Brake Servicing

[GuzziPaul]

Anyone any ideas how I can stop the fluid coming out of a steel braided brake line while I service a caliper? With a rubber hose I would just clamp it but can't do that without crushing the SWA. I wondered about a bolt and nut bit won't get a good enough seal.

Or do I just drain it all out as I'd have to bleed the brakes anyway
I was just going to change the fluid, but with all this extra time we all have I thought I'd clean and inspect the pistons which I suspect may be sticking due to a warped disk I had last year.

[Druid]

As long as the end of the hose is higher than the master cylinder the fluid won't drain out, so if you can tie it off in a suitable position you're good to go

[GuzziPaul]

I did wonder about that, but the routing through the forks and bikini fairing means I''d only get it about halfway up. Any further would require threading through the above all while dripping brake fluid.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

M10 nut and bolt and a couple of copper washers will seal it off, but you'll still need to bleed the brakes when you put it back together

[iansoady]

M10 nut and bolt and a couple of copper washers will seal it off, but you'll still need to bleed the brakes when you put it back together

If it's a banjo yes, but it may be an inline fitting. The calipers on my V50 have these.

A partial solution is to trap a sheet of polythene under the reservoir cap to stop air getting in (or a bit of tape over the breather hole). This will slow it down but you'll still get a drip.

Of course this is an opportunity to change the fluid....

[Big Red]

If front, tie the lever to the bar with a cable tie, if rear cable tie on rear pedal with something really heavy holding brake on.
Once cylinders are fully engaged, there shouldn't be any more fluid running through them.

[GuzziPaul]

I've got the bike up on the bench and taken the wheel and mudguard off. I always unbolt the brake calipers and take the mudguard of when taking the front wheel out as its a lot easier.
Pad wear on the right front, the hand operated front brake, I'm still running the linked system, is even and the pistons move freely in and out. I could squeeze them back in with my fingers. However having done this several times I noticed brake fluid on my fingers . Looks like the outer piston seal is leaking. I did replace all the seals when I refurbished the bike when I first bought it in 2016 but didn't replace the pistons which appeared ok. Just ordered a Brembo seal kit and aluminium pistons from Ducati Paddy and four new HT bolts for the caliper mounts.

Going to take the caliper apart through the week so when the bits come I can just pop them in. I'll stick a bolt with a couple of aluminium washers in the banjo just to stop up the hose and stop too much air getting in, to make the bleeding easier.

[weeksy]

Thread lacking in pics

[GuzziPaul]

Your wish is my command.
Bike up on the bench, wheel, and mudguard off, you can just see my homemade stand under the sump, the bike is also on the centre stand. I have two wooden stands, the second has wheels and if the bike is on the ground I can wheel it about, turn it around in it own length etc. Hand as it enables me to take both wheels off but move the bike out the garage for cleaning.

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The offending piston, looks ok but working it in and out by using the brake leaver or pushing on the oppising piston got a bit of fluid on my gloves. I always (now) wear disposable gloves to protect my skin. The gloves are possibly worth a fortune now.

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While the wheel is out and I'm waiting for the bits I'm giving it a tidy up. I've taken off the disks, these are the bolts that pass through the wheel and hold the disk carriers. Four of them were a bit hard to get out. I always use Blue Loctite to hold the brake component bolts. Last time I put the Loctite on first before passing through the wheel. All the bolts were a bit furry, I'm wondering if they reacted with the Loctite. Anyway, cleaned them up on the brass wire wheel before giving most of the bolt a light oiling with my rag in a can at the top of the picture. This is a half tin of beans or similar with a very compacted roll of rag in it (about 4 lengths of an old quilt cover). Tighten a couple of jubilee clips around it and then force into the tin, removing the clips as you go. Then spend several days dripping oil into it. Use upright for a light oiling or hold it to apply a thin film to saw blades and tools as required.

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[GuzziPaul]

The replacement disk is all machined steel, whereas the OE Brembo is black in the centre ( the wavy bit), spent about an hour masking both side off and sprayed with primer having warmed the tin up in the sun. It was sprayed hung from the garage door, not the handlebar which was just done for the photo.

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The caliper repair kit isn't being posted till Wednesday so I'll do some more cleaning and post some pictures of the caliper repair when I'm doing it.

[GuzziPaul]

While the front wheel is out I've given it a clean with my watered down Muc off. I stuck duct tape over the bearings to stop water getting in.

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Then stuck bolted the cleaned up disks back on.

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[GuzziPaul]

Started cleaning up the calipers last night.

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Did the left side first, left it on the bike and put a bucket under the fork leg, sprayed with 50% Muc off. I didn't want to use brake cleaner as the solvent can attack the rubber seals.
Wire wheeled the locating pins and gave them a smear of oil from my "rag in a can" I had previously used coppaslip but that didn't seam to work as the pins were a bit rusty. Put a smear of coppaslip on the back of the pads though.

