My GSX1400 Restoration

[Hooli]

When I said the other bleed nipple I meant the one on the other caliper. A small syringe will do, it'll just take longer.

It doesn't need any pressure to fill it to the master cylinder pot as when the lever isn't pulled the pipe work is open all the way through. The hoses etc are only a sealed system when you pull the lever to pressurise the brake fluid.

The other way is leave both nipples wide open and pour fluid into the master cylinder pot. Once you see it dribble out the nipples it's full enough to bleed as normal.

Looks like you've done well so far.

Thanks again. I was just reading your syringe post above again and also watched that video again. I'll push the pistons all the way back into their bores so there's no air gap back there. Gravity prime the hoses as well as squirt some in with my syringe through the bleeder holes on both calipers. That ought to get enough fluid in and air out to get me started on the bleed. I also have that Vacuum pump from when I flushed the brakes when I first got it in case I get stuck. @Throttle and I used it to get enough fluid into the system to go back in and push that little piston out. Heading out to re-assemble and bleed. I may even be riding by tonight which I consider totally unbelievable but let's not speak too early.

If your vacuum bleeder works then use that, I've never tried that method as I don't have one.

I think it's just down to the length of hose & the Y-piece meaning there is too much air in there for pumping master cylinder to get things flowing. Once there is some fluid in the system they bleed fine.

[mlivkovich]

Better than 6-pots are tokico 4-pots on my tl1000s usd front end, but even better are nissin 4-pots from oil cooled gsxr, easy to bleed, braking power is superb 

[Throttle]

@SA14 don't be put off by the bleeding.  Done right it's easy. Theses six pots well maintained are a great brake!! Sure there is better out there but not worth the change in my opinion. Keep up your persistence and it's great to see the GSX getting well deserved attention.
If you have issues let me know and I'll post on here how to get it right from dry system to no air. Cheers

[Hooli]

Nothing wrong with the six pots, I can chirp the front tyre at over legal speeds with organic pads. Those claiming they don't have enough power must have the fingers of a 90 year old with arthritis.

[SA14]

Mate, out of every thread ive ever read here, you win for persistence, having a go and solving. My hats off. Brilliant work. 👏

Thanks man! It was a fascinating experience and one which I never thought I had the skill or experience to pull off. I stumbled a few times but the org came to the rescue and in the end? I'll just let these videos speak for me then I'll add some notes afterwards.

Apologies for the horrible quality of this video. It's content is more important than the quality.

[SA14]

Ok, so how do they feel?

I first took it for a few short laps around the back yard and to be honest they felt a bit soft. Then I remembered I've never felt proper brakes on this bike before so maybe this is how they're supposed to feel? Previously they felt quite hard and sudden. These feel more like normal brakes. It's a bit unnerving at first. I did a few short hard brakes and it seemed to pull the bike up pretty quickly up and down the driveway so off I took down the road with the iPhone blue tacked to the dash. I just wanted to record something, anything to show you guys that they actually worked. I'll get a go pro one day.

So during the test ride I did get one short grown on the heaviest stop so not sure what that's about but all the other stops were fine. Again it feels a bit soft at first but maybe this is what good brakes feel like. Soft and manageable without grabbing or doing anything drastic but pull you up quick smart when needed. I'm going to have to let @Throttle decide when he takes it for a spin. But for all intent's and purposes they work fine.

YOU GUYS ROCK!            Look what you made me do?! You pushed me to become better. I think if you're not smiling right now you should be because you all deserve it. I'm in shock. Literally didn't know I had it in me. You didn't let me give up, you even came over to help! What can I say? --> Thank you.

[KiwiCol]

Good on ya Baz for getting into it!  Now surely it must be time to put some generous miles on it?

[steve porter]

You'll have the motor out on the bench for a top end rebuild next weekend at this rate

[SA14]

Good on ya Baz for getting into it!  Now surely it must be time to put some generous miles on it?

Absolutely! Today is a beautiful mild sunny day made for a reward ride. It is going to take me a few stops to get used to these softer (at the start) normal brakes

You'll have the motor out on the bench for a top end rebuild next weekend at this rate

Haha, there is a ticking that makes me tilt my head on occasion.

[SA14]

0.0018% of the population have tested positive to the china virus in South Australia (showing no symptoms or illness  ) so they've locked the entire state down for at least 6 days killing many small businesses (including mine) dead in their tracks (all my forward bookings have cancelled) and causing all sorts of real harm. So I have no option other than to bunker down and think about the bike. I've been browsing all the mechanical forums for suggestions but I fancy polishing my rim dish. I did see this video (below) and I'm leaning towards doing it this way. I have all that's needed, tape, stripper, polishing stuff tools and torque wrenches but @Throttle gave me a stern look and suggested that perhaps I might want to consider doing it properly which means wheels off, discs off, cog off.

