My first bit of SV fettling.

What kind of sadistic **** uses pad retaining pins that just push in &
are held in place with an R clip, thus ensuring you haven't a chance in
hell of getting them out when they're seized? It even goes into a blind
hole so you can't knock it out from t'other side. Bastards. I've had to
split the rear caliper just to change the fucking pads.

If that's typical of modern Japanese 'design', I'm bloody glad I
haven't got any Jap bikes.

 

The simple solution is to drill a 3mm hole in the lug at the blind end
of the retaining pin hole and punch them out using a parallel punch,
but you didn't ask me beforehand so I couldn't tell you this.

 

I did Google & was going to do that once I got the pins out. There's no
way I could do it from the outside without a pillar drill, & even then
I wouldn't want to risk it.

As it is, the pins refuse to budge even though I can now get a proper
grip with the moleys, so I'll just stick the new pads over them & put
the caliper back together & worry about it next time (I'm trying to get
it on the road by Thursday).

 

Grumpy bugger.

Not that you don't have good reason mind ....

All the best mate.

Cheers,

Paul.

 

What the man said ^^^. Only way to do a proper job without totally fucking
the pins.
BTDT on my son's SV. All 3 of the sodding things. And you don't need a
pillar drill. A cordless is fine.

JB

 

BTDT. I actually got the holes dead centre, too. Luck more than
judgement, methinks. ISTR that was after I'd tried sawing the pin in
half and beating the ends around to free it - the pin sheared off
flush with the caliper body, IIRC.

 

Brembos on the Guzzi perchance?

JB

 

Ah, maybe things are different on this model (it's a K1). Two pins on
the rear caliper, one each on the fronts. The front ones have a hex
head so weren't a problem.

I wouldn't trust myself to get it spot on. There's no hint of where the
pins would stick out if they were longer, so eyeballing it & doing it
freehand with such a small area to aim for didn't appeal.

 

Same on his. the "3" was referring to _all_ of the sodding calipers.

What you got to lose eh? Bit of skin? ptchah!
Agreed though. Pain in the arse and very poor design.
JB

 

Ah with you now.

Oh I don't care about that, but I do care about possibly fucking up a
caliper on somebody else's bike.

If it were mine I'd get a friendly man with a lathe to take a few bolts
down to the right thickness so I'd have a hex/socket head to twist next
time.

 

No need if you use copper grease on the pin and in the hole next time.
After I've drilled them out I plug the hole with silicone to stop any
further water ingress.

Drilling them out isn't as traumatic as it sounds, you just have to
measure three times and then centre punch where you're going to drill.
Like JB said, a decent cordless is all you need.

 

No. I've never had serious corrosion problems with Brembos. I had to
beat out the pins on the Grimecas on the Quota last weekend
(shamefully neglected by me) but that's all.

The Gold Brembos on the sadly neglected V11 were clearly corroded but
otherwise came apart OK and the pistons, though slightly stiff and
again showing slight corrosion where they met the pads, freed up
easily enough. I do like Brembos.

 

Hmm... the two pot brembos on the K100/K75 have in the past suffered
from pin siezing which required the calipers to be split and the pin
seriously abused (cut in half, bent over to try to get leverage to twist
rust free).

The four pot brembos on the K1100 (which I hadn't touched beyond
changing fluid in five years) had siezed the pistons on one side (in
board I think) of both calipers. Needed to get a grease gun on them to
push the pistons out. Ended up buying a full set of new pistons. Ouch.

 

Pfft. Same with the Bandit, same with the RF900. Same rear calipers,
in fact. Parts Bin Specials, don't you love 'em?

Really, the job's a POP - fucking off the little wizened cunts in the
wooden shed off the production floor who are always on about "How we
**** up Jonny Loundeye today, den?" is always a bonus.

It isn't like that area of the casting carries a huge brake-related
load, and it's only the rear caliper when all's said and done, innit?
I did a 1.5/2mm hole followed by a 4mm bit, giving clearance for the
drift - and the pins knocked straight out, no problem - along with a
snotty lump of impacted steel/ally corrosion, but that's what the job's
all about.

I'll give you that the original design is a POS - see the wizened guys
comment - but it isn't nearly as much of a bastard as Camaro rear axle
bolts, right?

 

I thought you couldn't get replacement pistons for the four-potter
Brembos. Nor seals.

Thought it was a 'replace the whole caliper' jobbie. Product liability
or somesuch.

 

Oh I will, I use it on pretty much everything. Interestingly every
other fastener on it that I've touched so far has been nicely greased,
including the front caliper pins which I pulled out with my fingers no
problem. Quite a surprise considering it's been stood unused outside
for 18 months.

This made me wonder why the rear caliper hadn't received the same love,
so I had a look through the service history. Sure enough, the last time
it saw a dealer was to have the rear caliper seals replaced. So yet
another example of something a dealer had touched causing problems.

 

No I fucking don't!

Aye, & if I had the time & small enough drillbits I'd give it a go. I
haven't even got the new workshop kitted out yet so I'm working on a
bit of OSB clamped to a Workmate - not ideal for such tasks. It can
wait 'til the winter.

Sounds like there's a story there - do tell.

 

Don't they have compasses in your part of the world? Starting at two fixed
points, scribe a cross, drill, done.

I've already dug mine out for the SV I'm doing for a pal this weekend. Full
service, fluid change, pad changes front and back, 2 new sprox and chain and
fix the oil leak from around the clutch push rod seal.

 

I'd take a good look in your garage if I were you - two Tigers? While
you're in there take a good look at all the calipers on your Tigers and
tell me where they came from - clue, it's not good old British Triumph
like it says on the sides, it's the same slanty-eyed nation of
whale-slaughtering cunts who made the rear caliper fitted to the SV.

 

I don't 'love' them either.

Yes. I. Know. But they're calipers with socket head screw-in pins.