Replacing the front brakes?

[digitalsam]

Bought an 80 xs1100 Special. Removed my front wheel and had the shop replace the tire. It took a week and I have forgotten which pads go on which side. (I should of written it down). I am having trouble fitting them on now. Maybe I am doing it wrong.

I replaced the wheel, tightened the axle up and with a little effort, I got a set on the right side. Cannot get the set on the left side. Also, the wheel doesn't spin freely, like a bike. (is it supposed to?) Am I missing something?

One set of pads has a 30 on them, the other has a 22.

One side of the pads is thicker than the other and the pads are not "flat" or maybe parallel with the metal but are angled so that one side is thicker in the front and thinner in the back, the other is just the opposite. I can send pictures if this is confusing to anyone but me.

[MaximPhil]

Brakes only slow you down !

Hi Digitalsam,
The tapered pads are normal. if the groove down the middle is visible all the way to the skinny end you have plenty of material left. Hope this helps until a real guru comes along.
Maxim Phil

[bikerphil]

special brake pads

Look on the back of the pad (side facing caliper) and find the outboard pads. They should have a round ring mark from the piston. Since there is a left and a right pad, only one will fit properly in the caliper for each side. Once you have those in their correct places, do the same for the inboard pads (ones without ring). If you are still having problems, check the diagram in the following link (PDF). Scroll down to fig. 7. HTH

http://web.ebscohost.com/serrc/pdf?v...0sessionmgr104

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Sam,

This tech tip link doesn't specifically show the pads/calipers mounting process, but may come in handy to ensure you put the rest of it back together, and yes the wheel should spin freely, hope you haven't damaged the speedo gear, bent the drive prongs, etc.!?

You might also try putting a "C" clamp to slightly compress the caliper piston back into the caliper to give you a bit more room as well!?
T.C.

[bikerphil]

caliper diagram

Try this link for an exploded diagram.

http://www.benefiscal.co.uk/imagine....fichname=FRONT BRAKE CALIPER