calipers get dirty, it's a fact of life.
The only way to keep them working properly is proper maintenance, service, and knowing when to replace consumable items, like seals part# 43049, A,B,&C, also 49006A just to name a few.
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violente et ignorantia ZX-2R BLOG Twitter and Instagram = Ghostt_Scott I'm not here to change your mind, just to inform. |
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June 5th, 2015, 07:22 AM | #23 |
Lostcause enthusiast
Name: Graham
Location: Austin, TX
Join Date: Jan 2015 Motorcycle(s): 2000 EX250F Posts: 178
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One thing that i've noticed with vintage bikes, once the brake pad gets worn down signficantly, there is more exposed piston area (to be hit with corrosion) and more brake dust that is blowing around. This exacerbates the problem. Brake dust is the trifecta of corrosion: sticky, abrasive, and chemically reactive.
For me this is one of those 'do as i say, not as i do' kinda things because i'm super attentive to brakes and brake feel, but when i work on customers' bikes I expect them to be a bit more... how shall i say... oblivious. My own brakes i usually run them down to the metal and I don't rebuld them until something fails. First of all, water sinks to the bottom of brake juice. That means any moisture that your MC picks up from sitting outside or what have you, ends up pooled in the bottom of your caliper rotting away. This means change your fluid more often if your bike sits outside or if you ride it in the rain. It costs exactly .45 cents to drain and refill your entire front brake system, I do it at least twice a year on a daily driver bike, if not more often. I'm racking up a lot of hard miles on the ninja and will probably at least check fluid condition in the next month or so. The ninja is small enough that you can pop a hose on your lower bleeder, turn the wrench, and pump the lever at the same time. If you know what you're doing you can bleed the entire system in about 10 minutes by just pinching the hose and letting the pressure push past your pinched fingers. Back to the pads/pistons and 'outside' of the hydraulic system. You can clean the deposits or even rust pits off the pistons with #000 steel wool. They are pretty hard metal and won't scratch. You can also use a fine scotch brite pad, 800 grit sandpaper, etc, but both of those can scratch the metal as they use grit/abrasives which are harder than the steel. If you get the brake dust deposits off and there are pits underneath, don't freak. You can re-install them with new seals and give it a shot. If they are weeping after that, they are done for, but hey at least ya tried. Just keep an eye on them. In several years of fixing some real basket case motos, i can only think of 1 or 2 times that the pistons were totally un-salvage-able. The combination of neglect and letting the pads wear down too far is the real killer. Most of the time even if they are pitted, it is only in the outer region outside of where the seal seals. So yeah, to answer the question what to do between brake pad service: 1) Keep dust off the calipers, wheels, etc. (good rule for everything, really) 2) change your brake fluid at the end of every riding season or every 1000-2000 miles depending on how aggressive you are. 3) replace your pads before they are totally 100% gone and the pistons are hanging way out there. |
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June 5th, 2015, 07:34 AM | #24 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Luis
Location: Miami
Join Date: Sep 2014 Motorcycle(s): 1995 Ninja 250, 2005 R6, 2002 Ducati Monster S4 Posts: 250
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great thread .. great information for such an important topic
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June 7th, 2015, 06:37 AM | #25 | |
CPT Falcon
Name: J.Emmett Turner
Location: Newnan, GA
Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): '08 CP Blue EX250J, '97 unpainted EX250F, 2nd '97 unpainted EX250F (no engine), '07 black EX250F Posts: A lot.
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