Topic: Dual caliper brakes, sticking piston. Is this ok for a DIY mechanic to handle?

[rob]

Hi everyone,

I was all set tonight to get my hands dirty and take apart the piston on a dual caliper front brake system from an '81 CB650C, but the Clymer manual for the bike says that this job requires special tools and that it is best left for a service shop.

Is this true?  Or did they just want to avoid potential legal troubles after having a reader have their front brakes fail after taking the piston apart?

I took both calipers off the rotor, and placed a screw driver between each pad in turn, and carefully squeezed the brake lever.  One of the calipers would return to its old position right away, and the other was stuck.  Infact, when I tried to push it back into place, I could hear the piston grinding away inside.  Is the book right?  Is fixing this beyond the DIY mechanic?

On the same line, one of the front fork seals has a little bit of a leak.  This bike has air assist forks, and the Clymer manual again says that to replace them requires special tools and is best left to a shop mechanic...

Thanks,

Rob

[Chris in Ramsey]

Hi Rob, the brakes on your bike are the same as on the 77-78 750F's and are no more complicated than any ather SOHC4, there's just more of them! Check the FAQ section and the Tech library for info.

[dpen]

As well as the FAQ & Tech Library, a good site is www.salocal.com/sohc/tech/tech.htm
Good info & pictures-easily adaptable to what you want to do.