Triumphrat

Bigngreen · 09-10-2009, 01:40 PM

Brakes have gone soft again. Spanner monkey who cleaned the dust seals out for me last winter said I might need some new ones soon.

Have any of you guys tried this? How hard is it to get the dust and caliper seals in? Do I need to remove the caliper from the banjo bolts to clean them?

Getting fed up riding 75 miles each way to a mechanic I can trust, should I give it a go? Haynes manual kinda warns me off it....

PeteH · 09-10-2009, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigngreen

Brakes have gone soft again.

Suggest you bleed them through, cant see the seals making em go soft, more like making em stick.
Replaced the seals and pistons in mine last winter due to sticking problems, worst bits where getting the pistons back in the bores(straight) and trying to bleed the system.
Any probs post up

Skidpan · 09-11-2009, 01:55 AM

As we say round here, I'll plait fog if the dust seals are making the brake action 'soft'.

Tiger-G · 09-12-2009, 05:57 AM

B&G,

Changing the seals is an easy job for most.

The pistons go back in ok with some brake fluid on them to help them slide. And you get the satisfaction of knowing that the jobs been done properly. Make sure you clean everything and no dirt gets caught in the seals.

I agree with Pete, the hardest bit is bleeding the brakes. For some reason it takes ages to get the air out the system.

Go on, give it a go !!

Jonny955 · 09-14-2009, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by graeme

B&G,

Changing the seals is an easy job for most.

The pistons go back in ok with some brake fluid on them to help them slide. And you get the satisfaction of knowing that the jobs been done properly. Make sure you clean everything and no dirt gets caught in the seals.

I agree with Pete, the hardest bit is bleeding the brakes. For some reason it takes ages to get the air out the system.

Go on, give it a go !!

The front twin caliper set up is especially challenging...but there is a well-known technique to make it easy & quick, which most of you will know....

Unbolt the caliper furthest away on the brake line (the one that is 'fed' off the other caliper with only one hydraulic hose. Place a brake-disk wide object inside the caliper and ensure that it cannot fall out. Raise the caliper above the mudguard (so that any air bubble naturally travel up the line) & bleed away in the usual manner.

I rebuild & clean the calipers each year before the winter but I've managed to avoid using new seals so far (I have some in stock just in case). Whilst the pistons are out I remove the two halves of the caliper and clean up the slinding pins too. It might sound a bit of extra work to do this every year but I've paid the price of corroded caliper parts on a secondhand Tiger in the past...I also quite like the idea that my brakes feel good, too!

2nded on the 'give it a go'

Jon

Bigngreen · 09-15-2009, 05:28 AM

Thanks for the bleeding advice Jonny. Stripped the calipers this morning and found one dust seal damaged. Just waiting for the brake fluid I bought to settle down then I'm off out to fil up.

Cheers for the help