850G front caliper bolts

[Guest]

Are the 2 bolts on the front calipers supposed to be tightened down or just finger tight? ...not the ones that mount the whole caliper to the forks, but the other 2 that you would remove the outer half of the caliper to replace the pads.
If I torque them down some, the front wheel will drag, while finger tight will allow the wheel to spin freely for about a half of rotation and seems to operate better. I think I've done this on previous bikes, but just can't remember how tight they were??

[tas850g]

i've changed the brake pads and rotors on my car and those bolts are not supposed to be torqued down b/c as you mentioned they will create additional pressure on the rotor and drag the wheel. I put them just tight enough not to drag the wheel. There must be some specs. out there but thats all i do.

[TheCafeKid]

i've changed the brake pads and rotors on my car and those bolts are not supposed to be torqued down b/c as you mentioned they will create additional pressure on the rotor and drag the wheel. I put them just tight enough not to drag the wheel. There must be some specs. out there but thats all i do.

18-29 ft lbs according to the Zook manual.. kind of a wide spread i suppose...

[SqDancerLynn1]

NEVER finger tight, their will be some drag. That is normal with disk brakes. You normally do NOT take the calaper apart to replace the pads ONLY when rebuilding the calaper. Normally Clean the outside & then push the pistons back into the bore, use a big screwdriver for leverage then slip the new pads in........

[Nessism]

Take a good look at the sliding pins and caliper hangers for wear – wear in the pins and hanger will cause binding. The 1980 design is the worst in this regard. The second generation rectangular pad calipers are better but they had issues as well with the caliper pins in that the plastic collar would swell and cause binding.

[lurch12_2000]

NEVER finger tight, their will be some drag. That is normal with disk brakes. You normally do NOT take the calaper apart to replace the pads ONLY when rebuilding the calaper. Normally Clean the outside & then push the pistons back into the bore, use a big screwdriver for leverage then slip the new pads in........

Wait, let's back up...this '81 850G front caliper is different. You don't push the pistons in to back off pressure and slide out the pads like the rear caliper. You remove the two 12mm bolts (not the two 14mm bolts mounting it to the fork) and take the outer half off to reveal the pads to remove. I don't see any other way to remove and I've done both front calipers. I'm familiar with the feeling of some drag of disc brakes when you take your thumb and index finger and spin the wheel. But if I torque these 2 bolts down with any measureable ft lbs then there is a noticable drag (too much IMO). I say finger tight because the washer/nut actually spins if you don't slide a thin wrench in place to hold it while tightening. I will probably take the 2 bolts out again and clean the sleeves that they fit into.

EDIT: I'm downloading the '82? 850G shop manual from BassCliff's website now, but not sure if the caliper changed with model years.

[Barneycanoe]

Torque is 15 lb. ft. (from manual)

for the bolts that hold the caliper sides together.

[1948man]

So if your bike is on the centerstand, in neutral, how much should the rear or front wheel spin with a good flick of the wrist. I realize you have to lift the front to get the tire off the ground.