Front master cylinder

[ZombiePotatoSalad]

I'm trying to get at the ring that locks the piston, but I don't know if the tool I got is long enough. How do you unlock the circlip? Push together, or pull apart?

15672908968364644408350350170393.jpg

[steveb922]

Push together, to decrease the circumference of the circlip. They can be well stuck. Try soaking in brake fluid (or maybe ATF/thin oil) for 24 hrs. Don't be tempted to use too much force - if you damage the bore beyond that circlip, you may ruin the MC. Last one I did took 7 days. Other times, it's only taken a couple of hours. Be persistent, and patient.

[Nessism]

Motion Pro sells long nose snap ring pliers. They will cost near what a new master sells for though.

Your bike takes a 14mm bore master. Tons for sale on ebay for cheap.

[GSXR7ED]

Ooohhh!

I had fun taking mine apart. Take your time and get the correct needle nose pliers to do the job.

Ed

[bwringer]

These are the only circlip pliers that will reach these stupid things - Motion Pro 08-2079:

https://www.motionpro.com/product/08-0279

On The Vast Brazilian River:

https://www.amazon.com/Motion-Pro-08-0279-Master-Cylinder/dp/B000WJJ4U6/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=08-0279&qid=1567346942&s=gateway&sr=8-1

There are also several even cheaper Chinese imitations of the cheap Chinese original (the Motion Pro original is not the greatest quality, but it gets the job done) on the same Brazilian River. No idea whether they're any better or worse.


And yeah, you're going to need to get that a little cleaner to do much good. It's a rusted steel clip in an aluminum master cylinder, so don't try to attack it with anything acidic.

While you're waiting for your pliers to show up, I'd rinse it out and soak it in some Evapo-Rust in there for a few days; Evapo-Rust is safe on aluminum parts.

[ZombiePotatoSalad]

I might as well replace it, the center is rusted out, as you can see. If a tool will cost that much, I might as well just get a new MC. What would you suggest that is compatible with the wiring? There was a wire that attached to the bottom, I guess that's for the brake light. The ones I saw didn't look like they would fit that.

Any ideas how I would make them work?

[Rich82GS750TZ]

If you go aftermarket with the MC, since that necessarily removes the brake light switch, you can get a hydraulic switch that replaces the regular banjo bolt that leaves the MC, and wire it with new blade or bullet connector to the factory harness.

[ZombiePotatoSalad]

If you go aftermarket with the MC, since that necessarily removes the brake light switch, you can get a hydraulic switch that replaces the regular banjo bolt that leaves the MC, and wire it with new blade or bullet connector to the factory harness.

Any MC and hydraulic switch that you recommend? I don't want to buy them both and find out they aren't compatible with each other.

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Full, disclosure. I've not used one of these. Just read of other people doing this is lieu of the OEM MC w/ brake light switch. People have used something like this which replaces the banjo bolt that connects your front brake line to the new non-OEM MC.

Not sure, but I'm almost possitive you need one with a 10mm x 1.00 pitch (as opposed to 10x1.25). That could change depending on which aftermarket MC you buy. Then you might end up with a banjo bolt at the MC with a differt thread pitch than the bolt at the caliper. Not really a problem, but my OCD would not allow it. You would have to cut and splice the wires from your harness that go to the existing switch, to the new wires from the new hydraulic switch. Again, I have not done this. My MC looked just like yours last winter when I decided to overhaul it. After I got all the grunge picked out from above the circlip enough that I could see the holes, I could not reach them with my circlip pliers. Like bwringer wrote, Those $25-28 pliers are the only ones that would reach. I ruined a good pair of precision needle-nose pliers trying to modify them them to work. They almost did. What finally worked was 2 dental type pics, and attacking the holes in the clip from different angles. It was one of the most frustrating, but ultimately satisfying things that I've ever fixed on my bike.

The other problem you might have if you go to an aftermarket MC (not sure about your bike) could be losing your mirror mount hole.
Good luck.

[Nessism]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Kawasaki-Brake-Master-Cylinder-KZ200-KZ400-KZ550-KZ650-KZ700-14mm-Bore-Piston/132602015818?hash=item1edfb2304a:g:UFQAAOSwM6Nc2zha

[cowboyup3371]

I have one of the Ninja master cylinders on my 550 and have no problems with it at all.