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[Texas Rookie]

I'd like to paint the fork legs on my 79 standard black. I've wire brushed all the clear off of them and would like to put on an attractive AND DURABLE gloss black finish (powder coat would be ideal but I don't really want to get into all that just yet). While I have them off (and before I finish them) I figure it would also be a good time to change the fluid. what type, weight and how much? (I weigh 210 and will be running the big pacifico factory fairing that came with the bike). Also need the dust covers for the fork seals as one of mine kind of shredded

Also, the front wheel is in good shape but kind of gungy and the black portion is not as purdy as I might like. lots of water and soap (simple green?) will take care of the dirt but any suggestions on freshening up the black without a complete repaint .



Last but definitely not least, brakes (this one is for you Larry). I went through the front master a couple of days ago and got it freed up and in decent working order, went to spin the front wheel and no habla. Locked up solid. Got the calipers and pads off. I have cleaned the front calipers a couple of times since I have owned it and it may be time for some new caliper piston o-rings (bores seem to be in good shape). where do I get these besides the yamarobber dealer.





Here she sits in all her naked glory. The work comes slowly but surely and you guys and gals have been a great help so far.

[bikerphil]

wheels

I usually clean up the faded black paint on the wheels with armor all. Makes them look a heck of a lot better. 10W oil in the forks is what is reccomended, with extra weight, you could probably go with 15W. HTH

[theduke]

calipers

got a question for the gurus along the same lines.
have totally flushed my brakes five times, three to get all the sludge out of the M/Cs and twice more for good measure. wheels spin freely at first, but then they lock up. i can still force it around, but definitely stiff. should i start with the calipers? o-rings? pistons?
any thought and similar experiences would be appreciated.
TIA

[DiverRay]

I'll start with the brakes....
Pistons almost NEVER need to be replaced!! As always, there ARE exceptions, YMMV, yada yada yada...
If the bore is clean, pistons are good, but brakes still lock up, REPLACE THE BRAKE LINES!! The 30 year old lines are slowly breaking into little bitty bits, and that is the problem. Same goes for ANYONE trying to sync the carbs WITHOUT replacing the vacuum caps, just won't work!
Most of these bikes are now 30 years old, and the rubber bits are rock hard. Go through and replace all the rubber parts, clean and grease the electrical connections, INCLUDING THE GROUNDS!! and the bikes will run for another 30 years.
New caliper kits can be had from georgefix on ebay. I've had very good results from him, and will keep buying from him as long as he has XS1100 parts. JMHO

[randy]

One more thing about brake calipers. Make sure the slider is free to move or the caliper will not relax. It's very common for the slider to freeze from lack of lubrication. Clean all the old crud off and swab out the inside of the boot. Lube it with the grease that's made for calipers. The good auto parts stores sell it in little envelopes for like .99 One is enough for the whole bike. Before mounting the caliper make sure you can move the slider by hand.

[Wildkat]

For touching up the black...

you can use a product called Rub 'n Buff... available at most craft stores (I'd think)

Here's a link that tells a little about it...

Rub 'n Buff

It says you can use a finger to apply it... and you can... but I wouldn't (well... I might... but you may not want to)

It also comes in silver which is great for bolt heads and nuts... or any other chrome or silver part that needs a bit of spiffing up...

and with this stuff... a little dab will definitely do ya...

[egsols]

Stiff brakes

Just flushing doesn't guarantee they are clean. You may need to take the mc apart. At the very least make sure you clean the spooge hole in the MC. If the fluid can't return to the MC the pads can't retract properly.

[CatatonicBug]

Just flushing doesn't guarantee they are clean. You may need to take the mc apart. At the very least make sure you clean the spooge hole in the MC. If the fluid can't return to the MC the pads can't retract properly.

I second that. That tiny spooge hole will clog up really easy. Might be a combination of needing new brake lines AND cleaning the spooge hole.

[redbone]

same brake headache

duke , diverray and cata,
i've had the exact same prob as duke. did the spooge hole and the thoro cleaning and they [brakes] still hang up. been drivin me crazy. anyway....i concur my brake lines probly need replacin. so..that bein said, where is a good place to get some new ones?? altho my bike is in hibernation for winter, i'll start to drop hints to santa. fyi i have 1980 mns 1100. any info appreciated.
thanx
redbone

[CatatonicBug]

SS Brake lines

This thread has some options for getting new SS lines.

[DGXSER]

Brakes locking up

Duke,

One other thought, make sure you have bleed the calipers well. If there is air in there it can heat up as the pad friction heat transfers and will expand as it heats, causing the piston to get pushed out the same as if you were squeezing the brake lever. A self perpetuating process till the wheel will barely turn.

