Brake overhaul just finished and I'm pleased.

Just finished the Tokico 6 pot overhaul and I'm pretty pleased with the results. I was in two minds whether to use the 6 pots as they have had a very mixed review, that said I had them on my GSX1400 fighter and they worked fine plus I like the look of them and they suit the USD forks very well.

After splitting the calipers I expected to see a lot of crap and gunk in there but in all honesty they were pretty much OK , the seals cleaned up really well and they had no damage in them and still had the flex needed. I was going to accompany each photo with the work carried out but at this moment in time I'll let the pics speak for themselves and if there are any questions I'll happily answer.

I will say a couple of things, I've read that people pack the seal recesses with red grease along with the seal, some folk never bother re-installing the dust seal, I used both seals and smeared a light coating of red grease around each piston and the internals of each bore and did not go over the top - each piston was polished on my bench polisher and they came out better than expected, after installing the pistons with each install there was a vacuum felt as each piston was guided back into its bore.

My only worry is the paint that I used was a woodstove ceramic which is heat reistant upto 325c and is allegedly weather proof and washable but as these have not yet been tested I am on the side of cautious as I prefer to use an enamel usually, but I couldn't resist giving this paiant a go as the colour was beaut especially with a very light fleck of sparkle in them.

Anyway hope you like?

Looks good. Its great to get a fresh lick of paint on something. It looks a bit like the finish I did my headlight bowl with. That was matt with lumps in it!!?? (dont know what the translation is).
Ive also heard of the great debate twixt 6 pot and 4 pot calipers.(In fact there was one going on recently on the 'Practical Sportsbike' facebook page.) I got 4 pots on mine purely because thats what came with the ZXR front end I bought.I am happy about it though as the pistons were buggered and I had to replace them. A pack of 8 stainless pistons and seals is cheaper than 12. No idea about performance difference though.
As for the paint job , nice as it is, I wouldnt hold your hopes up. Brake fluid will pretty much attack anything.Best bet is to just be extra very careful when bleeding and have a bucket of water on standby. You never know though maybe ceramic paint will be ok. I did mine with PJ1.Very happy with the result but no faith in its resistance to the fluid.

cheers Davido - it would be nice to be able to use DOT 5 as opposed to 4 or 5.1 and then the paint would hold, I was thinking about putting some clear over the paint but I'll se how it goes, still got another 3 week wait before my friend can get my swingarm sorted....gotta do all these little jobs just to keep my mind focused on the project

Did you bake the calipers? Do they need it to cure properly?

Do they look as good as new? No. They look BETTER than new! Ed

Thanks Ed much appreciated, Davido cure time stated was on the tin and I followed that I was in two minds about using a heat gun on them but so far so good.

A few rides and they will go through a few heat cycles by themselves - (hopefully) they won't go above 200 degrees C. That should bake them in nicely

Many brake caliper paints will still be damaged by long exposure brake fluid, so I imagine this will be damaged too. Just make sure you have no leaks.

Alternately, you could change your master cylinder seals and hoses and use DOT 5 fluid instead. No stripping of paint then. I've never used DOT 5 on anything myself, but the general advice I've heard is that you can't just drain and put it in - you will need to replace all the old seals. But look like you're half way there already!

Cheers Irish, I was thinking the same re DOT 5. I use it in my Harley chop but I've never known anyone to use it in other bikes ? 5.1 instead of 4 yes but never 5? I will ask a couple of folk I know and see what they say?

DOT 5 is not compatible with DOT 3 or DOT 4 brake fluid, and mixing DOT 5 with either of them will cause brake system problems. This is because DOT 5 is silicone based and DOT 3 /DOT 4 are not. DOT 5 has a very high boiling point and for that reason is frequently used on the racetrack. The demands of racing create more heat than those of street riding. DOT 3 or DOT 4 brake fluids work perfectly well for street riding where the demands are not nearly as great. DOT 5 will not hurt normal automotive / bike paint. DOT 3 / DOT 4 will ruin paint faster than you can say OOOOPS.

In addition to being incompatible with DOT 3 / DOT 4 fluids, DOT 5 has another drawback for most street riders. It is NOT hygroscopic. DOT 3 / DOT 4 ARE hygroscopic. What this means is that any moisture entering a brake system is absorbed by DOT 3 / DOT 4 fluids, but is not absorbed by DOT 5. At first glance this would make DOT 5 appear a better choice because moisture in brake fluid lowers its boiling point, so you don’t want moisture to mix with the brake fluid, right? Well, actually it depends. The problem with DOT 5 being non-hygroscopic is that the moisture still enters the brake system but instead of being absorbed and evenly distributed through the brake fluid it collects as “puddles” of water. These puddles or globs of water generally end up in the low spots within the brake system (such as calipers), and if they remain there, they can cause rust. Racers do not care about this because they are changing brake fluid very often, so these puddles don’t have a chance to form. However, the brake fluid on street bikes may go for very long periods between fluid changes, so these puddles can form and can cause problems. Also, to some extent it depends on the climate where the bike lives; the puddles will be worse in a rain forest than in a dessert.

Some folks do use DOT 5 on the street, and if they completely flushed the old DOT 3 / DOT 4 fluid from their brake system and change their brake fluid frequently it should work well for them. If, however, they mixed the DOT 5 with the DOT 3 / DOT 4, or if they go for years between brake fluid flushes, they may find their brake systems have been affected. This may not show up until they change their fluid and find traces of rust. Ed

Hi Ed,

Yeah I know about mixing different brake fluids etc. I'm getting new lines and my radial master cylinder will get new seals so if I went down the route of using DOT 5 I should be OK?

When I built my chop the master cylinder was designed for 5 and I used a 4 pot Tokico from a GSXR 750 on the rear, used new seals and to this day it has worked great, problem is as you no doubt are aware is the cost, bloody DOT 5 is silly money (in my eyes) compared to 4 or 5.1 but I guess its a case of horses for courses?

Wow! 650ed,hats off. a good bit of info there.Very helpfull. A question though.With the Dot 5,you talk about the moisture seperating and potentialy causing rust.Would this rust/water be flushed out during the course of a regular bleeding of the brakes during a service or would it need a complete change of fluid?

I believe a full brake fluid change would be best to make sure no water is lurking in the system. That's not hard to do if one is going to bleed the brakes; it just means pumping brake fluid through the system until fresh, clear fluid comes out of the bleeder. That should be done every other year to make sure all contamination is purged from the brake system even if using DOT 3 or 4. Ed