Help With The Brakes

[chrisl]

hi, have had a TY250 (with drum brakes) for seven years and after doing a few trials have got myself a 2001 Beta 250. thing is...the brakes seem a totally different kettle of fish when compared with road and enduro bikes.

How do I get the pads separated (even if its just a little bit) away from the disc itself so i can check the surface of the pads.

I have removed the top of the reservoir andd tried pushing the calipers (gently) from both sides but this seems to have no effect in getting a gap between the pads and discs that will make re-assembly an easy task!

I have had a look at the brake lever end (and please forgive the lack of technical terms here) and have removed the rubber boot to see what the brake lever pushes on. (master cylnder adjuster????). inside there was a piece of plastic with a hole in the middle - should I slide this further out?...if so how far can I pull it - or should I leave this well alone.

should I not worry about getting a visible gap between pads before removal? or is there a neat trick to bypass the problems I'm facing. If anyone can offer any help it would be greatly appreciated (cos I'm having the same problems with the rear brake too).

Chris L

[charliechitlins]

If you can't get the disk back between the pads after taking the wheel off, stick something between then and pry them apart.

Use something dull, like a tire iron, that won't gouge the pads.

[macdaddy]

Use something dull, like a tire iron,

and clean!!!

[kinky boots]

I've found that when I take out old pads and put new ones in, it can be quite tricky to push the pistons back into the calipers. Muck and filth often gets in and causes the pistons to seize. I used to have loads of hassle with my rear brake on my '01, so I took it in and asked the to give it a bit of an overhaul. Been as good as gold ever since.

If you start messing about taking the reservoir cap off and fiddling with the pistons in and out, you might end up with air in the line, which will reduce the efficiency of the brakes. If you really are a bit unsure (like me - I'm no technical whizz!), take it down to the shop and ask them to set the brakes up for you. What you pay far outweighs the frustration of trying to fathom it out yourself IMHO

Cheers

Chris Mo.

[macdaddy]

When I put new pads in I clean the pistons with an old toothbrush

and some contact cleaner.

Just be GENTLE as you could damage the seal and/or push dirt past it.

Dont let the rear res go dry when your bleeding it as its a b!tch to

get all the air out!

[charliechitlins]

Brake fluid makes a good cleaner.

Other stuff, including brake cleaner, can harm rubber.

[tordijarres]

Re: getting air out of the rear brake, "it's a bitch" is abit of an understatement!

With mine, I eventually had to buy a length of 10mm rod and cut to custom (ie longer than standard) length to get mine working again. This was after the outer rear caliper seized (we're talking well-looked after 2005 model here) after fitting new pads and "losing" the pedal toslave cylinder assembly during the Ilkley Grand National. Still, since then, has been working great (after new rear caliper under warranty).

I always wondered whether I got the right length replacement rod from BVM as I swear it just ran out of adjustment with the one they sent me (and didn't have the original to compare as was lost on the moors somewhere...)