melloyellow to live again!

[polkadot]

When I got the bike the front brakes were tied up. I had to take the brakes off so that I could move the bike. This morning I was disassembling and cleaning parts. When I got to the front calipers I noticed something odd about one of them. Take a look at this picture. Maybe the PO should have had someone else put the pads in.

Yes the inside pad is in backwards! A little metal on metal! I have not looked at that rotor yet, but I will. Sheeeeesh!!!!!!

[Neil]

Nice, love PO's and their skill sets.

[ericheath]

It is that way to help keep the piston from being worn down. Ha

[robin1731]

I've seen that before too. Love it when they "think" they know how to work on them.

[Track T 2411]

Sometimes when I'm thinking of trying to "get by" I remember the quote "I am the future owner's PO." Then I'm back to "do it right." Still, that is just having NO clue...

Good wrenchin'
Todd

[robin1731]

It will stop pretty good like that. It will just make a hellashise racket. And the rotor won't last very long.

[polkadot]

Looked at the rotor this morning. It is still on the bike, but it looks to be ok.

[kparrott]

Congrats again! I'm a little mad at myself for not getting down there quicker to look at it, but I'm glad it found its way into good hands. There is no way I was ready for a project this big in my apartment...

[polkadot]

More wrenching this morning. I need to start cleaning parts and working on the gas tank and carbs. I'm going to get the Randakk kit and DVD and give it a try.

[polkadot]

Lots of work on the bike today. Mostly cleaning and prep work in the dungeon.

I first tackled the gas tank. Took my first look inside and OMG! Filled with rust. I took a hose to it and could not believe the rust that came out. Once I was able to see inside I could tell that the screen to the primary outlet was trashed.

With the bike however I got a bunch of extra 77 parts which included a gas tank. Took a look at it and it was tons better and the screens were both intact. Lucked out there! Next for the brake system. I got the calipers apart. I could not get any of the pistons out, so they are soaking. Here is what I found in the rear m/c.


and here is how they ended up.



On my last project I spent a lot of time and trouble searching for that "tiny hole". This time with just a little cleaning it made an appearance. I am now ready for some rebuild kits. I did have a step backwards today. I broke a bolt off in the bottom of the brake line connection under the headlight. So I decided to soak and use an easy out. Here is a picture of that process . . . .

just before I broke off the easy out! I believe that I have ruined that part, so if you have an extra, let me know. All in all a good day. I hope I can get those pistons out tomorrow. I used air pressure today to no avail, but maybe they will pop after some soaking.

[kparrott]

Hey if you need any help let me know, I'm in BG. I'm not a bike mechanic by any means, but I do know how to replace brake pads properly

[polkadot]

You know, its easy to pile on the PO about his brake pads, but he got half of them right. Batting .500 puts you in the baseball Hall of Fame! ( Maybe he should be playing Baseball?)

[kparrott]

Thats a good point!

[robin1731]

You said you are soaking the calipers because you couldn't get the pistons out. What are you soaking them in? Hopefully nothing like PB blaster or anything. That will just cause any rubber parts to swell and make them even tighter.

[polkadot]

Robin, You are kidding, right? That would be a real rookie mistake. I can not believe that you would even suggest such a thing! But, since this is an educational site, lets help some others in this situation. Suppose hypothetically that some of our uninformed friends had been soaking them in kroil oil. What would you suggest to them? What would be the best way to remove those pistons without damaging them? Hypothetically I mean! Thanks