front brake master cylinder question........

[brcree]

Need to know........after breaking down the master cyl. and puting it back together the way it came apart, the piston when pushed in with the brake handle does not come back out.......it should correct?

[mxmikie]

there is a spring that goes in the lever i think i have some new ones

[DGXSER]

Yes, the piston should come back out. Sometimes it takes getting the brake fluid into the nooks and crannies to "lubricate" the seals correctly for it all to move like it should. Try pulling the front banjo off and working the piston back and forth a few times with fluid in the reservior. Be careful as you can get brake fluid pushing out and it will eat paint quickly. On mine, I have had to work it back and forth with fluid in there a few times to get it wokring smoothly.

[Cobia]

brcree,
The first thing that goes in the mc cylider, in front of the piston assembly, is a spring. This spring is what causes it to return and, to a certain degree, release the pressure in the system. Look at the diagram of the mc to see this. There's also a circlip at the rear to prevent the piston from popping out.

[ambidextrous]

after trying a master cylinder rebuild on a different bike

ive come to the conclusion, that new, sometimes is easier

sure, its possible to rebuild it the first time and have everything go smooth

but my time and energy is worth more to me then a 69 dollar new master cylinder

you get everything new, and works right out of the box

but hey, thats just my 2 cents

[TomRodgers]

I agree with Ambedextrous..... All the front M/C's on my bikes were pretty well toasted. The fluid reseviors were looking nasty. all the seals were bad. i know the kits arent that expensive, but by the time you take parts, shipping, time to get them, time to tear apart, time to clean, time to re-assemble.....blah blah blah.... Order, ship, open, bench bleed, brakes, ride done. Total time from box on the porch to riding...about 10-15 minutes. Besides...if the old one is anything like mine, you are going to want to paint it as well before putting it back on the bike. more time. SWMBO only allows short periods of time in the ManCave (springtime is a real bee-otch of a time with garden/lawn/baseball practices for 4 kids!!!), so every minute is precious!
oh....its NEW as well

[brcree]

front master cyl

Man, you guys are great! Thanks for all the great info. Yes, the insides looked very bad since the bike had sat for God knows how long. The muck alone in the reservoir looked like black throw up! On my way to putten her back on the road.!

[DGXSER]

BTDT, here is a pick of what was left after I sucked what I could out of the MC from Banshee, my barn find bike.



A good taking apart and cleaning later and the brakes work like new. Cost me some brake fluid. With these bikes, IMO, if you are really going to follow the rule of "I'd rather buy new than spend my time fixing the old stuff" Then I am not sure why you did not go buy a much newer bike. JMHO. for me, part fo the lure of the XS11 is that it is so reliable and so easy to fix the parts. I enjoy taking the old parts, cleaning them up and maybe adding a dash of paint here and there and they are like brand new again!!

[TomRodgers]

Yes and no.... I actually enjoy doing that stuff as well. I like the challenge. I guess its a personal preference. When my carbs were FUBAR, with everyones awesome tips/opinions, i was happy to clean them and get them up and running over the winter. I would do it in a heartbeat again. But now time is of the essence, and where i can cut the corners on time spent, i will, as long as it doesnt sacrifice tooooooooo much of the nostalgia!! My personal thing is with the brakes...ALWAYS better to have upgrades (like stainless steel lines and newer M/C's)....

[ambidextrous]

dont get me wrong, i love getting my hands dirty

thats part of the fun of buying an old bike, i totally agree

but with brakes, i feel its such an important element of the bike, you know, stopping, that the few extra bucks are well spent

many, many times i have gotten the bloody knuckles and multiple dollars in the swear jar so ive been down that road

[DGXSER]

I understand Tom, either that or I was just hypnotized into agreeing by the bouncing jubblies.

My theory is also partly because I am one of the biggest cheapazzes you will ever meet. Less money is always better, time I got.

[CatatonicBug]

My theory is also partly because I am one of the biggest cheapazzes you will ever meet. Less money is always better, time I got.

I completely agree. I'd rather spend a week working on something to get it right than spend an extra $50 on a part. That is, of course, assuming I know that I CAN get it right by working on it for a week.

[ManitoulinLad]

You know this site is amazing. With every post I seem to learn something. This time it was "the bouncing Jubilees" - never heard that before, Thx DGXSER - I'm still laughing & its been over 10 mins - Dan

[brcree]

front master cyl.

Yes all, I do enjoy getten the one tire in the grave bikes and bringing them back............many hours spent in the man cave over stuff like this. But when it came to stopping me at 70 plus.....I want stuff to work! The spring in question is weak and needs replacing. Keep the shiny side up all!!!!!
if I wanted a wash and go bike I would have spent more! I'm a geeeezzzaa, save a buck when I can too! Thanks all!