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Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Beer & Brakes

So, the Vision had been down for a couple of days. I found the front brake rotor was hanging up on the brake pads. I had another brake rotor, so I figured I would simply swap it out. And... Since I was going to have the front wheel off the bike, I figured I would change the brake pads and bring the tire to the shop and have the 23+ year old tube removed from the wheel.



Let's start with the wheel. I brought the tire to Steve's Performance in Rocky Mount. The tires I have on the bike are relatively new Avon Super Venoms, installed by AllSport Cycles in Roanoke. It appeared, by the valve stem, that AllSport reinstalled the old tube inside the tire. Well, when Steve's removed the tire, there was no tube. Steve's did remove all the PJ1 Balance Plus from inside the tire and also drilled out a bolt I broke taking off the brake rotor.



With the tire back, I started tackling the brakes. First, I opened a beer. I then replaced the pads and the rotor and installed a Speed Bleeder. It turned out that one of the bolts holding on the rotor was torqued all wrong creating a warp in the rotor. After bleeding the front brake, I found I had excessive drag on the front brake. Resetting the free play set screw, I found it made no difference.



This led to rebuilding the front brake caliper. This was a first for me. Removed the caliper from the bike and found the piston very frozen. I brought the caliper to my friend Dave who owns Dave's Metal Shop. He used compressed air and blew the piston out. He then spun the piston on an emery wheel and cleaned it up for me. I brought the parts back home and pulled the seals, cleaned the crap out of the caliper. As it was Memorial Day and everything was closed, I was forced to use the same seals. They weren't in too bad of shape. I ordered new ones for when these give out. Used a vise to push the piston back into the caliper and reinstalled and torqued everything. Bled the brakes again... and then again. Ha! No more drag.



The brakes all work pretty good. Good for a Vision that is. The Vision is known for having spongy brakes. This is the reason Yamaha decided on a dual disc front brake for the 1983 model. Still has the slight Vision spongy feeling, so I will be looking into steel braided brake lines for my bike.....


Comments:
I have a buddy that is crazy about Visions too. He has two, one to ride one for parts. I am always surprized to see how well his bike has held up over the years. Great blog keep up the good work
 
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