Rear brake caliper assembly misaligned...

[Hawkwood]

Hey all,

I'm new to the forum, and just bought my first 79 XS11F last week.

I have an issue that probably has a pretty simply fix, but I am *very* green when it comes to motorcycle maintenance, so go easy on me.

The issue I have is the rear brake caliper assembly is misaligned and was wondering how I can fix that:



The guy I bought it from didn't know how long it's been like that, so I'll probably want to check the pads and there is some pulsing, so possibly a warped rotor as well?

Thanks in advance for any advice!


And of course, here's an obligatory pic of my XS11:

[crazy steve]

Welcome; another fine looking Standard! (I'm partial to those, y'know...).

I guess the first question, does it drag on the rotor? If not, I wouldn't worry about it as this this bracket doesn't move with braking/pad wear. If it does, you may have some mis-matched parts; do you still have the 17" rear wheel? A pic of the 'parts stack' at the axle would be helpful to determine that, but you could just put a washer behind the bracket between the it and the wheel.

'78E original owner

[DGXSER]

I'd start by hcecking pad wear. It looks like possibly the brake caliperis stuck putting pressure against the pad and may have worn that one pad down and not the other as much. May need the caliper cleaned out and such, not a big issue or a big job really. Just a bit of work and often no new parts except pads.

[mack]

alignment

What's your order of things at your rear axle starting from right to left as you look at your back tire? Do you have a manual yet?

[bikerphil]

[crazy steve]

You know, after looking at that closer, I wonder if he has one of those 'oddball' rotors like I ran into. These have a .050" deeper 'dish', and that looks like about the amount he's off...

'78E original owner

[tinman905]

It looks like the pad that sits on the piston is not there either

[Hawkwood]

Thanks for the advice so far. Here's a couple more pics from a wider angle:






There is some drag, it spins free for about 3/5ths of the full way around on then drags to a quick stop.

I also do have a Clymer.

[tinman905]

Looks like you're missing the collar #4 that sits between the wheel and the caliper bracket.

[crazy steve]

It looks to me like you have the two spacers in there back-asswards. That outer spacer looks very much like what the inner should be, and while the inner one isn't very visible, what little I can see makes me think it's the outer spacer. The 'correct' outer spacer has a 'big' diameter and a 'small' diameter separated with a 'u'-shaped groove. It may also have a lip on the 'big' side that fits into a matching groove on the outside of the caliper mount. I'd be willing to wager a small sum that if you pull the wheel, that's what you'll find.

As to the amount of 'drag', that's normal. Remember, when you spin that wheel you're also turning a bunch of gears...

'78E original owner

[b.walker5]

According to benefiscal the inner spacer should look like this



and the outer spacer should look like this



and it thats correct then mine is backwards as well, and my rear caliper looks exactly the same as the first photo. I've often thought that it wasnt centered that well but never worried about it as it never caused a problem.

[Hawkwood]

Thanks for the advice all. I'll take a closer look at the spacers and try to get them sorted.

My primary concern is that there is considerable pulsing when using the rear brake.

[bikerphil]

My primary concern is that there is considerable pulsing when using the rear brake.

Sounds like a warped rotor to me. All years on the rear rotors are the same, Standard and Special. Some are slotted, some are not. Both will fit your bike.

[ikeholt40]

did anyone ever come up with a fix for this. I have the same problem, after new rear tire replacement done by bike shop

[ikeholt40]

bump

I have a 79 1100 special. There is no spacer between the tork bracket and the caliper bracket. Is this right? What spacer #4 is the other post refering to?