I fixed the rear brake and I can ride the SV again.
Boy, I hate working on brakes. Brake fluid is just really a pain in the ass to deal with.
Well, you know a couple weeks ago I had the bolt on my torque arm come off, and so when I used my rear brake (which I rarely do, it's almost useless on that short-wheelbase SV) my caliper swung all the way around until it hit the top of the swingarm, ripping up the hose and breaking off a bleeder. Didn't hurt the swingarm or the caliper though! And didn't lock up the rear wheel, thankfully.
So last week all my parts are here, and I've been putting it off so I figure it's time.
So I look at the rear fluid reservoir, and found out I have to take off all the rear plastic to get to it. And to do that I have to take off my air horns, the turn signals, the rear rack, and the side racks. Do you have any idea what a 3D chinese puzzle those racks are?
Just to be able to put brake fluid in.
Now while I was doing this, my new OEM clutch plates came in, so I tossed the EBC crap and put those in. I can change a clutch in under 20 minutes, but it's a 3 hour job to add brake fluid. Alrighty then.
So while I have the plastic off, I figure I shouldn't have to put up with this is crap and had Mr. Zona saw and Mr. Coping saw cut a notch so I don't have to go through all this ever again. I cleaned it up with the Dremel tool and a fine bastard file and it looks good, but it doesn't really make a difference because this is all covered by the seat.
Kawasaki put in a notch on the ZX-7s. The 2nd gen SV puts it right down by the master cylinder, so they must have fired that junior designer.
I thought a long time about moving the reservoir somewhere else, but I eventually decided there wasn't anywhere better. Moving it inboard would be a big hassle with the line, and to move it down to the master cylinder I'd have to buy a 2nd gen reservoir. An hour with the saws was cheaper.
Anyway, so I extract the broken bleeder, replace the ripped hose, install speedbleeders, put in the new special $10 bolts & nuts on the torque arm, put it all back together, bleed the brakes, and adjust the brake light switch. While I was in there, I rip out the Scott-Oiler and pick up a barb fitting at Lowe's to splice the vacuum line back together. It's all done.
Bleeder weeps when I apply brake. A lot. It puts out a nice trickle. Even when it's really tightened down. Shit.
I swapped the speedbleeder with a stock bleeder and it still weeps. So I have to remove the caliper and inspect for debris or a damaged hole. Of course it's all tiny and crap, and I have to borrow some lenses from the camera so I can see what the hell is going on in there. It looks like a ton of black stuff and so I dug that all out with an awl and needlenose and some kleenex. I get out my 155-bit kit from Harbor-Freight and twirl a drill in there with my fingers to clean up the seat. I start with a #1 drill and keep going down to a #7.
(FYI, speedbleeders are these cool bleeders with a one-way check-valve, so you don't have to do the "push lever. hold lever. open bleeder. let lever go down. hold lever. close bleeder. lather. rinse. repeat." crap. With these you just crack them open and start pumping the lever, and close them when bubbles stop coming out. Very Trick. Very Schweeet.)
Of course now I have to rebleed everything and now my pads are nice and contaminated because brake fluid just goes everywhere. Lovely. I'm just coated in brake fluid.
Oh yeah, and while I'm doing all this brake bleeding, I have no one to make sure the reservoir has fluid and doesn't suck air, which is important because it has all the capacity of a beer cap. I ordered "bulkhead fittings" from McMaster-Carr and put them in the top of a mason jar. When I screw the jar lid on, it's airtight and I can flip it upside down and stick the end of the fitting in the reservoir, and it trickles out fluid when the level goes below the fitting. Of course the jar is glass, so I can keep an eye on the level. I thought of that myself.
I didn't mention the gymnastics I had to do to get the rear master cylinder into a position where I could crack the banjo bolt and let the air out. At least the return spring comes off easy.
I actually had a can of brake cleaner and I took the pads out and cleaned the disc and everything. I put it all back together and ride it.
The rear disc is roasting hot even though I didn't use the rear brake.
Of course since I never do use it, the pistons are frozen with gunk. I re-bled the brakes, but that's solid. So I take the pads out and extend the pistons until I see nice bronze color and clean them with the cleaner. It's opposed-piston so I put a wrench in there so I can push them back out, plus one wants to come out and the other one doesn't.
Then I spend an hour pushing them back in since they're opposed-piston and none of my retractor tools will fit. I have to push them all the way in so they extend before they hit the disc and the seal is in the proper position. Boy, doing that and not scratching the pistons was a whole lot of fun, let me tell you.
On the other hand, I have a brand new clutch that finally rides like a brand new clutch, and the brakes don't drag at all. I went to PetSmart and came back, and the disc was cool as a cucumber.
