Africa Twin brake servicing!!!

[R0vers]

Having brought all the goodies to carry out a full service on my @ - i started by fitting new tubes and tyres to both wheels - this part of the service went fine and dandy. This then followed by new chain and sprockets... again this was a piece of cake and made everything look very smart and shiny once again...

THEN ON TO THE FRONT BRAKES...

This should have been a 5 minute job - whip the old ones out - put the wheel with new tyre in - and hey presto...oh how wrong I could have been,,

1. the small dust cap holding the retaining pin had seized in place - no amount of heat/large screwdriver, swearing etc - could get the blighter out... so i carefully drilled it out...(remembering that behind it was the Allen head of the retaining pin..). Having drilled right the edge of the wall without damaging the alloy thread - i used a square file and used it as an "easy-out”. which worked perfectly..

2. THEN..... the bloody retaining pin was seized solid - the Allen head burred instantly and at this point i thought that was it... - i cut the old pads(which had disintegrated - EBC) off with the old angle grinder - and thought that by using a pair of mole grips I could turn the pin and move it out - again - how wrong i was..

I had no choice - I had a spare retaining pin in my toolkit - so i judged how much i could drill out. 2 hours later - i had managed to drill (using an electric hand drill) the shoulder and necessary part of the pin. i then used a larger drill bits until i was as close to the wall as possible. I then used the same square file - and tapped it in and used a adjustable spanner on it to work it out.... absolutely bloody perfect - and no damage to the alloy housing at all!!! – result!!!

Bearing in mind it was Christmas Eve - i stormed over to a local Honda dealer - Branson’s of Yeovil - who had two pins in stock and two dust caps...!!! excellent...!!!

Once I had finished the one side(the n/s side) i then tackled the o/s brake - same story –seized and as solid as a rock - i couldn’t believe it!!!

5 hours later both brakes had been rebuilt - greased and put back together again....

i am still stunned as new brakes were only fitted 5 months ago....

The moral of the story??? - @’s require extreme patience and precision engineering botches to keep them going….

[Steve C]

...snip
THEN ON TO THE FRONT BRAKES...

This should have been a 5 minute job - whip the old ones out - put the wheel with new tyre in - and hey presto...oh how wrong I could have been,,

...snip

5 hours later both brakes had been rebuilt - greased and put back together again....

i am still stunned as new brakes were only fitted 5 months ago....

The moral of the story??? - @’s require extreme patience and precision engineering botches to keep them going….

Brilliant job R0vers! On the clock too! I'd have had me teddy out of the pram and headed for the fridge/wine rack

Mind you, it does sound like you had a professional standard workshop whereas i would have been doing it out in the yard

[suds750]

I had the same problems as you...I resolved it with a bit of heat and an imact driver. Now I've just got the pistons and seals to worry about!

[Steve C]

I had the same problems as you...I resolved it with a bit of heat and an imact driver. Now I've just got the pistons and seals to worry about!

Hiya Suds750; well worth a search on this (and no reflection on your brake prowess), lots of folk been there before you and have uploaded pictures, blow by blow comentary, the works

[R0vers]

Brilliant job R0vers! On the clock too! I'd have had me teddy out of the pram and headed for the fridge/wine rack

Mind you, it does sound like you had a professional standard workshop whereas i would have been doing it out in the yard

Steve!!! - thanks mate - no proffesional workshop at all - i wish - just a nice set of new drill bits (now severly blunted) and a lot of patience.

[barftone]

And lashings of coppaslip on those threads!!

[R0vers]

I had the same problems as you...I resolved it with a bit of heat and an imact driver. Now I've just got the pistons and seals to worry about!

Ive been reading your thread suds.. pistons and seals are a piece of cake compared to getting that pin out... youll be fine...

[j]

The callipers on the @ and TA always seize up they are sheit. Most of the problem is the scrapper seal aluminium oxide builds up in the seal grove and puts pressure on the piston. BMW ones don't seize except on the pins into pads.

[chronyx]

Blimey well done r0vers think I'd have ended up just saying "Ah balls to this"!

[suds750]

Ive been reading your thread suds.. pistons and seals are a piece of cake compared to getting that pin out... youll be fine...

I'm not that worried about doing the job, the problem is affording it after finding out that work that needs doing on my car (I'm a mini-cab driver) is going to cost me £800.....and I can't earn anything until it's done!!!!