LF Brake Caliper Travel Question

[GriffXX]

:?: Long time lurker needs some help.

Quick history:

99 ‘Bird, 11K miles, 100% dealer maintained (until now). Bought the XX two years ago largely due to Carlos’ site. This forum has me believing I can perform much of the maintenance myself. Plus, since moving to Richmond, I don’t care for the local dealers.

The Specifics:

When raising the LF Caliper to test the LBS, I am not getting much travel at all, less than ¼ inch. The system was completely bled 1.5 years ago and 5K miles, and the fluid is still completely clear. I think I sould be seeing more travel with the caliper.

Admittedly I am a 100% maintenance newbie, but it just feels like the caliper is not sliding properly. I’d appreciate your thoughts and recommendations. I am about to pull the pads to see if I can see anything, but I think this is going much deeper than that.

Besides the caliper question, I appreciate all of the good advice around here. Next weekend will be my first attempt at new oil/filter/& plugs. I wouldn't have even thought about doing it myself without this site and forum. I know I will appreciate my XX much more once I start doing the maintenance myself.

[Warchild]

When raising the LF Caliper to test the LBS, I am not getting much travel at all, less than ¼ inch.

That is the correct behavior for the left caliper of the LBS system. Not to worry; that's all the "traveling" the caliper is going to do. The overall movement is, in fact, quite small.

Next weekend will be my first attempt at new oil/filter/& plugs.

Have fun! :cool:

No body-panel removal Oil Change: http://www.superblackbird.com/oil_change.cfm

XX spark plug repalcement: http://www.superblackbird.com/spark1.cfm

[GriffXX]

Warchild: Thanks for the quick reply. I have also been to your site many, many times. Both your site and Carlos' have been invaluable to me.

rockmeupto125: No good reason to think there is a problem with the system. My braking action has been strong and there is pently of life onthe pads. My simple, niave concern came from the fact that the owners manual and Service Manual both refer to the upward caliper travel. For the uninitiated, only 1/8 to 1/4 inch seems like an awfully small amount of travel for it to be referred to in the "book". Looks like I am in good shape.

Thanks both for the help.

Griff

[GriffXX]

I think I'm all set. I pulled the fronts to check wear (since the dealer last year said I was "close" to needing new pads).

My left outer pad looked like the pics Warchild had put on another brake pad post (pic with the uneven wear). I swapped Left and Right pads so a fuller pad will be on the left caliper. No, I'm not being cheap...just an interim solution until I purchase some new EBC or Galfer's (some more homework to do) and install them.

I forgot about the fact that I had pushed in all of the caliper pistons to allow putting back in the pads. The first few pulls of the brake lever were a bit interesting. The maintenance newbie in me thought he had really screwed something up. I guess we all need to learn sometime.

[xrated]

Damn man, you've been lurking for like two years and you just now post

:shock: How could you possibly not introduce yourself, jump into some of our more interesting argum.......discussions, and then flame someone for not agreeing with you. Man, you have some will power. I would say welcome to the forum, but if I do, and you respond, that will be like 4 posts in one or two days

[Pete in PA]

If you lay on the floor with bike on centerstand use your hands to rotate left caliper and feet to see if rear wheel is braked by these actions.

1/4" is right. you have to realize that the tourqe generated by the caliper during brakeing is far more then you can do by hand on the caliper.

AND whats wrong with being cheap???? I rotate my pads to keep wear even. $80 for 3 sets of EBC's That's 1/2 a rear tire!!!!

[GriffXX]

Well Vern, I’m really a quiet, shy, unassuming type. All you young guys scare and intimidate me! And the XX is quite a step up from the scooter I had been riding.

And no, I really haven’t been lurking on the Forum for two years, I have just had the ‘Bird and discovered Warbird and Carlos’ sites two years ago. Along with being a maintenance newbie, I am also a forum newbie. Putting the sarcasm aside (for a moment), it’s this forum that has given me the confidence to start trying my own maintenance. I am sure I will have lots more stupid / newbie questions in the future.

Didn’t mean to offend anybody with the ‘cheap’ comment. And there is nothing wrong with being cheap (when safety isn’t affected). After all, I am trying to perform my own maintenance after paying dealers to do all the work for the past 20 years (Yep, I’m an old guy). I thought the consensus on another thread was rotating pads was being cheap. Honestly, I’m looking forward to improving the performance of the brakes which are, imho, one of the weaker areas of the ‘Bird. Improved pads should be an easy upgrade. As I am going to keep the ‘bird long term (2 years is a record for me), Galfer lines are forthcoming, but I ‘m not ready for that yet.

Again, appreciate all of the help.

[Warchild]

I thought the consensus on another thread was rotating pads was being cheap.

Well, I mentioned that our more "frugal" forum members might rotate their pads, but I didn't mean to imply they are cheap. If anything, sound maintenance practices usually do not call for rotating pads between calipers.

Yet, I find that I am about this exact thing myself! I ripped off the wheels last night to replace the worn BT-020s with a set of fresh Pilot Roads in preparation for the BLISTER rally. Lo' and behold if I didn't find outer left pad is indeed 50% worn away compared to the other pads. :evil: The pads only have about 16K of use.

I depart for Nevada Wednesday afternoon; ain't no way to score pads between now and then. I'll be swapping the outer with the right caliper. Fuckit. :evil: :evil: