Continuing - So what did you do to your bike today...?

[Hooli]

Hmm well this has been a day of mixed fortunes with bikes.

I got 14 out this morning & washed the worst of the winter off her, turns out she's blue & white underneath...

Took her down for MOT as it's due next month, clean pass as expected cause I normally know if anything is wrong with my stuff. Disgustingly low mileage this year, only 6k in 12 months. I knew I hadn't been out much but didn't think it was that little.

Bobbed out for a couple of hours as it was lovely & sunny, had lunch at JnS then up to Squires for a cuppa & home. I'd noticed the Scottoiler had stopped working so gave it a poke once home. Just a blocked nozzle so that's fixed, then I figured I might as well dribble some lube on the chain as I'd washed it down with paraffin earlier. Jacked the back wheel up to do that & noticed the rear brake was dragging. Popped the calliper off & seized pistons as normal. Got one side done and went to bleed it up to pump the other piston out, the bleed nipple snapped & the remains are stuck in.

Said sod it, put it in the garage & ignoring it till tomorrow. It's soaked with plus gas so should pop free with some abuse when I try to sort it. Oh & a screw in the reservoir cap has seized in too, I think I'm out of that size so I'll have to get that out & check the size (M4 I think) to pick up some machine screws to replace that as well while I get some bleed nipples.

[Phill P]

Mine partly siezed and I chewed the head a bit so I got a new one, didn't know the size but it's longer than the brake and clutch cover screws, although they are aftermarket.

Suzuki screws
69689-04A00 SUZUKI SCREW DL650 DL1000

[Hooli]

Sod paying Suzuki prices, they'll be about £5 each. I'll run a nut up the thread so I know the size & buy a bag of machine screws (to get the right head) for pennies.

[Hooli]

Well....

That bleed nipple was bloody well seized in! Ended up going out & buying some left hand thread extractors to try & shift it. It wasn't happening with them either, so I stopped before I snapped one. It's now drilled out & the hole is way too big to fit a replacement, it'd fit M8 fine though...

Cover your eyes if you're a professional mechanic as you won't like this. I've tapped it to M8 & cut a bolt very short (15mm?) to fit. I'll just let the system gravity bleed & when fluid comes out the hole I'll thread lock the bolt in. It's worked on the inner bleed screw hole for years, so it'll be fine here if like me you don't worry about the paint work. After the usual time spent cleaning that white crud out behind the seals the calliper works fine again & is rebuilt.

It's not refitted yet as I've got bored of swearing at it. Tomorrow I'll drill out the seized screw holding the reservoir cap out & refit it all.

[Notty]

oh dear - shouldn't park the bike in the garage wet     

[KiwiCol]

Bloody hell Notty!! have they been at the bottom of a canal for a year?    Can't of come from your bike, Hoolis' yes,   but yours, no.

[Hooli]

That's quite impressive Notty, a bit more effort like that & your whole bike will look like they should.

[Kiwifruit]

Will the 14 with its new Brembo jewelry fit in the corner of your lounge ??

[Hooli]

Update...

Well that didn't work. The face of the calliper around the hole is corroded & not flat enough to seal, so I've cleaned it up & skimmed some epoxy over it. Hopefully I can then carefully file it flat & it'll work. I'll probably pick up a M8x1.25 nipple as well just to try, but like I said I doubt it'll work because I drilled too deep & caught the face it seals against.

We'll see, I'm not giving up & replacing the caliper yet. I should but I'm stubborn as 2nd hand ones are about £80-90 & I'd want to rebuild it before fitting, what's the chances that'd have a seized nipple too & then I'd be back in the same place.

[Tally]

Doesn't notty have a spare pair 

[KiwiCol]

he sold them

[grog]

Just me Hooli, id replace caliper. I once broke off bleeder in Brembo, local shop had laser machine to get it out. Easy, cheap and good result, certainly cheaper than new Brembo.

[Hooli]

I've found a proper way to do it on ebay. You can get bleed nipple repair kits that consist of a screw in 'socket' & a bleed nipple that screws into that. If current bodgery attempts don't work I'll order some of them & fix both nipples on it.

I'd be a lot less cavalier about the fixes if it was the front brakes, but the rear is a lot less important so I'm less bothered about it.

[grog]

Great find Hooli.Yeah, rear to me is just a stopper rolling up traffic lights but i do use most braking.DP pads front n rear on mine, both ends perfect.Best ive found.Made in England, amazes me no one in North seems to use them🤷

[Hooli]

Yeah I use both brakes most the time grog, but I know full well if I really need brakes it's the fronts doing most of the work.

FYI this is the sort of thing I mean by the repair kit https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/335331662783?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=K7cGXX1xTru&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=PsBv5obTS2S&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY I've seen them in various sizes & some come with the drill & tap to make them fit too. Looks a neat way to do it.