Slightly (just) less nooby question

[Boothy]

Right my front brake pads really need replacing. I was talking to my dad about it as he has done some motorcycle maintenance before (admittedly the newest bike he has done anything on is about 15 years older than me).

Having watched about 6 different Youtube videos (all in american) on how to change the pads I asked my dad about it and he starts saying something about the brake pistons dropping out the calliper and then having to bleed the whole thing or something like that and that I should just take it to a garage. After him saying that it has made me determind to do it myself Can you guys tell me WTF he is talking about or is he just talking s**t.

What do I need apart from a set of brake pads?

[rennie]

http://www.themotorbikeforum.co.uk/view ... 27&t=13141

fairly easy job! you need some brake fluid and a bit of pipe

to fit on bleed nipple and a container.

[Boothy]

You need to do that to change the pads :/

[rennie]

You might get away without bleeding but I doubt it

[Fozzie]

I thought it was a case of:

Take reservoir cap off

Take caliper off

Take support bolt out

Pads drop out

Clean what you can see of the pistons with brake fluid and an old tooth brush (dont use the tooth brush again )

Piece of wood and G-clamps. Tighten equally to push the pistons back in

New pads in

Mount caliper back on the disc etc

Pump the brake until they bite and top up the reservoir as needed.

Simplez!

Though if the fluid is orange do bleed it through. Piece of pipe over the bleed nipple. Pump the brake lever a few times and on the last one hold it right in and open the bleed valve. Close and rinse and repeat topping up as you go.

I've done this on so many bikes it actually just becomes tedious after a while

[Guest akey]

If you need to bleed your brakes after changing the pads you've done something wrong!

Get hold of a Haynes manual and it will talk you through it nice and simple, it's one of the easiest jobs on a bike.

You will need new pads for both sides and some copper grease for the back of the pads.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[megawatt]

It,s a simple job that most people could do. You don,t need to bleed brakes and you don,t need to top up. Buy a Haynes and follow instructions. Main thing is , don,t push dirty pistons into cylinders, give em a good clean first. If they don,t push in by hand, there is summat wrong.

Another thing mate, keep asking questions , questions are good and we like answering em.

Edited July 2, 2011 by megawatt

[Guest]

yep .. what he said.

[Ingah]

Be warned, if you're seriously unlucky ( ) you could find that changing the pads results in the caliper seizing (despite cleaning it best i could first) and then you need to strip the lot and rebuild the caliper, have a nightmare getting each piston pushed back, eventually bleed the brakes, etc etc, and everything will take ages, eBay sellers will mess you about over the christmas period and then the bleed nipple will snap off...

Have fun laughing at my expense

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=35233

[Colin the Bear]

If you are, mechanicaly minded, have good spacial awareness, patient and able to understand and follow written instructions , it's a very simple job.

If you're not, find someone who is.

[Boothy]

If you are, mechanicaly minded

 

No

I am just going to take it somewhere and get the pads done, sounds like a lot can go wrong

[mealexme]

and my experience... http://www.themotorbikeforum.co.uk/view ... 28&start=0

You can tell I have no mechanical knowledge, calling the piston a "round thing"... page two is how i managed to do it. Took off the resiviour cap and stood on a erm.... (lack of mechanical knowledge coming through) socket, thing on some wood to protect it, and it squashed back down

But make sure you do it evenly or it can get stuck :s

[rennie]

well i bleed mine every time i do anything to them!

so simple and easy seems daft not to