Author Topic: Rebuilt 550 brakes...will not turn freely after dual setup (Read 3115 times)

shizzomynizzo · « **on:** October 25, 2011, 08:29:59 AM »

I have a 74 550 that i have been working on for the last year...it is 90 percent there and hope to have it out before winter.

I did the dual disc setup and SS lines. I bought a new m/c off eBay...heard good things...and new ebc pads.

When i bled the brakes, it took a little longer than i expected but i an assuming it was because everything was new and dry. I rebuilt the calipers per the FAQ and used new seals and silicone as recomended.

Now that they are together they bite the rotors hard even though i do not pull the lever. I can move the wheel...but not without some force.
Will this go away after i drive it around the block? Should i take a few mm off the pads?

Thanks,
Shizz

Tews19 · « **Reply #1 on:** October 25, 2011, 09:09:13 AM »

Remove the little white washer... Had the same issue until I removed it

shizzomynizzo · « **Reply #2 on:** October 25, 2011, 09:16:58 AM »

Okay...thx

If i used oem instead of ebc would i have had same issue?

seaweb11 · « **Reply #3 on:** October 25, 2011, 09:17:54 AM »

On the new disk side did you shave off any of the fork mount? or use a spacer?
I know on the 750 the caliper wont line up without a bit of each.

shizzomynizzo · « **Reply #4 on:** October 25, 2011, 09:23:16 AM »

I did not shave or use spacer. It appears straight but i will double check it later when i get home.

Anyone else who did 550 duals...did u use spacer or shave anything?
How many washers did you need for the top bolts?

burnoutking1971 · « **Reply #5 on:** October 25, 2011, 10:27:30 AM »

Hello
I did a dual disc conversion on a 77 CB 550. I did have to remove material from the right side fork leg. It was quite a lot of material ( a few mm) and I believe I used 2 washers as shims as well. I can go to the garage and look, maybe take a quick picture since the front end is still together and I have not disassembled it yet.

shizzomynizzo · « **Reply #6 on:** October 25, 2011, 11:36:57 AM »

Quote from: burnoutking1971 on October 25, 2011, 10:27:30 AM

Hello
I did a dual disc conversion on a 77 CB 550. I did have to remove material from the right side fork leg. It was quite a lot of material ( a few mm) and I believe I used 2 washers as shims as well. I can go to the garage and look, maybe take a quick picture since the front end is still together and I have not disassembled it yet.

I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks!

Scott S · « **Reply #7 on:** October 25, 2011, 12:01:57 PM »

What washer(s) are you guys talking about?

Burnoutking, pics would be great, as I'm collecting parts to do this myself.

shizzomynizzo · « **Reply #8 on:** October 25, 2011, 12:33:44 PM »

Quote from: Scott S on October 25, 2011, 12:01:57 PM

What washer(s) are you guys talking about?

Burnoutking, pics would be great, as I'm collecting parts to do this myself.

Between the pad and piston there is a small "quarter" sized plastic? washer. I thought it was needed, but I guess is not needed when using new ebc pads.

I still need to take a look at the alignment of the caliper on the right side, and make sure it is perfectly parallel. I guess it is very common to have to shave a little on the bottom and use washers to shim the top.

seaweb11 · « **Reply #9 on:** October 25, 2011, 12:49:06 PM »

That plastic washer is for brake squeal reduction.

Scott S · « **Reply #10 on:** October 25, 2011, 01:28:39 PM »

Quote from: shizzomynizzo on October 25, 2011, 12:33:44 PM

I still need to take a look at the alignment of the caliper on the right side, and make sure it is perfectly parallel. I guess it is very common to have to shave a little on the bottom and use washers to shim the top.

Shave a little from the mounting ears on the fork or from the caliper holder/arm thing?

burnoutking1971 · « **Reply #11 on:** October 25, 2011, 02:36:49 PM »

I apologize for the poor picture quality. My girlfriend has the good camera at school this evening. What I had to do to get the caliper arm lined up nice and straight was to remove material slowly from the fork leg with a file. I had to test fit the caliper assembly maybe 3-4 times to make sure it was straight.

I used a file instead of a grinder so I would not remove too much material. I should note that after filing I used compressed air nozzle with a rubber tip and a rag (to protect my eyes) to clean the bolt holes. I also used some WD-40 and a bottoming or I think they call it a plug tap to clean the holes as well.

I know if the caliper is not straight the first time you apply the brakes it might stick or if it is a little off will cause some drag.

I used just some washers I had laying about for the mock up and test ride. I planned on and, have started to disassemble the bike for restoration. I had to use 2 washers on the back bolt, and 2 on the front to get the line up perfect. I did try to assemble the caliper arm without removing material from the fork leg however; the alignment was way off.

My buddy has a pdf file with instructions on how to do this swap. I have email him and asked he sent it to me so I can post it and share. I will my best to get more detailed photos tomorrow from the top view so you can see how it is to be aligned.