Yay. That makes it all worth it.
Boy, I hate working on brakes. Brake fluid is just really a pain in the ass to deal with.
Well, you know a couple weeks ago I had the bolt on my torque arm come off, and so when I used my rear brake (which I rarely do, it's almost useless on that short-wheelbase SV) my caliper swung all the way around until it hit the top of the swingarm, ripping up the hose and breaking off a bleeder. Didn't hurt the swingarm or the caliper though! And didn't lock up the rear wheel, thankfully.
So last week all my parts are here, and I've been putting it off so I figure it's time.
So I look at the rear fluid reservoir, and found out I have to take off all the rear plastic to get to it. And to do that I have to take off my air horns, the turn signals, the rear rack, and the side racks. Do you have any idea what a 3D chinese puzzle those racks are?
Just to be able to put brake fluid in.
Now while I was doing this, my new OEM clutch plates came in, so I tossed the EBC crap and put those in. I can change a clutch in under 20 minutes, but it's a 3 hour job to add brake fluid. Alrighty then.
So while I have the plastic off, I figure I shouldn't have to put up with this is crap and had Mr. Zona saw and Mr. Coping saw cut a notch so I don't have to go through all this ever again. I cleaned it up with the Dremel tool and a fine bastard file and it looks good, but it doesn't really make a difference because this is all covered by the seat.
Kawasaki put in a notch on the ZX-7s. The 2nd gen SV puts it right down by the master cylinder, so they must have fired that junior designer.
I thought a long time about moving the reservoir somewhere else, but I eventually decided there wasn't anywhere better. Moving it inboard would be a big hassle with the line, and to move it down to the master cylinder I'd have to buy a 2nd gen reservoir. An hour with the saws was cheaper.
Anyway, so I extract the broken bleeder, replace the ripped hose, install speedbleeders, put in the new special $10 bolts & nuts on the torque arm, put it all back together, bleed the brakes, and adjust the brake light switch. While I was in there, I rip out the Scott-Oiler and pick up a barb fitting at Lowe's to splice the vacuum line back together. It's all done.
Bleeder weeps when I apply brake. A lot. It puts out a nice trickle. Even when it's really tightened down. Shit.
I swapped the speedbleeder with a stock bleeder and it still weeps. So I have to remove the caliper and inspect for debris or a damaged hole. Of course it's all tiny and crap, and I have to borrow some lenses from the camera so I can see what the hell is going on in there. It looks like a ton of black stuff and so I dug that all out with an awl and needlenose and some kleenex. I get out my 155-bit kit from Harbor-Freight and twirl a drill in there with my fingers to clean up the seat. I start with a #1 drill and keep going down to a #7.
(FYI, speedbleeders are these cool bleeders with a one-way check-valve, so you don't have to do the "push lever. hold lever. open bleeder. let lever go down. hold lever. close bleeder. lather. rinse. repeat." crap. With these you just crack them open and start pumping the lever, and close them when bubbles stop coming out. Very Trick. Very Schweeet.)
Of course now I have to rebleed everything and now my pads are nice and contaminated because brake fluid just goes everywhere. Lovely. I'm just coated in brake fluid.
Oh yeah, and while I'm doing all this brake bleeding, I have no one to make sure the reservoir has fluid and doesn't suck air, which is important because it has all the capacity of a beer cap. I ordered "bulkhead fittings" from McMaster-Carr and put them in the top of a mason jar. When I screw the jar lid on, it's airtight and I can flip it upside down and stick the end of the fitting in the reservoir, and it trickles out fluid when the level goes below the fitting. Of course the jar is glass, so I can keep an eye on the level. I thought of that myself.
I didn't mention the gymnastics I had to do to get the rear master cylinder into a position where I could crack the banjo bolt and let the air out. At least the return spring comes off easy.
I actually had a can of brake cleaner and I took the pads out and cleaned the disc and everything. I put it all back together and ride it.
The rear disc is roasting hot even though I didn't use the rear brake.
Of course since I never do use it, the pistons are frozen with gunk. I re-bled the brakes, but that's solid. So I take the pads out and extend the pistons until I see nice bronze color and clean them with the cleaner. It's opposed-piston so I put a wrench in there so I can push them back out, plus one wants to come out and the other one doesn't.
Then I spend an hour pushing them back in since they're opposed-piston and none of my retractor tools will fit. I have to push them all the way in so they extend before they hit the disc and the seal is in the proper position. Boy, doing that and not scratching the pistons was a whole lot of fun, let me tell you.
On the other hand, I have a brand new clutch that finally rides like a brand new clutch, and the brakes don't drag at all. I went to PetSmart and came back, and the disc was cool as a cucumber.
Yay. That makes it all worth it.