+1 just pop out the pistons, hit them with some jeweler's rouge on a buffing wheel, use a brass wire wheel on the slider pins to knock off any rust. If there is light pitting you can still usually get away with reusing the pistons. pick out the seals (flat O-rings) with a dental pick and clean the crap out of the calipers with a brass wire toothbrush, and brake cleaner. check the seals for pitting if they have any just get a K&L caliper rebuild kit $25 approx. Then put everything back together with a light lube of silicon caliper grease, install the caliper and bleed the brakes. Take an afternoon and do both calipers, doing the master to ensure the bypass hole is clear is a good idea but you will need a set of snap ring plyers. If the bypass hole is clogged the calipers will build up pressure when they get hot and make the brake pads drag, it can get so bad that the caliper locks up completely. Lastly replace the old rubber line with a new stainless one, as they deteriorate on the inside and chunks of brake line rubber can clog the line like Glen stated on his ride. Kyle's picture guide is a good resource and is typical of most caliper designs.
On Mon, Apr 6, 2015 at 2:05 PM, Kyle Munz <[email protected]> wrote: > You need to clean the calipers, whether or not they need replacing can > only be told once you have them torn down. Most likely they have a little > bit of corrosion and just need the disposable bits replaced. I took pics > when I tore down and rebuilt the brakes on my 700S, it shouldn't be that > much different from your 450. > http://nighthawk.kylemunz.com/?p=430 > > > > -Kyle > > On Mon, Apr 6, 2015 at 11:59 AM, EGrider <[email protected]> wrote: > >> I dunno, but a full caliper replacement sounds a bit drastic to me, at >> least as a first response. The only moving part in the calipers is the >> piston, the thing that pushes your one moving brake pad against the rotor. >> I would fix in this order: >> 1. take it apart and clean it so it doesn't stick anymore >> 2. replace the o-ring seal on the piston. >> 3 replace the piston >> 4. replace the whole caliper (are they available?) >> >> Stop if any one fixes the problem. >> >> Yes, there are kits of replacement parts for the master cylinder, too. >> I've bought and installed them, but I had to do that because the master >> cylinder wasn't doing its job of pushing the brake fluid down the hose (I >> thought. Actually, the hose was just ballooning and the problem didn't go >> away until I replaced the brake hoses). These last issues don't seem to >> pertain to your situation. >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