I also rebuilt both calipers with new seals and stainless pistons and use new pads on both sides as well.

Scott S · « **Reply #12 on:** October 25, 2011, 03:22:05 PM »

I guess I'm hard headed......why remove material and then add it back in the form of washers? Just to get the exact offset you need? Did you have to do this on both sides or just on the RH side where the new disc/cliper was added?

burnoutking1971 · « **Reply #13 on:** October 25, 2011, 04:32:03 PM »

Hi, Scott I only had to remove material on the right fork leg. The mounting bosses on the right fork leg were uneven, I had to use washers of slightly different thickness to get the exact alignment. I know it seems weird removing material only to have to use shims later. My issue was the rear mount boss was the one that was most troublesome. Also the rear boss was kinda uneven and it was way too long for proper alignment. The front mounting boss I never had to touch it at all just cleaned the threads.

The left side was perfect since it allready had a disc brake from the factory. Only other issue was a speedo drive which can be bought from a member here for a great price. (rangelov) I think is his name here. Do a search on dual disc speedo drive CB 550 and you may find him.

I still have a little fine tuning to do yet. But I will wait untill everything is polished and I'm putting the bike together again. The inital set up worked well for a quick few rides around the block.

I will do my best to get a better picture for you.

burnoutking1971 · « **Reply #14 on:** October 25, 2011, 04:43:31 PM »

still need to take a look at the alignment of the caliper on the right side, and make sure it is perfectly parallel. I guess it is very common to have to shave a little on the bottom and use washers to shim the top.

@shizzyomynizzo

That is exactly what I had to do, shim the top out, remove a little material from the bottom mounting boss.

"face palm" I should have just said that in the first place!

cben750f0 · « **Reply #15 on:** October 25, 2011, 05:02:05 PM »

put a straight edge on the side of the caliper arm ( with caliper off) and see if it is parallel with the disc. add shims, or remove metal until parallel.

there should be a document i wrote up in the faq section somewhere.

peace

shizzomynizzo · « **Reply #16 on:** October 26, 2011, 05:36:53 AM »

Thanks for all your help guys. I did not get a chance to file and shim it correctly, but I do see that it is not perfectly parallel to the disc.

After this is done, I hope they don't drag.

Is it still necessary to remove the anti-squeal washers behind the pads?

Tews19 · « **Reply #17 on:** October 26, 2011, 05:43:32 AM »

Can take a straight in pic? I had to remove my anti squeal gasket and I didnt do the dual rotor. I used ebc pads

bwaller · « **Reply #18 on:** October 26, 2011, 07:33:37 AM »

Instead of rmoving material from the boss on a fork leg, remove it from the caliper bracket pivot pin. Check the pic.

Scott S · « **Reply #19 on:** October 27, 2011, 05:41:23 AM »

I was asking Rangelov some questions about the speedo adapter and he said it won't work with the '78 hub.
Is it possible to do a DDC and keep the speedo drive on a '78 550K?

bwaller · « **Reply #20 on:** October 27, 2011, 05:51:56 AM »

Of course it's possible. Search around, it has come up dozens of times.

I can't remember what year this is but it's one solution for you to see.

Scott S · « **Reply #21 on:** October 27, 2011, 06:19:12 AM »

Can you tell me what I'm looking at? I've read several threads on the DDC and didn't catch the part about the '78 hub.
Is that something I modify on my hub?

Remember...I'mtalking 550 and not 750, if that makes a difference.

shizzomynizzo · « **Reply #22 on:** October 27, 2011, 06:43:25 AM »

Quote from: bwaller on October 26, 2011, 07:33:37 AM

Instead of rmoving material from the boss on a fork leg, remove it from the caliper bracket pivot pin. Check the pic.

I like the idea behind this, but everything is powdercoated except the fork leg, so that is where the file is touching!

I would rather not, but I will scrape the red PC off parts of the bracket that I do not want to if I take material from there.

Thanks again everyone! I would fail without you!

the technological J · « **Reply #23 on:** October 27, 2011, 06:45:22 AM »

no difference.... thats the modified speedo drive

crazypj · « **Reply #24 on:** October 27, 2011, 07:13:55 AM »

Make sure pads/caliper are 'square' to the disc.
You will have to do slight modification to fork mounting points as they were not machined from factory.
The stock adjuster bolt works (I see from your pic you have lock nut 'inside', I did the same

)
It's pretty easy to do fork leg, just remove wheel and mudguard and rotate bottom so you can work on it

burnoutking1971 · « **Reply #25 on:** October 27, 2011, 07:24:14 AM »

@ bwaller

Thanks for the post. I like that idea better and will follow your idea on both my other bikes.

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Author Topic: Rebuilt 550 brakes...will not turn freely after dual setup (Read 3115 times)