Brake Rebuild

[Anonymous]

Ok, now that I have the fork seals and fresh oil installed, inspection of the brakes and during the process of changing pads I noticed that the rubber seals around the caliper are turning to goo. Anybody out there tackle this one before? Do I attempt this on my own or is this something I need to leave to professionals? Biggest question, after 25 years are the parts still available? So far they are not leaking but guess I am on borrowed time here. The forum is open Gents!

[Anonymous]

The hardest part of the job is finding the seals. Just make sure everything is clean when you reassemble and lube everything with brake fluid.

[SqDancerLynn1]

Easier than changing fork seals

[Morgan]

I just did the calipers on a 79 GS850 last week. I think yours are identical. It's a piece of cake, and if you knew my mechanical abilities (or lack thereof), that's saying a lot. The hardest part was getting the gaskets. My mistake was in asking for a rebuild kit, which went on back order. I'd still be waiting. The parts guy, after hearing about how long it was taking, said "well, I could just order the individual gaskets for you" They were there in under a week.

The only 'trick' to the operation was to tie the brake line up so it was at the level of the master cylinder. This kept most of the fluid in and made bleeding quick and painless (vs. the fun of tring to bleed totally dry lines).

If I were going to do anything different, I would have put new bleeder valves and crush washers in since everything was off anyway. Oh, and asked for the individual gaskets from the beginning.

-Morgan

[Anonymous]

The parts are still manufactured. I ordered dust seal sets for all three calipers. Got a recommendation today to use Valvoline DOT4 synthetic brake fluid. Anybody have an opinion on that?

[AOD]

eh...whats wrong with good ole cheap DOT3?

[daveo]

The parts are still manufactured. I ordered dust seal sets for all three calipers. Got a recommendation today to use Valvoline DOT4 synthetic brake fluid. Anybody have an opinion on that?

You probably should check to make sure they're compatible, you may have to purge the system if you switch. I'm not sure if the boiling point is higher for the DOT 4, or what advantages (if any) it may have

[Anonymous]

you can mix dot 3 with dot 4 but ya cant mix dot3 /4 with 5

[Anonymous]

I plan on purging the entire system and cleaning the lines and running the new stuff. The purpose is that who knows how old the stuff in there is? If the fork fluid looked like sludge then the brake fluid can't be all that great either. When I got the bike I just added fluid cause she was low. The Valvoline costs only $6 for a whole quart.

[daveo]

I plan on purging the entire system and cleaning the lines and running the new stuff. The purpose is that who knows how old the stuff in there is? If the fork fluid looked like sludge then the brake fluid can't be all that great either. When I got the bike I just added fluid cause she was low. The Valvoline costs only $6 for a whole quart.

You're most certainly correct, actually the brake fluid should be changed yearly,or when any color but clear, not that anyone actually does it....however if you want real improvement try changing the lines to braided steel (big help), the rubber ones should be changed every 2 years,(by the sevice manual) try to find someone who does that