850G front brake caliper axles

[Brendan W]

I'm in the same boat. Luckily nothing is anywhere near seizing but the rubber is badly shook looking. They're sitting in silicone grease now.
The reason for rubber on one only got me thinking. Must be something to do with having a little give in the system that won't rattle for when the forks twist and the caliper heats up. I'm not breaking a sweat about it.

[loud et]

Little update:
Part is called : Axle Bushing
Suzuki Part # 59313-45200

Out of stock in USA
Dealer said they were NOT discontinued and are on backorder from Suzuki Japan with no known date of availability.

[Grimly]

So has anyone found a solution to this front caliper axle rubber problem? Or a replacement rubber ring for it?
My 850G has the same problem....the rubbers are swollen and they seize in the slide bore.
I just bought new pins and they don't come with the rubber sleeves.

I used a piece of Viton tube for that - it lasted well enough, but the main defect was some little wear in the sliding pins and most wear in the bores they go into. Short of sleeving the bores, there's nothing much to be done with them - a real safety-critical part like that wouldn't fill me with confidence if it was repaired with a sleeve because there's not all that much material there. In short, once they reach worn-out stage, they're scrap.
However, there are thousands of LH and RH caliper mount brackets still extant from low mileage bikes being, or yet to be, broken. At the moment they're still cheap, grab a couple.

[loud et]

I agree with your take on it. Grab up some extras.
I tell you what I did since I posted this was boil the two rubber sleeves.
Full boil for 20 minutes on the stove. Within a minute a pool of oil and solvents formed on the surface of the water. White and brown globs of petroleum products. I had hand washed them thouroughly with dish soap beforehand and the parts were squeaky clean.
I reinstalled the rubbers with the proper caliper grease and they move nicely now with no slop and no sticking.
The boiling released the absorbed oils and let them settle to a more original firmness and shape.
I'm not saying it's the best solution but it worked and I feel good about how they feel in the bore. All I can do is ride and monitor my caliper slide occasionally to assure it's free.
I will buy a few sets of axle bushings when they become available again.