Kawasaki Concours Forum
The C-14, aka Kawasaki Concours-14, the new one :) => The Bike - C14/GTR 1400 => Topic started by: roadie on December 24, 2011, 03:43:33 PM
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Can Someone fill in the blank please. THink i was moving to fast and shoulda removed the cylinders by engaging brake and letting them pop out. At this point the calipers (front) are removed from bike, torx bolts removed...and pistons inplace. Read the manual and it suggested using compressed air...where to stick the hose? Also guess I need to buy a compressed air unit now, or is there another way of popping them out?
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Shoot the compressed air in the port where the brake line connects. Have a rag to catch the piston.
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It would not have mattered anyway, you cannot pop all four pistons from the caliper with the brake master cylinder- one invariably moves a bit farther and once any single piston is beyond its seal the system will not move the other pistons because all the fluid just runs out of the caliper hole without the piston.
As Lather said, compressed air works best. Just cover everything with a rag and be careful because the pistons may come out with some speed and force. Cover everything with a rag or several rags and keep you face pointed away from the caliper while you use compressed air to push the pistons out. Once one piston is out, just hold it against the seals (it does not have to be inserted into the caliper) to stop the huge leak and another shot of compressed air will move the other piston out.
Again, as Lather said, put the air nozzle against the transfer hole in the face of each caliper half (after you take the calipers apart). Also, hold your thumb with a rag over the hose hole on the outer caliper so you can pressurize the caliper half or all the air will escape out that hole.
You may be able to find something that will reach inside the pistons, expand, and be able to remove them- something like a battery terminal expander comes to mind. DO NOT grab the outside of the pistons and do not grab a lip of the piston- if you try to get them out mechanically, only touch the inside of the pistons. Also do not use a lot of force because the pistons are easy to distort and after that they will be useless.
An air compressor really is handy to work around motorcycles / autos though. It is not necessary but it makes some things much easier, like replacing handlebar grips and removing caliper pistons.
Brian
Can Someone fill in the blank please. THink i was moving to fast and shoulda removed the cylinders by engaging brake and letting them pop out. At this point the calipers (front) are removed from bike, torx bolts removed...and pistons inplace. Read the manual and it suggested using compressed air...where to stick the hose? Also guess I need to buy a compressed air unit now, or is there another way of popping them out?
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ok thanks fellas, guess I'll get a compressor from Pep Boys. They had what appeared to be a nice little 8 gallon unit on sale. I'd much rather have the 60 gallon unit from harbor freight, as I am thinking some impact tools would be nice for working on my truck, and 8 gallons might gimme one lug nut per tank of air.
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You could take them down to a brake tire place....but having a compressor in your shop is a must do.
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there you go
Brake caliper piston removal trick (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jp2OCidBV4#)
merry christmas
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ok thanks fellas, guess I'll get a compressor from Pep Boys. They had what appeared to be a nice little 8 gallon unit on sale. I'd much rather have the 60 gallon unit from harbor freight, as I am thinking some impact tools would be nice for working on my truck, and 8 gallons might gimme one lug nut per tank of air.
i would buy the smaller one. i wouldn't buy an air compressor from harbor freight. Look into an electric or battery powered impact also. i've got a snaop on battery powered one and an air powered one. so far i have never used the air powered one except for once.
that's just my $.02
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there you go
Brake caliper piston removal trick (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jp2OCidBV4#)
merry christmas
sweet...this worked...still gonna get an air tank. I just used my tire pump and got the calipers out. nice quick work.
So can I use a dental pick to pull the old seals out? they look fine, still replace? Where does the grease go? Just on grooves for the seals?
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I think I'm going to start calling you Haroldo...
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I think I'm going to start calling you Haroldo...
:-) what fer?
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Someone will chime in on that one....lets just say your entertainment value is priceless.
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Someone will chime in on that one....lets just say your entertainment value is priceless.
Lemme guess: "where does the grease go?" :). I just put on the grooves and a slight coat on cylinders. Hope thats right.
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You do not have to grease the seals or any part of the caliper but it won't hurt anything either. A light coat on the back corners of the pistons will help you to install them without damaging the seals. And you don't have to grease the whole piston either, just the radius where it is forced into the seal. Wipe any grease off the outside of the pistons and calipers after everything is together or it will attract dirt and grit.
Brian
Lemme guess: "where does the grease go?" :). I just put on the grooves and a slight coat on cylinders. Hope thats right.
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Will seems OK and all but not in the same league as Haroldo. This makes me wonder how things are going with Haroldo? I wonder what his Christmas tree looks like? I wonder if it fell over yet. ;D ;D ;D
Brian
I think I'm going to start calling you Haroldo...
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You guys are downright mean.. and on Christmas no less... one blown engine and the poor guy's reputation is tainted for life. All in fun I know. I don't have my pic up yet but this is my first post on this site. Hi Brian.. nice to see you again.
Dave
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You guys are downright mean.. and on Christmas no less... one blown engine and the poor guy's reputation is tainted for life. All in fun I know. I don't have my pic up yet but this is my first post on this site. Hi Brian.. nice to see you again.
Dave
ok ok, who is this Haroldo guy and why am I close to being in his league??
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Haroldo is a great guy on a different forum not so different from this one who decided to adjust his valves. The resulting repairs took a few weeks if memory serves.. I don't remember what the exact start of the problem was but it ended up pretty bad.
Dave
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Someone will chime in on that one....lets just say your entertainment value is priceless.
Tough crowd! Guess I better start wearing one of these!
http://kagemartialarts.com/mma-gear/226-tpr-athletic-cup.html (http://kagemartialarts.com/mma-gear/226-tpr-athletic-cup.html)
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Haroldo is our HERO. He fearlessly attacks mechanical feats most of us shudder to think about. And when all goes rather badly pays the [very high] price of rescue like a man, without bitterness or whining.
[$3000+ if IIRC]
The guy has a wonderful sense of humor and us old timers miss his posts!
Although he is our hero, we do not nec. wish to be like him.
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And that's it in a nutshell....
Haroldo gave us much pleasure and his posts were marvelous in that he was very detailed in his adventures in C14 repairs. He was epic and we miss him. But now we have Will. One door closes and another opens.
As far as needing a cup....I don't think so. We did not make fun or deride him in his adventures that he shared with us. We relished them as a novel you couldn't put down or a movie that you had to keep watching.
Will, your escapades in wrenching on the C14, with the detail you provide, are helping others to do their own maintenance. The information is priceless and we thank you for that. :thumbs:
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Can Someone fill in the blank please. THink i was moving to fast and shoulda removed the cylinders by engaging brake and letting them pop out. At this point the calipers (front) are removed from bike, torx bolts removed...and pistons inplace. Read the manual and it suggested using compressed air...where to stick the hose? Also guess I need to buy a compressed air unit now, or is there another way of popping them out?
I have successfully removed caliper pistons with an air pump the I used to inflate bicycle tires (it was one of those foot pumps that were popular at one time). I inserted the pointy thing used to inflate air mattresses into the hose and held it in place with my hand.
I have graduated from the pump to a real air compressor, so that's what I would use if I had to do it, but a foot pump works. ;D
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A Zerk fitting and a grease gun for the tough ones! (have someone stand in the next zip-code ready to catch the piston)
Fretka
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Where do you put the Zerk fitting, in the hose attachment hole? Are metric, straight- thread Zerk fittings available?
I would think a grease gun would work OK on a one- piston slave cylinder or one- piston caliper but the calipers on a C-14 have four pistons. ??? Once one piston is out, the volume of leaking grease would be more than a grease gun could keep up with I would think?
Brian
A Zerk fitting and a grease gun for the tough ones! (have someone stand in the next zip-code ready to catch the piston)
Fretka
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It is true, Haroldo is a man among men. He will run where angels fear to tread. A true hero.
Actually, I think Haroldo found the secret to life- never give in and never, ever let them wipe the smile off your face. Sort of like a modern version of 'Illegitimis non carborundum' (more or less meaning- never let the bastards wear you down).
