-+ Help! Front brakes seizing/sticking/squeeking +-

[blinky]

1.
front brakes are seizing/sticking/squeeking - seems to be coming from the left side. Any ideas what could be causing this? ...dust on pads? salt/muck trapped in caliper?

2.
obv i knew i should open up the left caliper (as thats the one that is more seized really), but the socket wrench slipped on the bolt! anyone know how to get the dam bolt out now?

did i overtighten the bolts previously? ...the downsides of not having a torque wrench i guess!

01 hornet, only 12000 ish miles

cheers
____________________
Better to ask forgiveness than permission!
Oh i miss my first love, the lovely lil CG!
Rouser 135 2012... Enfield 25... Hornet 600 2002... CG125 2000

[MarkJ]

They'll be seizing because the pistons need a clean, and you possibly also need new seals as you might have crap behind the dust seals causing them to pinch the seals against the pistons.

Have you rounded the bolt off, or are you just using the wrong size socket? Hornet caliper bolts are fairly large, I can't see you rounding it off by trying to undo it once.

[the grim reaper]

If the brakes are binding then it's almost certainly crap in the seal grooves, don't make the mistake of just cleaning the pistons and pushing them back into the calipers. Take the pistons out (I use an old bike inner tube valve in the banjo bolt hole and a track pump) one at a time and remove the seals to clean behind them. It's very unlikely that the seals will need replacing unless they are really distorted and old.

To get the rounded bolt out, cut a slot with a dremel or hacksaw and use an impact driver.

Cheers

Grim
____________________
Adverts don't always work: Remember that advert, where the army are running across the desert and they have a wounded man on a stretcher. They get to a ravine, the bridge is down and a caption pops up that says, 'What are you thinking?'. I don't know about you but I was thinking, 'Christ, I'm glad I'm not in the f***ing army'.

[blinky]

Ye i was using a multi-use socket set, cheapish set i'm guessing. Just frustrated me when it started to slip and round off, as i had to then leave it for the rest of the day. Will borrow the right socket size off a mate when i can.

Brakes definitely binding, rubbing noise much louder today. I know i shouldnt be riding he bike, but i had to go somewhere today. Hopefully ill sort it this weekend.

Right, so i sort of need to do a brake overhaul then? Meaning bleeding the brakes n all that? Ugh, i need bleeding kit if thats the case. Piston work i can try though, ok, will see how i get on, and get back to ya.

Could you clarify what you meant by "(I use an old bike inner tube valve in the banjo bolt hole and a track pump)" ?? cheers

I'm a bit of a newbie to this stuff.

Thanks for the help
____________________
Better to ask forgiveness than permission!
Oh i miss my first love, the lovely lil CG!
Rouser 135 2012... Enfield 25... Hornet 600 2002... CG125 2000

[serlant]

Also, always go for 6 point spanners/sockets instead of 12, as they're much less likely to round the smeg out of your bolts if theres a stuck one
____________________
04 CBR1000RR, 1995 Husqvarna TE410, 1998 VTR1000(Sold), 1990 XJ600(sold), 1996 KH125(dead and sold)

[kingsknight]

I had this problem with my XR.

Change the brake fluid
Change the pads
Strip down and clean the caliper ( you may need to change the seals but I didn't)
Enjoy riding without a sticky brake

Total time to do all that? An hourish on a good day
____________________
TS50 (sold) NS125F (sold) NSR125R-K (write off after 2 crashes) CG125 (nicked) XR125L-3 (Sold )-: ) DR125SM '11 (sold yay) XL125V '12 (In love with this bike) XT600E '04 (fun on the dirt)

[blinky]

hmmm, for a lot of that i would need brake cleaner and a few extra tools/bleeding kit unfortunately. So in the near future defo.

All i did today was take both calipers off, pads out, clean just those (with a bit of kerosene and white spirit) basic bits, scrubbed the discs. Pumped the pistons in and out a few times and stucki a tad of vaseline up their sides. That seems to have solved the squeeking for now, so its binding less too, at least it was safe enough for me to go the 12ish miles i did earlier.
....they still rub a bit, but that may be normal, as theyre sintered pads, but im still not completely sure, as i havnt touched the bike in 4months and only owned it for 8months!

Just wondering if i can make over to West Wales and back without any issues though ....its a good 280-300miles. Bit of a roadtrip ...i think i best get a 2nd opinion from a different garage to my usual local one... just to be safe

and i cleaned up the bike, looking much tidier now - see pic!

bar end mirrors on the way, still repairing clocks, need to fit givi rack and screen of some sort soonish

ride safe
____________________
Better to ask forgiveness than permission!
Oh i miss my first love, the lovely lil CG!
Rouser 135 2012... Enfield 25... Hornet 600 2002... CG125 2000

[blinky]

how risky is it to ride with a partially sticking (left) caliper then?


1. does it mean one side is biting/rubbing more than the other, ie. more pad wear and damage to discs?

2. **biggest fear:
does it mean potentially my front wheel is more likely to lock up and put me into a slide when going round tighter bends?


thanks
____________________
Better to ask forgiveness than permission!
Oh i miss my first love, the lovely lil CG!
Rouser 135 2012... Enfield 25... Hornet 600 2002... CG125 2000

[Fisty]

[blinky]

f***!
____________________
Better to ask forgiveness than permission!
Oh i miss my first love, the lovely lil CG!
Rouser 135 2012... Enfield 25... Hornet 600 2002... CG125 2000

[blinky]

front left caliper and disc were quite warmer than the others.... a good indicator of the disc getting too hot?
____________________
Better to ask forgiveness than permission!
Oh i miss my first love, the lovely lil CG!
Rouser 135 2012... Enfield 25... Hornet 600 2002... CG125 2000

[MarkJ]

Correct