Topic: Siezed front brake.

[caferacer550]

hello.

I just have a newbie type question for you guys.
My friend has a bike that he let sit for 2 months.
No prep was done to it before letting it sit.
I went to check it out yesterday and the front brake was sized.
How would i go about fixing this problem?

One more thing, how long is it before the gas separates and clogs the carbs.
Was 2 months too long?
Or should it start up fine?
Is there anything I can do to make it easier?

Thanks again.

[ProTeal55]

As far as the brake goes, I would try and take it apart, and re-build it.
You might need to do the compressed air thing to get the pistion away from the
caliper - as I am sure it is froze in there good N' tight. Rebuild parts are available
at any honda dealer..

For the gas , I would replace it. Fuel turns to water pretty quick. I would drain the old, and start
off with some frsh , a new set of plugs, etc..

Good luck.......

[DONZIE]

A rebuild is in order but if you just want to be able to move the bike by rolling it, tap the rotor a couple times on each side with a hammer, you are not trying to drive a railroad spike now - just tap it lightly
DONZIE

[malcolmgb]

you don't say what model the bike is, but when I picked up my 400/4 the disc piston stuck. Rather than risk damage with a hammer I just untightened the 2 bolts clamping the pad holders and released adjuster, this allowed pads to free enough to move bike easily.

A rebuild is in order but if you just want to be able to move the bike by rolling it, tap the rotor a couple times on each side with a hammer, you are not trying to drive a railroad spike now - just tap it lightly
DONZIE

rather than use compressed air isn't it possible to use the hydraulic pressure to force piston out after removing caliper?

[ProTeal55]

.

A rebuild is in order but if you just want to be able to move the bike by rolling it, tap the rotor a couple times on each side with a hammer, you are not trying to drive a railroad spike now - just tap it lightly
DONZIE

rather than use compressed air isn't it possible to use the hydraulic pressure to force piston out after removing caliper?

I have heard of people doing that as well.....

[JonnyHonda]

.

A rebuild is in order but if you just want to be able to move the bike by rolling it, tap the rotor a couple times on each side with a hammer, you are not trying to drive a railroad spike now - just tap it lightly
DONZIE

rather than use compressed air isn't it possible to use the hydraulic pressure to force piston out after removing caliper?

I have heard of people doing that as well.....

I've done this, on my F2, front brakes, a few taps on the calipers, then un-bolt it while leaving it connected to the hydraulics, pull it off, now apply the brake lever continuously until to piston pops out, you will have to keep adding fluid to the reservoir, and it make a mess when the piston pops out.

[KB02]

Two months doesn't seem that long to make a brake seize up. I had an old Night hawk once that I had to rebuild the system twice due to a similar issue. The first time I did the rebuild kinda half-asses (rebuilt the caliper and topped off the fluid). The second time I did the WHOLE thing, cleaned out the MC, rebuild the caliper, new lines and all new fluid. That seemed to make a huge difference. 

As for the gas, I wouldn't think two months would be too bad. I've let motorcycles sit for much longfer that two months (Winter) without worrying about the gas. Smell it first. If it still smells like gas, then throw in a new set of plugs and crank her up. If it smells like tarnish, then drain it and clean out the carbs.

At least that's what I would do.

[n9viw]

Varnish is a bad thing, but the smell of tarnish always reminds me of polishing silverware at my mother's around the holidays.
Ditto JohnnyHonda on removing the caliper and pumping the MC until the piston came out and made a huge mess (thank goodness for extra rags). That worked for me the first time... the second time, the MC was blown and wouldn't help. I disconnected the line, closed the bleeder, and applied compressed air. The piston bruised the palm of my left hand when it came out! Woofta, that smarted, but it worked. Dug out the piston seal with a pick, and used another pick to scrape out the trench where the seal goes. Turns out corrosion in that area was what was causing the piston to seize. Haven't had a problem since, but by design, I'm sure I will again eventually.

[ofreen]

I've done this, on my F2, front brakes, a few taps on the calipers, then un-bolt it while leaving it connected to the hydraulics, pull it off, now apply the brake lever continuously until to piston pops out, you will have to keep adding fluid to the reservoir, and it make a mess when the piston pops out.

Hold it over a pan.

[ofreen]

Turns out corrosion in that area was what was causing the piston to seize. Haven't had a problem since, but by design, I'm sure I will again eventually.

Change the brake fluid every year.  Do that and it is likely you'll never have a problem again.  Even if you ride in the rain a lot.

[miller_87]

I actually had the same problem with my cb500 last week when I pulled it out.  Front brake wasnt siezed quite as bad, but it wasnt releasing as well as it should be.  Best thing to do is unbolt the caliper from the bracket and force the piston out with hydraulic pressure from teh brake fluid.  As far as the gas goes, mine sat for about three months, and i couldnt get any kinda fire out of it.  As soon as I dumped some gas into the spark plug holes, it fired for a few seconds.  Drain all the gas out of the carbs and gas tank and she should fire right up.

[ProTeal55]

Always a good idea to top off your fuel when putting anything into storage
for a pro-longed period of time. I am a big fan of using Sta-bil fuel stabilizer.
Keeps fuel fresh and useable for up to 6months...