Of all the threads lost, I think one of the best was 'What is the most commonly used shim size....' or something similar. 47 pages if I remember and it was like a Greek tragedy written by Robyn Williams and performed by Yoda. I used to wait for the next posting in that thread.
Brian
Haroldo is our HERO. He fearlessly attacks mechanical feats most of us shudder to think about. And when all goes rather badly pays the [very high] price of rescue like a man, without bitterness or whining.
[$3000+ if IIRC]
The guy has a wonderful sense of humor and us old timers miss his posts!
Although he is our hero, we do not nec. wish to be like him.
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Hey Dave, how are you? Great to see you back again!
If opportunity knocks, we are having a spring event in RI next May. I think most of the northeast regulars will be there with a handful of new folks- it would be fantastic if you could make it. Maybe we could find a lounge somewhere and watch Cap'n Bob show us what a 2- for- 1 special is really all about again. :D Let me know if you are interested and again, great to see you back here.
Brian
You guys are downright mean.. and on Christmas no less... one blown engine and the poor guy's reputation is tainted for life. All in fun I know. I don't have my pic up yet but this is my first post on this site. Hi Brian.. nice to see you again.
Dave
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And that's it in a nutshell....
Haroldo gave us much pleasure and his posts were marvelous in that he was very detailed in his adventures in C14 repairs. He was epic and we miss him. But now we have Will. One door closes and another opens.
As far as needing a cup....I don't think so. We did not make fun or deride him in his adventures that he shared with us. We relished them as a novel you couldn't put down or a movie that you had to keep watching.
Will, your escapades in wrenching on the C14, with the detail you provide, are helping others to do their own maintenance. The information is priceless and we thank you for that. :thumbs:
Cool! That is the goal. :)
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That thread had it all! Enthusiasm, tragedy, intestinal fortitude, shop bill :) and humor. Classic.
It is true, Haroldo is a man among men. He will run where angels fear to tread. A true hero.
Actually, I think Haroldo found the secret to life- never give in and never, ever let them wipe the smile off your face. Sort of like a modern version of 'Illegitimis non carborundum' (more or less meaning- never let the bastards wear you down).
Of all the threads lost, I think one of the best was 'What is the most commonly used shim size....' or something similar. 47 pages if I remember and it was like a Greek tragedy written by Robyn Williams and performed by Yoda. I used to wait for the next posting in that thread.
Brian
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Hey Dave, how are you? Great to see you back again!
If opportunity knocks, we are having a spring event in RI next May. I think most of the northeast regulars will be there with a handful of new folks- it would be fantastic if you could make it. Maybe we could find a lounge somewhere and watch Cap'n Bob show us what a 2- for- 1 special is really all about again. :D Let me know if you are interested and again, great to see you back here.
Brian
Brian,
I'm all in for May, sounds like a load of fun, I haven't been riding much due to obligations but I will be overdue for a nice long ride by then. I hadn't visited the forum in a few weeks or so and I went to log on and it was gone.. I was crushed. I thought the whole site had been swallowed by COG, nothing against them but I preferred our Forum best. Just got a new laptop and my first search found this site. I'd love to see Cap'n Bob as well.
Dave
P.S. Tell Andrea I said hello... ;)
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You guys are downright mean.. and on Christmas no less... one blown engine and the poor guy's reputation is tainted for life. All in fun I know. I don't have my pic up yet but this is my first post on this site. Hi Brian.. nice to see you again.
Dave
^^^^ good to see you again too
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Brian, the grease gun method is a last ditch, done everything else kinda thing that newish brakes probably won't need. This is used for the '62 E-type Jag that you just found forgotten behind someones barn for the last 4 decades.
It does work but makes a helluva mess!
Bruce
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^^^^ good to see you again too
Howdy Steve... some things change with time but I have seen a couple of posts.. enough to see nothing has changed with you. I will always look up to you as my inspiration.. I often wish to have your lifestyle. BTW, which FX are you using? I would guess the 700 but it's just a guess. I just picked up the 7000, DX format but it has amazing low light capability and the video is fantastic.
Dave