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[murphy]

We all need one of these:

Widgets

[Twolanerider]

Says who ?   Being able to take something apart dose not translate to it being rebuildable.

HD said in 2007 that the Calipers are not rebuildable and it's my understanding this came from Brembo as in their opinion the caliper will out last the bike.

Not rebuildable; because they won't sell the parts to rebuild it.  That's the only reason. 

The calipers do come apart.  The pistons and o-rings do come out.  They can be reinstalled.  That and pehaps a little honing is all there is to rebuilding most calipers.  These included.  The pair disassembled on my work bench are but on example.  Their non-rebuildable specification is a policy choice not a physical fact of the parts ability to be worked on.

[CVORick]

Louis, there is no doubt in my mind that your view probably represents the sane majority.  For those of us who have spent a lifetime tearing stuff apart and putting it back together, however, it is a hard pill to swallow.  Maybe it's my Scottish heritage, but I just can't embrace throwing away perfectly good stuff just because I can't obtain the one little piece I need to fix the entire thing.  BTW, it's OK to think I'm crazy, or even come right out and say it.  My wife tells me I'm nuts all the time, as I take things like her vacuum cleaner or hair dryer apart and fix them versus throwing them in the trash and buying new ones.  Even if I find I can't fix it, I just feel better knowing I tried.  Yup, I'm certifiable.
Jerry

Jerry, sounds like we are married to sisters!!!  Sorry for the brief hijack.

[Harleypingman]

The answer may be as simple as HD wanting to cut-out the option of aftermarket chrome plating of Brembo calipers and driving customers to purchase their chrome calipers from HD, or HD wanting to avoid stocking additional SKU's for repair parts and their reduced margins from making repair parts available, or both.

It certainly isn't a very "green" policy on HD's part to require trashing an entire caliper when all that may be needed are some new seals and/or pistons to reuse the originals.

Let's hope an enterprising guy will figure out a source for replacement seals and pistons for the Brembos and package them for sale to shops and individuals.

Carl

[Twolanerider]

That ^ remark proves how much of a dinosaur I am. I was only cumulatively cheap and annoyed. Never thought of it from an environmental perspective.  

[CVORick]

The answer may be as simple as HD wanting to cut-out the option of aftermarket chrome plating of Brembo calipers and driving customers to purchase their chrome calipers from HD, or HD wanting to avoid stocking additional SKU's for repair parts and their reduced margins from making repair parts available, or both.

It certainly isn't a very "green" policy on HD's part to require trashing an entire caliper when all that may be needed are some new seals and/or pistons to reuse the originals.

Let's hope an enterprising guy will figure out a source for replacement seals and pistons for the Brembos and package them for sale to shops and individuals.

Carl

The only GREEN HD thinks about is the GREEN they get from your wallet...

[grc]

Just in case anyone thought this new nonrepairable policy is limited to calipers, I thought I'd attach part of a recent bulletin concerning the clutch master cylinder, which is also nonrepairable on the 2010 models after a certain date.  How much you want to bet there will be a similar bulletin somewhere about the brake master cylinder, eventually followed by many more in a similar vein?


Jerry

[BillH]

S--it Jerry - where does this stuff stop.  A mechanical assembly with seals and "o"rings that can't be serviced with $6 of rubber parts.  The housing is fine, it just needs some "wear"parts after a bunch of miles....my dad would turn over, all he ever did was rebuild stuff...

[mattm]

I wouldn't think twice about rebuilding a master cylinder or a caliper myself. BUT where I think this is going, after some of the horror stories we have all heard about some of the HD "techs" out there,  who here would want to jump on a bike with the brakes just serviced by a less then average tech.  Maybe by making these parts non-serviceable HD is trying to control the rebuild quality.  Last I heard brakes can be pretty important.  I hope no one takes offense to this, but we have all heard those stories.

[Twolanerider]

I wouldn't think twice about rebuilding a master cylinder or a caliper myself. BUT where I think this is going, after some of the horror stories we have all heard about some of the HD "techs" out there,  who here would want to jump on a bike with the brakes just serviced by a less then average tech.  Maybe by making these parts non-serviceable HD is trying to control the rebuild quality.  Last I heard brakes can be pretty important.  I hope no one takes offense to this, but we have all heard those stories.

Saying they need to be rebuild without error is not saying they can't be rebuilt though.  Grew up rebuilding wheel cylinders, calipers, master cylinders and other hydraulics.  Careful attention to detail and recognition of what you're seeing and feeling is all it takes.  That many would choose not to is perfectly understandable.  That by policy choice a mftr chooses to disallow us the option, however, really isn't.