| Author | Message | ||
     Ara |
And due to the size of the caliper and its close proximity to the wheel because of the large diameter of our front brake disks, you cannot simply unbolt the caliper and remove it. You have to remove the brake pads in order to have enough wiggle room to remove the caliper. It's not hard, really, it's just another step. Russ | ||
| Loki |
Ahhh the rights of spring.... replacing the wornout Dunlops with brand new Metzeler Sportec M1s. By the way I went thru www.discountmotorcycletires.com for them. Both to my door for $203. Two seperate shops around me quoted $185 for the rear alone. Hopefully a ride report on them this weekend. | ||
| Al_Lighton |
Mike, use thin tape on your rim if you care about it. The caliper will come off without loosening the rotor and after removing the pads, but if it's your first time doing it, you're almost sure to get it part way off and realize it won't come any further that way. Likely a couple times. Keep cool, bring it back to start, and try a slightly different twist to things. When you hit the right twist, it will come right off. There's only one way, and it's impossible to describe in words. Don't force it, it isn't necesary (but it may feel lke it!) and it can bend the rotor. Even a tiny amount of dressing the rear corner of the caliper with a file makes a huge difference in how easy it is to remove. My polished caliper has softened corners and comes off much easier, and it is a trivial amount of metal removed from the caliper. Al | ||
| Hogluvr |
Thanks, guys, I appreciate the input. I would REALLY like to try and get the thing off without loosening the rotor, so I'll try Al's approach first. If I can't get it off without loosening the rotor, are there any tricks there? I see a bunch of broken tools a few posts back, it reminds me of a lot of "simple" jobs I have tackled in the past.  Murphy's Law almost always comes into play. I like to look at things from all angles before I start something, hoping to avoid that kind of thing. Again, thanks for all your help. Mike | ||
| Henrik |
Mike: as far as I remember it was only a small batch of the S1 (not WL), where you had to remove the rotor to get the caliper and wheel off. When you get the brake pads out, make sure you press all pistons *all the way* back into the caliper. That will give you that small extra amount of space. Also, don't angle the caliper when you "ease" it out - keep it in line with the sweep of the wheel and the rotor - like this:  Also note the masking tape on the rim After freeing the caliper I use a bungee cord to suspend it to keep the strain off the brake line:  Henrik | ||
| Hogluvr |
Wow, thanks Henrik, pictures and everything!! You guys are the best!  Mike | ||
| Loki |
Just in from the road.....  Got to try out my new Metz Sportec M1 tires. Can you say wonderful | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Nothing from the road yet.. But,I just put on a set of the new Dunlop D220's. Weather is crap here so won't get a chance to test for a few days. They look to have quite a bit more meat to start with than the D205's. Time will tell! Brad | ||
| Ara |
Icepick, did you get your Pirelli Dragon GTs yet? Russ | ||
| Cowboy |
Hey Guys HELP!!!!! has any body found a tire that will hang I have 8000 on my X1 I am ready for my 4th rear and my 3rd front. It is killing me. thanks | ||
| Dynarider |
Cowboy, Are you doing monster burnouts in your driveway or something? I just put a new rear on my X1 this week, bike has 5000 miles, & really abused the original tire. Lots of wheelies & burnouts, etc. My front tire still looks great, probably get another 5-6000 out of it. You riding in a marble quarry & cutting your tires up or what? | ||
| Cowboy |
Dynarider Thanks Now that you mention it I ride about 80% of the time on asphalt roads made with very sharp stones (crushed)rock. I also enjoy super quick starts. I know most of the fault is mine. Just wanted something better. | ||
| Rocketman |
How do you perfect a burnout on the front cover dude ?  Rocket in England | ||
| Ara |
Cowboy, check out the Pirelli Dragon GT MTR03 front and MTR04 rear. I've got over 7,000 miles on my tires and I've still got a surprising amount of tread on the rear. I've tried Dunlop, Michelin, and Metzeler and have never gotten this kind of mileage from motorcycle tires on any bike I've ever owned. | ||
| Hogluvr |
Well, my first attempt at removing my caliper proved to be unsuccessful. I tried to do it without removing or loosening the rotor. I was able to get the rear "leg" away from the rotor, then wiggled it a bit to get most of the rest loose. The "front" or "top" portion of the caliper proved to be too large to squeeze past my rim  I let it go for now because I didn't want to "force" the issue Does anyone else have any ideas?? If not, I may have to go with my first advice and loosen up the rotor. Is this a pain in the (!) ?? Am I gonna open up another can of worms? Any suggestions? Thanks... Mike (with another stoopid Buell question) | ||
| Henrik |
Mike: are all the pistons pressed all the way back into the caliper? Did you remove the brake reservoir lid before pushing the pistons back? Is there baked on brake dust on the pistons keeping them from retracting completely? I personally had a *bit* of trouble getting a front brake rotor off ...  Henrik | ||
| Buelliedan |
A trick I learned to removing the front caliper is once you have it halfway off, then angle it towards the tab that holds the rear part of your front fender on. In other words go up your wheel not down. It looks like you will scratch your fender but you won't and then it will just slip right off. If you try going away from your fender it will jam the caliper and scratch your rim. | ||
| Hogluvr |
