Brake Caliper Rebuild
On the K1100LT there are two four-piston front calipers with non-standard mounting. In our project we keep the stock fork lowers, so fitting new calipers would require additional adapter brackets. Such brackets always look out of place on a motorcycle, so we decided to clean and restore the stock calipers.
A quality cleaning requires complete disassembly. When disassembling, it is better to replace the piston seals, and the pistons themselves if their coating is damaged. It is not easy to find a repair kit for calipers for an old motorcycle. All the parts were in good condition, so we just cleaned them.
Bolts
Since the calipers are old enough, the bolts are rusty and seized.
- These bolts can only be undone with a quality hex bit and a long lever.
- It is better to spray the bolts on both sides with penetrating lubricant.
- If the bolt won't break loose, you can warm it with a burner or a hairdryer — try not to damage the caliper finish.
It is possible to restore the look of the bolts and get rid of the rust with a household lime and rust remover, but after that it is better to cover them with a galvanic coating.
It is also important to clean the threads so that the bolts can be easily screwed in!
Calipers
- Calipers are cleaned with a dishwashing detergent.
- Pistons can be easily removed with a regular car compressor.
- Before assembly, all channels must be blown out to remove water.
- Oil seals are washed with a soft brush; it is better to polish the pistons with a paste, if they have oxide or something on them.
- During assembly, the pistons, seals and rubber ring are greased. Excess grease is removed from the pistons with oil seals when pressed.
It turned out well! Calipers look much fresher now. Factory coating is in a fairly good condition, so it does not make sense to repaint it. With the new pads, the calipers will work perfectly, and as the master cylinder we will install a milled ABM 22 mm master cylinder with an integrated reservoir.
