New guy, first bike XS11 special, Brake question

[Suckerpunch]

Yes, this is my first bike ever. Im 32 and finally after years of saying im going to get one, I did it!

Anyway,

When I got the bike it had some bad front rotors. I replaced them and have a question about the caliper mounting. I have a 1980 xs1100, and on these forks the caliper mounts by a single bolt from the bottom up. Ok, here is the question. As im turning the bolt I notice the caliper starts to wobble a bit (both of them). Im wondering how much of this plays a part in the alignment of the pads?

I as of now have them really tight and it would seem the pads are to tight because I can barley turn the front wheel with my hand. Do I ride it out and wait for the pads to seat or, do I adjust the caliper with this bolt?

Hope some of this makes since...

[CatatonicBug]

Did you clean the master cylinder and the caliper out? The little grooves in the calipers that hold the rubber seals on the piston need to be cleaned out (behind the rubber seals). You may also have a clogged spooge hole in the Master cylinder, not allowing the piston to retract.

[petejw]

i havent got an 80 so not sure of the brake set up,
but dont ride it in the hope its going
to get better, theres something wrong there which
needs to be fixed.

welcome to the board.

[Suckerpunch]

No, i did no cleaning. just a quick bolt up. I figured they were working good when removed so I didn't think it would be necessary.

How do I clean them? brake cleaner through the lines? Or do I pull apart all the parts? That may be over my head.

[Suckerpunch]

i havent got an 80 so not sure of the brake set up,
but dont ride it in the hope its going
to get better, theres something wrong there which
needs to be fixed.

welcome to the board.

I did ride it around the block applying pressure to the front brakes more than usual. The result is the wheel turns much easier now but, I can still feel the pads rubbing the rotor.

thanks for the help.

[petejw]

if you replaced the rotors did you compress the
caliper piston, if the old rotors are thinner the
pads would be pushed closer together making it
tighter on the rotor.
try pumping the lever a few times this might centre
and settle things.

also did you replace the pads,
id be using new pads with replaced rotors.

[petejw]

sorry u posted while i was typing,
therell be a little drag on the wheel
but it should still spin.

"Idid ride it around the block applying pressure to the front brakes more than usual. The result is the wheel turns much easier now but, I can still feel the pads rubbing the rotor.

thanks for the help. "


lol all good, being a new rider i didnt want to hear you coming off with a front wheel lock up. :-)

[CatatonicBug]

No, i did no cleaning. just a quick bolt up. I figured they were working good when removed so I didn't think it would be necessary.

How do I clean them? brake cleaner through the lines? Or do I pull apart all the parts? That may be over my head.

The brake system on these bikes is super simple. First, download a manual (or 2) from the link in my signature if you don't already have one.

Remove the caliper from the wheel, and use the master cylinder to pump the piston out of the caliper. Be sure the master cylinder doesn't run out of fluid while pumping. You can then re-attach the caliper to the fork to allow you to break the banjo bolt loose from the caliper. Then, remove the caliper again, and dig the rubber seal out of the caliper bore. Use a pointy pick to clean the gunk out of the groove that the rubber seal fits into, and clean the rubber seal itself. Remember to ONLY use brake parts cleaner or clean brake fluid to clean any of these parts.

Also, disassemble the master cylinder and clean the internals on that too, paying special attention to the spooge hole. It's a tiny hole that links the MC piston to the fluid reservoir. That is what allows the pressure to be released from the system when you release the brake lever. It tends to collect gunk because it's so small.

When you're all done, reassemble and bench bleed the MC, and put all the pieces back together. I like to fill the caliper with fluid to reduce the air in the system before re-assembly. Then, bleed the air out of the system, and cross your fingers!

BTW, with new pads, a little scrubbing sound is normal, but the wheel should still turn without too much effort.

[SFerinTEXAS]

I as of now have them really tight

Really tight is certainly too tight. Get that generously provided manual downloaded and study , study, study.

[Crazcnuk]

To answer the question, the pads are self aligning. The calipers pivot on that bolt to keep them where they need to be.

On the Special though, you have to watch the fork alignment as it bears on the caliper placement on one side. You can get the fork slighty off line and it will bind up that caliper.

The manual Catatonic mentioned will explain this.

[fredintoon]

Yes, this is my first bike ever. Im 32 and finally after years of saying im going to get one, I did it!

Anyway,

When I got the bike it had some bad front rotors. I replaced them and have a question about the caliper mounting. I have a 1980 xs1100, and on these forks the caliper mounts by a single bolt from the bottom up. Ok, here is the question. As im turning the bolt I notice the caliper starts to wobble a bit (both of them). Im wondering how much of this plays a part in the alignment of the pads?

I as of now have them really tight and it would seem the pads are to tight because I can barley turn the front wheel with my hand. Do I ride it out and wait for the pads to seat or, do I adjust the caliper with this bolt?

Hope some of this makes since...

Hi 'punch and welcome,
Alas you are stuck with the Special's Weird Harold front brakes, swivelly bolt, tapered pads (yes, they are supposed to be like that) and all.
Hopefully a clean-out and fork realignment will fix them for you. Considering the basic lunacy of their design, they actually work quite well.
And this is your very first bike? It's 200 lbs too heavy and has way too much power to make a good learner bike so let's be careful out there.
Find a rider's course to take; the life you save may be your own.

[Ivan]

Hey. The XS11 was my first road bike as well. I had a little time running from police on an old enduro in highschool but not much. Like Fred said, these are powerful heavy bikes. Spend a lot of time in an empty parking lot learning how to handle the beast at slow speed. That is probably the hardest part of the learning curve. That and keeping the twisty stick unwound so you don't accumulate a lot of free book marks from the guys with the flashy lights on the roof.

Those long bolts that hold the calipers in position are usually not perfectly true. The caliper will wobble a bit as you snug the bolt. You should have a jam nut on the other side of the bolt and not have the bolt much more than snug. That cailper does, in fact, pivot on that bolt as others have said.

Also, use the pinch bolt on the right fork to align the rotor in the slot of the fork. The left side should align from the spacer which is part of the speedo gear hub.

On any disk brake, its normal to have some drag on the pads when a new component is installed. Thicker parts need to push the caliper piston back a bit, which will usually happen very shortly after the first drive. If it still touches on parts of the rotor, but doesn't have any noticable drag afterward, that's perfect.

Good luck. Be careful and don't use any of your tickets to wrap your spent chewing gum in. When you go to the courthouse to pay the fine, it pisses off the clerks.

[brcree]

front brakes.....

This is a grate place for good info here.......all these suggestions should be looked into and make sure there is a sleeve that the mount bolt goes through in the caliper. I redid my brakes and left those out....brain fart!

[Suckerpunch]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the great info. Between the posts on this thread and looking in the archives, I have found out all kinds of cool stuff. Originally I bought this bike to chop up into a bobber but, now that I see they have such a HUGE following, Im thinking I might engoy a full restoration insted.

This bike is sweet! I bought it with 64k miles. Full fairing, sissy, and saddle bags. Runs perfect! Only draw back was the warped rotor, and spongy front shocks (which I found no PSI). I paid $850 and a new DOT brand name helmet was included.

I do see that this bike has lots of power but, as for now I drive and shift around 3-4k rps. Its a little scary but, so much fun!.

[brcree]

brakes

You may have a rare XS there....I'de look into it man!