Sticking front brake on bandit

[astle]

Hi,
I have a small problem with the right front caliper sticking on my Bandit.
I bought the bike recently and when inspecting it found the brakes were sticking so told the guy he needs to fix it before i hand any cash over.
He claims (i have an invoice from his garage) that he had to get 2 new disks and pads costing him Over £300.
Because of this i dont think the disk is warped and i am at a loss to explain what could be causing it.
If i go out for a run the binding causes the disk to heat up which is something that worries me and is preventing me from using it untill i get it fixed.

Any ideas what could be the cause?

Thanks.

[Scooby]

I just wrote you a description on how to sort them out. Then my browser crashed. Search for the brake overhaul page that I think Stew did.
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A big enough hammer fixes anything!

[astle]

Thanks for the reply but i cant sem to find the post.
Could you post the link to it please?

Thanks.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Is this a 600 or a 1200 Bandit? In either case it sounds like one of the calipers is sticking. The 600 uses sliding calipers (and on one of these it is probably most likely that the caliper is no longer sliding) while the 1200 uses 4 pot calipers (6 pot on the new ones).

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[astle]

It is a 600 98 plate.

Thanks.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Right, take off one of the calipers. You will find that there is a steel bracket that bolts to the fork, and then the actual alloy body of the caliper. The caliper should slide on the pins on the steel bracket. Chances are that it is seized on one side.

If it is not that then one of the pistons in the caliper is probaby seized. To be honest if they are that bad I would be dubious about touching them unless you have some understanding of brakes.

However, if you do, take each caliper off in turn. Remove the pads and pump the lever slightly to push the pistons out slightly. You may well find that one moves out quickly while another does not move. If so chock the moving one into position and pump again. Clean the sides of the pistons up, using a tooth brush and brake cleaner maybe (avoid WD40 as it can react with the rubber seals in the brakes). Use a small amount of brake fluid around the pistons to lubricate them (the brake cleaner is very effective at degreasing things), then push the pistons back in. Watch out that the fluid level in the master cylinder does not got too high. Put the pads back in place and reassemble it all.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing