Well I realised today that I'm a tool. I own a workshop manual for my 'Wang, but have I actually referred to it before working on the bike? Nope. Because I'm a tool. Not because I'm suffering from adult ADHD mind, (even though I am) but rather, just because I'm a tool.
Today I decided to investigate my brakes. I replaced all three discs when I put it back on the road, as they were undersize. Well, the left front one was still OK, but the right front was paper thin (well maybe "cardboard thin", it was actually about 2.3mm thick, about 1.7 mm under the minimum thickness) as was the rear, which also had a big "lip" on it. I'd also replaced the pads, but I hadn't flushed/replaced the brake fluid, so armed with a shiny new bottle of Shell Dot 4, I triumphantly marched out to the big black beastie.
Now while I was at it, I decided that I'd check to make sure both front calipers were operating correctly. You see, I'd noticed on a couple of occasions that the left disc gets very hot, but the right one is cold. Hmmnn, being the fool that I am, I surmised that either the left caliper might be slightly seized, causing the pads to drag and heat the disc up, (quite common on older bikes that haven't been maintained, like this one) or the right caliper might be seized with the pistons all the way in.
I removed the left caliper from the forks, removed the pads, and observed the pistons moving in and out as I pulled the brake lever. No problems there, I then reassembled it back on to the bike. I removed the right caliper, removed the pads, pumped the brake lever, and, nothing. Aha! Seized caliper says I! I disconnected the brake hose from the caliper to ensure that the hose wasn't blocked, and a little fluid ran out, but it felt like the hose was blocked, because no matter how hard I pumped that lever, the "blockage" couldn't be moved. Bugger! I tried poking a fine SS wire up the hose, but it only went so far and then wouldn't go any further. Poop.
I had a brainwave. If I couldn't pump the blockage out one way, why not pump it out from the other end? Fcuk I'm smart! I hooked another MC up from the caliper end of the hose, and pumped away, but even though both levers were nice and hard, whatever was blocking the hose just wouldn't budge. Bummer! I'd thought about replacing the hose with whatever I had in my garage, but when I traced the routing of the hose from the caliper up, I realised that the hose went up towards the steering head, then disappeared into the bowels of the fairing above the engine. Fcuk! I wouldn't have a hose that long, why the hell did Honda make that hose so long anyway? Then "The Penny dropped"..........
My bike has linked brakes. The front MC controls the left front disc, and the rear MC controls the rear caliper, and the right front caliper! Double Fcuk! During Honda's brief "Soichiro's finally retired, so lets go mad in the R&D Department" period in the mid 1980's, Honda experimented with smaller front wheels, "Anti-Dive" front forks, and they also copied Moto-Guzzi's "One trick Pony", linked brakes. My bike has all of these things fitted.
Had I bothered to browse thru my Clymer manual, I'm sure it would have pointed that out fairly quickly, but no, I, being a tool, am much too smart to read my manual, so I wasted a good hour or so of riding time, farting around, fixing a problem that didn't actually exist. Oh dear........
Anyway, it could have been worse. I could have actually pulled my fairing off to get to the other end of that brake hose so I could replace it, which I didn't, so I shouldn't beat myself up too much, but I did laugh hysterically when I realised what a tool I am. Oh well, I guess I've learned something today, and no harm done. I quickly flushed the brakes and replaced the fluid with nice new (Blue) Shell Dot 4, and tomorrow, I will ride! (unless it's raining, in which case I probably won't, because I'm also a chicken............) Cheers, "Terry the Tool".
