hello dudes, for those that have not read the what have you don today thread, my ss failed it's mot today. couple of things. brake, the inside rear pad ( left when sitting on bike) has worn down to nothing whilst the other is as new. The tester seemed to think there is something wrong with the calliper? Thoughts and advice ( in layman's terms please!) a good strip down and clean? New seals/piston kit? Hard job for a muppet? fork seal, it's leaking i would say quite badly.. I noticed it a while back but it was just a lil bit. After sitting for a while then riding today it's alot worse. They bad bit is, the tester pointed out a couple of small imperfections on the slider and was of the opinion that a new seal might not cut the mustard. they are very slight but are right at the top so the seal is constantly running over em as opposed to at the bottom of the travel. Anyhu, as always, any thoughts/ help gratefully received ( piss taking tolerated)
If the fork leg is only slightly pitted try a carborundom stone on it (gently).caliper probably could do with a good clean ,I use an old tooth brush and brake cleaner.
The calliper most likely has a sticky piston and a good clean should free it off. Unbolt the calliper but keep the hydraulics connected, remove the pads and using a clamp to keep one piston retracted carefully pump the other one out as far as possible without pushing it out altogether. You should manage to get about 15mm showing. Clean the piston with brake cleaner then coat the sides of it with red brake grease before pushing it all the way back in. Clamp that piston and do the same to the other one and that should fix the sticky pistons. Refit the calliper with new pads. For the forks, obviously they will need new seals. For a proper fix the stanchions should be replaced but it would probably be cheaper to have the hard chrome plating replated. This place is supposed to be very good Pitted Forks - Motorbike Fork Rechroming - Motorcycle Fork Refurbishment - Bike Fork Repair - UK As a cheapskate fix that might last long enough. You can lightly sand down the pitted area with fine 600 grade wet & dry to remove any sharp edges. This will leave a dull area which might look unsightly but it will prevent the new seals from getting ripped.
All the above is good advice, although fitting a new set of Fork Seals could prove challenging if you're not confident and have a limited toolbox. Love that word, always have, it rolls of the tongue so well I want to shout it: CARBORUNDUM. Nasher.
An old trick was to smooth off burrs and fill the slight dimple / defect with a little touch of Araldite and gently smooth - never done it though and don't know if it works but happy to offer useless suggestions :Bucktooth:
thanks for the replies guys. Will do as suggested with the brake. I have changed pads and bled brakes in the past but never over hauled a calliper. Hopefully the cleaning and lubing works. the fork is not corroded as such, as in no rust or major pitting but more has like 2 tiny indentations, for lack of a better description, that are very shallow. I'm talking half the size of a match head and half a mm deep. The tester said stone chips but they ain't really as no sharp edges on em. Shame I can't post a pic. I'll try but am 99% sure they won't show up on this camera.
these are so slight and close to the top I think id struggle to do that even If I was interested in your hair braided schemes! but thank you:Bucktooth:
Apparently it is because it is something to do with leaning on the sidestand - I used a rear paddock stand when not using the bike for a while. Perhaps there is a lot more weight against the near side lip of the left fork seal, so it gets compressed.
Mmm! Not sold on that BUT it's a good theory, I also use the paddock stand on all my machines and wipe the fork sliders with an oily rag after every journey and have never had a leaky seal on a long term bike,
Well, apart from MCT told me that, I don't know why it is usually the left, but every pair of Ducati forks (four pairs) I have had to do because of a leaky seal, it was the left (or the worst)...........but then, I no longer care, because I have sold my Ducati with two pairs of non-leaky forks. However, as my HD leans over more than any Ducati, I will be interested to see which one leaks first!
Keep the sliders lightly oiled when static and wipe them before a journey that way no dust/dirt gets pulled into the seals,compress the forks regularly if the bikes left standing for long periods of time to keep the seals lubed,works for me!
Why?? Condensation running/dripping onto the left fork leg due to the lean on the sidestand and causing corrosion of the fork leg??
Gravy is no good for protection. I know what Old Rider means - a slight surface rust on the chrome slider could abrade a seal, I guess.
