Anybody chaged brakes and Rotors?

[BriTXbike]

Ok so I've decided that the next thing to work on is brakes. Kinda important for safety reasons and all :P

Best place to get pads and anybody have some hints on issues I'm gonna run into replacing them on my 850? Is this going to require bleeding the brakes in any way? Also what about changing out rotors, anybody have any recommendations?

[Jethro]

I've gone through the brake system from the ground up. Part of installing the braided brake lines. As with everything, clean and see if everything is functional. If it's not, replace the worn parts. Here are the finer points:

1: Lever/Master Cyl- Basically all that can go wrong is the plunger seal. You can buy the whole piston/seal, at Bike Bandit.com. Make sure to clean and make sure the pin holes (fluid return) in the bottom of the resivoir are clear.

2. Calipers- There are fluid seals on the pistons (pots). Each side has one pot. The piston can come out with air pressure attached to the bleeder, it's a tight fit, but new seals are available at bikebandit.com. Then there are the pins that the claiper "floats" on and the dust seals that keep them clean. These pins must be protected, with both good seals, silicone, and keeping them clean, or the caliper will drag. If the seals are cracked, you can get them at- guess?? Bikebandit.com.

3. Rotors last for almost ever, these aren't 4 pot calipers that create a ton of heat, and they aren't lightweight like todays. I'd be suprised if they need renewal.

4. Pads can be bought at Bike Bandit as well. They are cheap.

5. Braided lines help somewhat, and have great bling factor.

[mark]

I'll just add that you should bleed your brakes after you've replaced the pads. I assume you know how to do that. The fluid should be absolutely clear.

Take the advice seriously about the seals or "dust boots" on each side of the caliper to make sure they haven't fallen apart and that you're caliper bolts are clean and greased very lightly with brake grease for proper functioning of the caliper.

Check the bolts (or "pins") to see how much chrome finish is left on them. Some say to replace if the finish is gone, but my bolts have little finish left on them and they seem to work fine. That's on my agenda for next spring though.

[duaneage]

Use a Torque wrench on the caliper mounting bolts along with BLUE loctite. They thread into aluminum and must remain in place. I think mine were 45ft/lbs, check with the manual or other 850 owners to be sure.

After you are done squeeze the brake lever hard and tie it with a bungie cord as tight as you can. Come back in an hour and check for leaks and any movement of the lever. You shouldn't have either.

Use a block of wood with 100 grit paper to burnish the rotors. The small lines you create will help seat the pads and remove any debris or nicks on the rotor face. Min thickness is 4.5 mm, most are around 5 and wear very little.

Replace cotter pins with new ones after torquing the bolts on the rear.

I work on one brake set at a time, get them broken in and trouble free, then do the other wheel. Takes two weekends but I don't like to take a chance on both wheels having issues.

Bikes are more like airplanes than cars. 101% reliability and safety is a must. If this is your first time be carefull, use good quality parts, replace anything suspected of being bad and test on a slow street before venturing out.