Henrik: Yeah, I caught some of your previous posts The pistons don't seem to be where the problem is, I can easily get them past the rotor. It's afterwards that I run into trouble, like the upper portion of the caliper housing is too fat to get past the rim. That's what seems to be hanging me up. Buelliedan: If I can figure out what you're telling me, I will give that a shot next (Sorry, it's not your fault, my brain seems to be on overload lately  ) I think I know what you're saying, go up with the caliper toward the fender, instead of down, away from the fender, which is what I was doing. I will post my latest victories or frustrations after I make my next trip out to the toybox. Mike (feeling very mechanically inept lately)  | ||
| Rempss |
Mike, Did you remove the pads? Jeff | ||
| Hogluvr |
Jeff: Yes, along with half my hair when the caliper wouldn't come off  | ||
| Henrik |
Mike: when the inner pistons are past the rotor edge and the caliper is angled out, the outer pistons may still be pushing against the swept area of the rotor. That may be why you can't get it past the rim - if the outer pistons aren't all the way seated. Henrik | ||
| Al_Lighton |
One last thing, it may be obvious....the clocking of the rotor has to be just right too. If one of the drive pins in in the way, you can't get enough angle on the caliper for it to slip past. First time I did it I was swearing...and I was quite certain that it could not be done. And then, when everything was just right, it just popped right off. Keep trying, it will come. It will be touching the wheel and the rotor edge when it does, but it will slide off without excessive force. And it seems to go on easier than it comes off. After doing it 5 or 6 times now, it just comes right off in a minute of futzing with it. Al | ||
| Hogluvr |
Henrik: You're right, I was concentrating on the inner pistons clearing, didn't consider the outer ones. What's an easy way to push the pistons in? I've always used a C-clamp on car calipers, but it doesn't look like there's enough room to use one here? Any suggestions? Al: Not quite sure I'm following you, what "drive pins" are you talking about? And "clocking"? Do you mean the angle I'm taking this thing off at? (Remember, I'm just a dumb Harley-rider-engineer-wannabe having a brain fart)  Thanks for all the input guys... Mike | ||
| Al_Lighton |
Mike, My bad, Drive pins is a bad name. I meant the 1/2" or so diameter ferrules that connect the rotor to the rotor carrier, that let the rotor float. The slot that exists between consecutive ferrules should be in a position so that when the caliper twists, it doesn't hit the ferrules or the carrier material adjacent to the ferrule. The part of the caliper that bolts to the fork is the part that will dip into that slot as it rotates off. I was just looking at Henrik's picture above for the S2, it doesn't apply to the S2, the carrier is much different than the later carriers. i just took my caliper off and on last week, and ran into that. Rotate the wheel a little, and right off it went. Al | ||
| Henrik |
Pressing pistons: first make sure there is free passage for the brake fluid (reservoir lid off), and that the fluid won't overflow when you press the pistons back into the caliper (drain a bit off from the reservoir with a syringe). Then I've used thin wood strips and my fingers to press the pistons back. It takes a bit of effort, but they'll give - slowly. I take a piece of wood long enough to reach entirely through the caliper, lay it against one piston and can "pinch" the caliper side and wood piece to press on the piston. (not the greatest explanation - I know) I usually go one piston at a time, and keep an eye on the other 5 (they may move out as you press other pistons in). Once I've seated an opposing set of pistons, I block them in place with a shallow wood wedge and move on to the next set. So with a bit of back and forth you should be able to get all pistons out of the way. Hope this helps Henrik | ||
| Hogluvr |
Al: I think I gotcha! The caliper has an "ear" that bolts to the fork, and the wheel should be rotated correctly so that it goes into one of the sets of "holes" or "slots" that are formed from the carrier/rotor assembly so it will clear. At least I hope that's what you were trying to convey to me  That was one of the first things I noticed when I eyeballed her up, before I made my first attempt to remove the caliper. It helped to get the bottom half past the rotor, but it seemed like the top half was still too fat to clear the rim. Henrik: I will try to push the pistons in as you said, and give it another attempt, hopefully this evening. If I have to drain off a little brake fluid, do you know what type I should add back in after I get it back together? I seem to recall it being like Dot 3 silicone, or something... Thanks again guys Mike (dazed & confused in Ohio) | ||
| Aaron |
I just set the pad in there, put a pair of channel locks across them and the outside of the caliper (with a rag to protect the caliper of course), squeeze, open the bleed screw, close the bleed screw, and release. Done. | ||
| Mikej |
Mike/Hogluvr, Your brake fluid master cylinder cap should say what type of fluid to use (as long as nobody swapped out the cap/cover with another one), or else look in your service manual. There are several types of fluid to choose from, and it's important to pick the right one, DOT3 or 4 or 5 or others don't mix well with each other and can cause problems with the brake system components if the wrong one is used. | ||
| Court |
DRIVE PIN = the 1/2" or so diameter ferrules that connect the rotor to the rotor carrier, that let the rotor float. Aaron's method, using the pad, is what I have had success with. Experience will prevent a brake fluid shampoo. Court | ||
| Hogluvr |
Aaron: That's a great idea, but it sounds WAY too easy. Instead, I think I will clamp down on the caliper with my teeth, just to be consistent with this project (It's pretty bad when changing a tire turns into a project...) Mikej: Yeah, I remember when I changed my 'vette over to silicone fluid years ago, people warned me not only to replace the fluid only with silicone fluid, but to use the same grade as well. Again, it just sounds too easy to look on the master cylinder cap, so instead, I will call Harley Technical Support, just to see how many days it takes for them to give me an answer.  Thanks again Mike (super mechanic) |
