Was asked about these in a PM from someone who'd been going through some old threads. One question I didn't know the answer to and the rest is worth a thread for anyone potentially interested. So here goes:
Are the Brembo calipers supplied on the 08 and up touring bikes rebuildable? Short answer is yes.
Mother Harley says they aren't. This only means they don't sanction it and don't sell the parts to do it. You've got a few options.
First off they are as rebuildable as any other caliper you've ever handled. Nothing special about working them. For any of a variety of reasons Mother Harley chooses not to. Either for higher margins on the sell of complete calipers or not trusting dealership service departments to work on them; Big Brother says no. But that's just them. The calipers are completely serviceable.
This comes up (probably) more for guys looking to chrome calipers that originally weren't chrome. Doing that you've got a couple of options. There are rebuild kits in the aftermarket (thanks to HD-Dude for first finding these awhile back). At first there were just complete rebuild kits with pistons and seals. About $40 per caliper and Drag # 1702-0117 ($33 at Lake Shore) for the front. A bit more expensive and Drag # 1702-0118 for the rear.
If the pistons are good there's now also a kit that's just the seals. $12 each and 1702-0125 or 1702-0126 for front and rear respectively.
Removing three bolts allows splitting the two caliper halves. Use compressed air to move the pistons before you split the halves. Put something between the halves so the pistons move without shooting out completely. That way you can be sure all four move rather than having one or two shoot out while two or three stay stuck. If you have to grab them with pliers to get them moving to begin with you'll likely be spending more money as you'll mark up the pistons a bit. That means you'll be buying full rebuild kits rather than just seals.
ChromeMasters in Nashville has done a great job chroming these calipers. They've done several for me. You'll want to send four of the six bolts that bolt together a pair of calipers. Only four are exposed outside the caliper's screen. Cost for this has been around $225. It's been around $250 if you send the screens too. Rather than chroming I've done the screens with a good primer coat and a can of spray paint to match the bike a couple times too. It's a nice splash of color if you're so inclined.
Someone else has to answer on the newer supposedly non-rebuildable clutch master cylinders though. Was asked if they're just declared to be non-rebuildable (like the calipers) or if Mother Harley has actually built them in such a way you can't work on them. I don't know. Never had one in hand yet.
Parts list still show kits for the master cylinders for the years prior to the change (09 if I remember right). But whether it's just a declaratory change or the cylinders are now truly unserviceable I don't know. Can someone who's had one in hand offer some insight? The supposedly non-serviceable later cylinders and the serviceable earlier pieces would be interchangeable though. Not that it's worthwhile to toss a perfectly good master cylinder just to install one you can work on later. But at least you've got options if the later piece is unavailable sometime.
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Topic: Brembo Caliper Rebuilding and the Newer "non-rebuildable" Master Cylinders (Read 1752 times)