Are my Brake Pistons still viable

[FlordiaMan]

Hi, im trying to get my 82' GS1100G road worthy again but the front brakes have always been a little mushy. I want to eventually upgrade my calibers, but for now im settling with a rebuild of my calipers. However, after pulling my Pistons, I noticed quite a bit of wear on them. Can I keep using these pistons or is it 100% necessary I replace them, because I cannot find any replacement pistons, and calibers on ebay are dodgy and overly priced. [IMG][/IMG]

[FlordiaMan]

Also, sorry about the blown up images, any time I upload an image it blows it way out of proportion.

[hampshirehog]

Those pistons are junk I'm afraid. See if you can find stainless steel replacements - they'll last forever and are cheaper, usually, than OEM.

[fastbysuzuki]

These are in the uk, https://www.wemoto.com/bikes/suzuki/..._front_caliper

[hampshirehog]

Nick Chambers, also UK, is the cheapest I've found. Excellent quality and good guy to deal with

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Suzuki-gsx1100-gsx1000-gs550-stainless-brake-caliper-pistons-Aisin-calipers/264354397635?hash=item3d8cbffdc3:g:uUcAAOSwJNpc-9N6

[Nessism]

$25 each including new OEM seals. Dirt cheap.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Suzuki-Front-Caliper-Piston-Rebuild-Set-GN-250-400-GS-700-750-800-850-GV1200-OEM/163480211586?hash=item26102e1082:g:0OQAAOSwNqxcP4hH

https://www.partsoutlaw.com/oemparts/a/suz/50d40449f8700230d8b4ed1e/front-calipers

[bwringer]

I've learned the hard way that it's not worth farting around with the expensive aftermarket imitation seal kits if OEM is available.

Buy OEM Suzuki. You get seals AND a new piston for $23 per caliper.

#1 on the diagram:

https://www.onlinecycleparts.com/oemparts/a/suz/50d40449f8700230d8b4ed1e/front-calipers

[rphillips]

Dang, OEM complete set, seals & pistons for less than $25.00. I'd have never thought it.

[salty_monk]

Personally I would update them to twinpots... a little more expensive proposition than pistons at that price but a night & day difference on that heavy bike. Just finished putting one back on the road myself...

GS1100G post polish... by salty_monk, on Flickr

[FlordiaMan]

Personally I would update them to twinpots... a little more expensive proposition than pistons at that price but a night & day difference on that heavy bike. Just finished putting one back on the road myself...

GS1100G post polish... by salty_monk, on Flickr

I would love too, and actually I was close to PM'ing you about your conversion kit, but right now im focused on just getting it road worthy

[FlordiaMan]

My other question would be, are my calibers still usable? They have a decent amount of rust around the seals, is that gonna cause a problem or if im able to CLR it away will that fix it?

[IMG][/IMG]

[Nessism]

A dremel with stainless steel wire wheel will remove that corrosion quickly. Just try not to gouge out the aluminum in the seal groove.

[FlordiaMan]

A dremel with stainless steel wire wheel will remove that corrosion quickly. Just try not to gouge out the aluminum in the seal groove.

Would something like Evapo Rust or Rustoluem Rust Remover work alright?

[Rijko]

I had a similar issue with the clutch slave cylinder on a XJR1200SP1,
fortunately it's aluminium.
I would use steel wool first to clean it up.
Be careful when using a wire wheel, if the groove is not round oil will leak out.
Just clean out the dirt and rust from the groove, try not to remove aluminium.

KennyRoberts-1.jpg

[Rijko]

Using 1200 grid sanding paper i cleaned the hole up and polished it.
Sanding paper folded around cloth on a drill works great.

Not necessary in your case since the groove and seal are stopping the oil.
In my case the seal was on the piston and the cylinder wall needed to be perfect.

KennyRoberts-2.jpg