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[GuzziPaul]

Then onto the leaking right hand caliper. Unbolted the hose and tried to stem the fluid with a M10 nut and bolt and two aluminium washers. Didn't work very well so put it in a plastic bag as well.

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Then remebered I hadn't pumped the pistons out so refitted the hose, put more brake fluid in and pumped the pistons out be holding one then the other with my fingers. With the caliper off the fork leg I put a bucket and small tray underneath took the hose off and just let all the fluid drain into the tray. Then washed the caliper with water and wiped everything else down with a wet rag.

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Gave the caliper a clean up ready for spliting, I'll bolt it onto the fork leg to hold it stead while I crack the allan bolts. You might just be able to make out the splite dust seal on the piston to the left.

[GuzziPaul]

New brake piston and seals arrived early than expected so cracked on and changed them.
The old pistons didn't seem bad, a bit of flaking chrome on the left piston and a few wear marks.

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Put the new seals and pistons in and bolted up the the caliper with blue loctite. The aluminium pistons arn't shiny but think of all the unspring weight I'm saving.

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Tonight I'll clean up the rear caliper and change all the fluid.
Next job in the list of "Things to do while Sheilding" will be to change all the dashboard lights to LED. I've ordered these
And as a couple of bulbs have blown and the current ones cannot be read in day light, you have to peer through the smoked fly screen on a Le Mans to see the instruments unless in a crouch, though these my be a good alternative. I don't intend writing that up though as I'm not sure how easy it will be to do and I might change my mind once I give it a good hard look.

[GuzziPaul]

While the bike in on the bench I've decided to balance the front wheel. The weights were a bit loose where the cleaning has softend the glue, I got my wheel jig out from under the bench and spun the wheel up. I've balanced all my bike wheels since I wasn't very impressed with a spot I used to get my tyres done at and reckoned I could do better myself.
I've also used it to check the run out etc when rebuilding the wheels on the DT. The jig only cost about £35 and weights are readily available on Ebay.

In addition i bought some 5mm white LEDs from Amazon last week and used them to replace the Neutral and "Lights" warning lamps on the Le Mans. The original warning lights are very weak and on a Le Mans you look down through the screen to see them. In sunlight you can hardly tell they are on. I've managed to pull the wires for the LEDS through the existing bulb holders and add a couple of spade connectors, I can therefore go back to the original warning lamps easy enough. I've not done the oil, brake fluid and "Generator" lamps as they are they are seriesed together and the "Generstor lamp glows faintly, getting brighter before going out once the revs rise, so not suitable fore LEDs
I tried to do the speedo but couldn't get the rubber boot the fit over the spade connection and original lamp holder well enough so took it out and I'll stick with the OE bulb

[iansoady]

ISTR that white LEDs don't work well when viewed through coloured lenses and that you need to use a similar colour to the lens. That's what I did with my V50.

[GuzziPaul]

Yes, they are quite bright and show whiter than the actual colour on the dashboard, green for neutral and amber for "lights on" but at least now I can see that they are on. The "lights on" may be a bit too bright for night riding, but as I've only ridden it once in the dark I will live with it for now. It's easy enough to go back to OE if I don't like it.

I've got about 15 spare LEDs left now, I'm wondering what I can do with them.

[DefTrap]

Anyone any ideas how I can stop the fluid coming out of a steel braided brake line while I service a caliper? With a rubber hose I would just clamp it but can't do that without crushing the SWA. I wondered about a bolt and nut bit won't get a good enough seal.

Or do I just drain it all out as I'd have to bleed the brakes anyway

Not so much of a big deal on bikes as there's feck all fluid and they're simple to prime and bleed anyway.

On cars though it can be more of a pain. I've had some success plugging the banjo with an appropriate bit of tubing. I imagine a bit of balloon/glove/Johnnie tied over the end would work just as well. Also If you depress the lever and keep it there so that the MC port is closed then less is likely to leak out

[Big Red]

Anyone any ideas how I can stop the fluid coming out of a steel braided brake line while I service a caliper? With a rubber hose I would just clamp it but can't do that without crushing the SWA. I wondered about a bolt and nut bit won't get a good enough seal.

Or do I just drain it all out as I'd have to bleed the brakes anyway

Not so much of a big deal on bikes as there's feck all fluid and they're simple to prime and bleed anyway.

On cars though it can be more of a pain. I've had some success plugging the banjo with an appropriate bit of tubing. I imagine a bit of balloon/glove/Johnnie tied over the end would work just as well. Also If you depress the lever and keep it there so that the MC port is closed then less is likely to leak out

Cars are the same as bikes, if you can jam the pedal all the way down, the cylinder will not allow any more fluid through and no more fluid will run from the hose/pipe.
Same as securing the brake lever on a bike all the way to the bars with a cable tie.

[the_priest]

Really enjoying this thread. Thanks for photo's and write up.