Texas Rookie,
I'll ask the stupid question and don't think me rude, but you did pull the piston out and the O-ring inside the caliper out and clean all the way inside that groove in the caliper wall right? Only ask because your pics show the piston still in the caliper. Otherwise, you will need to do that for sure. I had flushed my calipers then opened them up and found a tablespoon of brown spooge still inside the caliper. Looks like the rear caliper by your picture. Mine was at least as ugly as yours and after I cleaned up the piston and all it works great using the same stock and propably original o-ring and seal. that was my experience anyway.

[Larrym]

Texas Rookie,

You certainly are demonstrating some very unrookie like behaviors. Isn't there some warning label on that bike which says something like:

WARNING: No user servicable parts inside. Refer all servicing to Qualified personnel.

Thanks for the show and tell. Looks like those calipers are similar to what I usually find here in the Pacific NW: rust, corrosion, etc. (Where are the spiders and those little eggs they always leave behind??)

Brake calipers is just brake calipers and have the same needs. In particular, after the MC has pressurized the lines the pistons move out to press those pads against the rotor. (Nice effect when you wanna come to a controlled stop in public.) But after the pressure is released the pads/pistons/caliper assembly should retract juuust enough so the pads aren't making contact. The force to pull everything back comes from the piston seals returning to their original "unflexed" state. It's a very small force and moves everything back only a few thousandsth of an inch. (Wimpy...but enough to do the task.) This only happens if the everything in the caliper assy is free and clear of course. 30 years of rust, corrosion, and lack of lubrication can combine into a force that the seals "flexing" just can't overcome. Solution: Clean and address all those friction surfaces so the caliper assy looks and feels right. I generally use a form of high temp "anti-sieze" as a final lubricant. It's nearly impossible to get it off any where it's not supposed to be so apply small amounts precisely where it's needed. (Who am I kidding? You may be a "rookie" but I bet you have a box of those nitrile gloves hidden somewhere...) This along with prior mentioned spooge, brake lines, etc should mean that you'll be able to slow down, stop, and look like you meant to do just that.

Black lower forks? Got your eyes on that Goth chick who works at the mall, eh? All righty then. (??) Wire brushed is good. Next take one of those maroon scotch bright pads made for metal and further texture those surfaces. (Wipe off with your degreaser of choice.) At this point I would go to your marine shop and get some of that green primer used for outboard motors. "Zinc Chromate" has to be on the can somewhere. Lots of people don't use anything before they shoot a topcoat on aluminum with the rattle can and well....frankly, I've seen the results after a few years. (Uck!)
With this "primer" you can lightly shoot the legs, bake it in front of a heat lamp for 15 minutes, repeat as necessary till it's right to you. Let it bake for a day or two while you rotate them occasionally in front of the heat lamp. Not close enough to the lamp to cook/burn it but warm enough so it feels hot on your inner wrist. For the black topcoat a rattle can will work just fine with the same "shake and bake" process. Key to any paint lasting, especially "Goth" tones, is thickness. Thin coat will be there for for how long? Put the paint on in thin/light shoots and do it repeatedly until you know you've overdone it. Now for the hard part: put it all back on the bike and forget about it til late July/early August. By that time the paint will have fully cured and buffing it out followed by a wax will certainly catch the eye of that goth chick. (and the next followed by the next...)

Rims prob'ly have some paint along with those annoying little spots where the paint has failed and the metal is showing pits and/or corrosion. Only so much you can do with the paint that's left. If buffing and elbow grease fail then you can always apply the same process you used on your fork legs. Only difference is that you take the extra time to apply the zinc chromate primer to all the little imperfections first, sand them level, and do a final light shoot with the primer before the topcoat. Sure, its something we all wish we didn't have to do but it really is a nice final touch after you've done all the "functional" repairs.

Still very uncomfortable with your demonstrated "project management" skills. Doing the right thing at the right time for the right reasons, etc. Notably not what is expected from a self-titled "rookie".

[TONIO]

calipers

Texas rookie that caliper looks as bad as mine did you can take it totally apart anc clean the pistons and all lots of elbow grease involved but doable.

tonio

[Dsxs11]

On the lower fork legs. I think your going to find that having them powder coated is going to hold up alot longer. I just had mine done total cost was 50 bucks for both legs and 12.00 for seals. Plus I got to go through the forks I swapped in the progressive springs. The only thing I'll say about the black lower fork legs is your wheels and brake calipers are going to look horrible if you don't do something with them. I had the wheels painted black and copper and calipers powder coated anodized gold.

[Rasputin]

I don't recall if anyone has mentioned that once you pull out the piston that there may be a crud buildup behind the O-ring. There was lots of nasty looking crud there when I rebuilt mine. Also just a precaution, do not use air pressure to pump them out without proper care as they can really fly. I placed mine between two old pillows and then aired em up and they popped out with plenty of force. The pillows absorbed the shock quite nicely. Just have to hope SWMBO does not find out about the pillows tho.