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[Boatman]

Don-

Are these pistons perfectly smooth on the OD??   My pistons have small grooves in the OD.  The small grooves go with the movement of the pistons.   I don't know if they are made that way or scored.  Kind of like a rifling effect (for lack of better words).

Thanks-Bob    and for the write up also.

[Twolanerider]

These are smooth Bob.  Also, none of the dozen or so of the Brembo calipers I've taken apart have had pistons like you describe.  All smooth.  Sealing and moving against o-rings they'd need to be.  Should have no texture at all.  You might be up for kits.

[Twolanerider]

Was asked in a PM where the colored bleeders and banjo bolts came from and if they were painted.  Not painted, anodized.  Available in a few different colors from:

http://www.2wheelpros.com/lightech-single-banjo-bolt-with-bleeder-1-0-thread-aftermarket-brembo-2356669.html

[Fireguy]

How about a pic by pic of you bleeding the brakes. Would like to do this to mine but bleeding the brakes is the only thing stopping me.

[Twolanerider]

How about a pic by pic of you bleeding the brakes. Would like to do this to mine but bleeding the brakes is the only thing stopping me.

Not that much digital imagery in the world......


No kidding that can be an annoying chore sometimes.  On a non-ABS bike it's straightforward.  But it can still suck.  I fill the master cylinder, hook a vacuum tool up with lines to both front calipers, pull enough vacuum to get fluid out of the cylinder and then stand over the master cylinder and keep adding fluid as it gets low four or five times.  Crack the vacuum at that point then start actually bleeding the calipers.

Five or six pumps and crack a bleeder.  Repeat repeat repeat ad nauseum until you get good brakes.  Might take 20 minutes overall or might take an hour and a half.  No magic bullet, at least not for me.  The bleeder setup on these (otherwise good) brembo calipers is stoooopid not conducive to easy bleeding.  Having the inlet line as high as the bleeder isn't ideal.

[Midnight Rider]

Yep, bleeding those lines can be a real aggravation.  I have not done the Brembo's, but when I put the PM calipers on the '06, it was a real PITA to get them bled, even with the vacuum kit.  I finally had to let them gravity bleed for a couple of hours or more, then do the normal routine as you describe.  No matter what, it's going to be a frustrating chore at best.  You can get the obvious air out pretty easy, but when it gets to the point of getting all the tiny air bubbles out, it's a pain.  A lovely assistant helps a bit...

[Boatman]

Just got done rebuilding both front calipres with new pistons and seal but my noise still remains when braking.  Did not understand reply #6 about installing metal clip before tightening halves of calipre but do now.  The halves of the calipres have no aligning pins so when tightening up, the tabs where the metal clip goes can be slightly off.  Gravity bleed and then bleed with help from wife/daughter.

Thanks again, Don..

[FLY-DOG]

Outstanding article and very informative....thanks!!

[TexasBowhunter]

Nice job
subscribed for future reference
paul

[mjonesjr84]

I know this is an old thread, but I've got a question.

Where did you get your rebuild kit with the pistons?

[Boatman]

I know this is an old thread, but I've got a question.

Where did you get your rebuild kit with the pistons?

A Drag Specialties dealer such as M&M Cycle in Sandusky, Ohio..

[Twolanerider]

I know this is an old thread, but I've got a question.

Where did you get your rebuild kit with the pistons?

At the time the full kits with pistons were available in the Drag catalog.  I've since been told that kit is discontinued and that the only thing currently available is the seal kits.  Barring actual physical damage from scoring or some other source there's no particular reason the original pistons shouldn't be re-used though.

[ATH]

Twolanerider chapeau this is an excellent posting. Thanks a million for your time and effort man. This will let us all benefit from


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ltank]

They appear to have the same type and amount of parts as the earlier Harley brake calipers. I have redone mine even though they were working fine. Do they stop any better than the 2000 and later types?

[Twolanerider]

They appear to have the same type and amount of parts as the earlier Harley brake calipers. I have redone mine even though they were working fine. Do they stop any better than the 2000 and later types?

At the time I first started messing with these I did do some measured breaking tests.  Did them from 45 and 60 to measure stopping distances before and after as well as I could master the pucker factor of going to near lockup repeatedly.  It's been long enough I don't remember the exact distances but the Brembos did stop a little shorter.  It was a repeatable difference.  Not huge but definitely real.  When you consider that sometimes 12 or 15 feet might be all the difference between stopping and wrecking even a little can be what you need.

What I do remember being far more noticeable immediately was that feedback was better.  I felt like I knew better when lockup was going to happen after making the swap.