Thoughts? Any gotchas to look out for?

I've removed the front wheel a few times recently so that's not an issue but not ventured into removing the rear wheel, it's cog or disc. I believe chain adjustment remains unaffected. I only have the centre stand, tie down straps, a strong garage truss and an old car scissor jack which I've just oiled and works perfectly. Can I lift and strap the rear by the pillion grab rail or is that pushing it? I know proper paddock stands are the right way but I'm not allowed to leave the house and no shops are open plus I like doing things on the super cheap where possible.

[gsxbarmy]

Biggest mistake I made on my 14 was stripping the paint and polishing the rims. The alloy that Suzuki have used for the rims is not exactly top quality, takes ages to get a shine and even then it's a dull shine - plus I found the paint ion the rear rim thicker than the front and stripper didn't really touch it, do I had to finish off sanding by hand.

Slightest bit if damp and it was back polishing the rims again, no matter what I put on to protect the shine.

If I had the choice again, I most certainly would not polish the rims - high maintenance and a disappointing finish.

[grog]

I know a lot of you disagree but i like black rims. I also like the white on earlier 14.Have had rim tape, blue, looked good. Now just a couple of gsx1400 stickers. Each to your own. I love polished bits, Snapey wheels look superb. Id rather re paint than polish, just me.

[SA14]

Biggest mistake I made on my 14 was stripping the paint and polishing the rims. The alloy that Suzuki have used for the rims is not exactly top quality, takes ages to get a shine and even then it's a dull shine - plus I found the paint ion the rear rim thicker than the front and stripper didn't really touch it, do I had to finish off sanding by hand.

Slightest bit if damp and it was back polishing the rims again, no matter what I put on to protect the shine.

If I had the choice again, I most certainly would not polish the rims - high maintenance and a disappointing finish.

Yeah, that's the biggest problem with polishing aluminium. You have to keep polishing it. Luckily I have a solution with my triple ceramic coating which is holding up well now for just over 3 months and still chrome-like shiny so I reckon I've got that problem licked. Interesting about the quality of aluminium though. If I can't get them to sparkle then I'd settle for satin style but I reckon I'll be able to get them shiny enough to keep me happy. May I ask what method you used to polish? How far did you sand? What grit did you get to before moving to polish? I'll be going to 3,000 via 800, 1,200, 1,500 and 2,000.

I know a lot of you disagree but i like black rims. I also like the white on earlier 14.Have had rim tape, blue, looked good. Now just a couple of gsx1400 stickers. Each to your own. I love polished bits, Snapey wheels look superb. Id rather re paint than polish, just me.

Yes, I'm mindful of too much shiny. I'd never polish the whole wheel spokes and all. Just the dish is fine with me and it's a style that's proven to work well for decades already although I don't hate the black rims I reckon a little ring of silver would be just right for my style.

Any "gotchas" when removing wheels, discs and cogs? Holding the bike up in the front is sorted, not sure about the back. The grab rail seems kind of sturdy but not sure it'd suspend the whole bike with the wobbling in the removal and replacement procedure. There were a lot of gotchas with the front wheel which would've been handy to know before I erroneously assumed would just be a simple remove and replace. Even now after adding the red gum to my pads I'm finding the wheel doesn't spin as freely. These are the types of gotchas I'm concerned about and with the drive and torque generated from this engine I'd hate to screw up the rear wheel, cog and disc r&r.

I'm going to have to remove the balancing weights and was going to use contact cement to reglue them back in place. Any problem with that plan?

Was also thinking of skipping the whole messy paint stripper method and just sand the paint off with 600 or 800 gently. Got nothing else to do while in prison/lock down.

[KiwiCol]

Just make sure you put the wheel back in the swingarm parallel.  Perhaps measure or mark accurately the position it's in prior to disassembly. 

This link has the info in it.  https://gsx1400owners.org/forum/index.php?topic=242.0

[SA14]

Just make sure you put the wheel back in the swingarm parallel.  Perhaps measure or mark accurately the position it's in prior to disassembly. 

This link has the info in it.  https://gsx1400owners.org/forum/index.php?topic=242.0

So when I remove the rear wheel it loses it's alignment? That right there is enough to want me to just leave it alone and do it all on the bike in situ. When replacing the rear tyre I can't remember them aligning it back up again. Might have missed that part though.