Thread: RTR180 brake pad cleaning/replacing

Brake pad replacing/brake bleeding:
Before you start, make sure you have everything you need to complete the job.Second, have a look over the bike's brakes and see what you'll need to remove the calipers and the pads themselves.

Tools needed:
1)5mm allen key
2)12mm ring spanner
3)rag
4)a flat head screwdriver
5)sand paper

Procedure:



Step 1:
First,remove the caps with a flat head screw driver as shown in the pic.


Step 2:
Then loosen the hex headed bolts with the help of a 5mm allen key,it will not be easy to rotate it,too much force is needed hence it will be more easier if you have 5mm hex bits with a ratchet.
After that,wait,don't pull these bolts after loosening them.








Step 3:
Now with the 12mm ring spanner,remove the caliper mounting bolts bolts that hold the caliper with the front fork.Pull out the caliper assembly slowly and remove the hex headed bolts,the brake pads will come out.It's important not to leave the caliper hanging by its brake hoses,so tie it with some cord.









Step 4:
Rub the sand paper on the surface of the brake pads lightly without applying too much pressure.Make sure you rub the paper in only direction.Do not use circular motion or it will smoothen the surface and reduce braking efficiency!











Step 5:
Clean the caliper assembly and piston with soap water or better with a brake cleaner.Now push back the piston inwards to its original position,it can be done with fingers and thumbs and a firm squeeze.If its not possible then place any old pad in between and with a nose plier try to push the piston in.Do this very carefully!



Step 6:
Replace the brake pads in their original position and put the hex bolts back at their place.





Step 7:
Put the caliper assembly back on the front fork and replace the mounting bolts.Check if the brake pads are properly aligned on both sides of the rotor/disc plate.Tighten the hex headed bolts.It's best to tighten the hex bolt once the caliper has been remounted to the fork leg.





Step 8:
Press the brake lever few times so that the pressure builds up!








CAUTION:Never attempt to engage the front brakes,when the pads are removed.
TIPS:
1)It's much easier to do while the calipers are firmly attached to the fork legs hence the hex bolts should be made loose and then remove the caliper mounting bolts.
2)You can apply a dab of grease on the back of the brake pads so that the squeaking noise can be eliminated but be careful not to get the grease on the disc side of the pads!
3)You can apply brake fluid on the pistons for smoother operation.
4)Use only DOT 3 or DOT 4 brake fluid from a sealed container from recommended makes.
5)Do not apply mineral oil for cleaning any brake parts. Use only brake fluid for cleaning the seals.
6)Do not apply mineral based grease on bore, pistons and seals of master cylinder and caliper. Apply only recommended assembly fluid.
7)Do not use cotton cloth to wipe cylinder bore, fibres of cloth will remain in cylinder bore surface.
8)Ensure dust free condition during assembly.
9)Do not polish friction disc with sand paper,as hard particles deposited in the lining may damage steel disc.
10)While filling the reservoir after bleeding, ensure that drops or splashes do not remain on the painted surface or plastic surface, since brake fluid is corrosive.

A word of warning: as with all home maintenance - and especially with something as critical to your safety as brakes - don't attempt the job unless you have got all the right tools to hand and you are confident enough to see it through!

DIY approved

A very well illustrated DIY.

Originally Posted by Drifty

3)You can apply brake fluid on the pistons for smoother operation.

Nice DIY. But I differ on the above point due to the chemical properties of the fluid, the pistons may not operate properly. Do you have the source of this information?

There is no point really applying brake fluid on the pistons if you're not completely disassembling them because the seals will keep whatever is in in, and whatever's out out. Plus, any sticky liquid on the exposed part of the pistons will only help accumulate more gunk. However, and this is especially relevant when completely removing the pistons, it's usually hard to push pistons back into the seals without lubricant, the local mechs use oil () but there is a special brake grease (thanks nox) which should be used on the seals to allow the pistons to slide in properly.

Few things to mention, in step4 you've mentioned not to use a circular motion when sanding the pads, it doesn't matter because within about 10km of use, the discs will pretty much buff the pads down to their own spec! More important is to completely clean the pads as well as possible because you've taken all this effort to remove them in the first place.

Step5 is absolutely critical, before pushing pistons back in, either after changing or cleaning the pads, they have to be spotlessly clean, or the gunk on them will both eat up the seals and contaminate the brake fluid. And since this is a DIY, for the sake of completeness, when pushing twin pistons back in, make sure they're both pushed in at the same time or one could pop out!

Originally Posted by Noor

DIY approved

A very well illustrated DIY.

Thanks for the approval Noor.

Originally Posted by abhijitkn

Nice DIY. But I differ on the above point due to the chemical properties of the fluid, the pistons may not operate properly. Do you have the source of this information?

Brake fluid can be safely used on the pistons,it will not damage the O-ring seals.But many kinds of rubber are not resistant to petrol or petroleum-based products hence petrol/kerosene should never be used for cleaning the seals or the brake pistons.Read the following links for some more info
Dan's Motorcycle "Hydraulic Brakes & Clutch"
Motorcycle Brake Caliper Cleaning and Maintenance

Originally Posted by julianpaul

There is no point really applying brake fluid on the pistons if you're not completely disassembling them because the seals will keep whatever is in in, and whatever's out out. Plus, any sticky liquid on the exposed part of the pistons will only help accumulate more gunk.

If the part in bold is correct then there's nothing wrong in applying little brake fluid outside the pistons since the accumulated gunk will not pass through the dust seals and whatever's out will be out!

Originally Posted by julianpaul

However, and this is especially relevant when completely removing the pistons, it's usually hard to push pistons back into the seals without lubricant, the local mechs use oil () but there is a special brake grease (thanks nox) which should be used on the seals to allow the pistons to slide in properly.

The O-ring is made of a tough silicon based rubber that is resistant to water and brake fluid.Any other regular lithium or copper grease may damage the seals as its a petroleum product.The benefits of silicone grease are:non-corrosive, excellent oxidation resistance and thermal stability, superior hydrolytic stability and water washout resistance, broad operating temperature range (-70°F to 400°F).However,under high force metal to metal lubricating conditions (wheel bearings, gears, etc.), silicone grease does NOT have superior characteristics over the regular petroleum grease. For those lubrication needs, a good quality petroleum grease is the best.
Hope you are using the Silicon one.

Originally Posted by julianpaul

Few things to mention, in step4 you've mentioned not to use a circular motion when sanding the pads, it doesn't matter because within about 10km of use, the discs will pretty much buff the pads down to their own spec!

And rubbing the pads in circular motion make the frictional surface more smoother which ultimately degrade the braking efficiency.I am saying this from my own experience,just try it out next time and see.

Hi. That was a good D.I.Y.. My RTR 180 has some issues with the rear disc. The pads are not tightly fixed or can say that one of the pads is shaky.. because of which there is noise when i apply brake at light pressure. the noise is not heard when i apply more pressure. also, when i ride on bumpy roads, i hear a thud sound from the pads hitting some other part. So if u could tell me wat can be done in this regard, then it would b helpful. I would apprecaite if u could explain how to remove the rear disc as u've done a d.i.y on front disc. Thanks.

Very Deeply Explained... If one doesn't like to do by him/herself, he can easily monitor the Mechanic for Correct Steps.. This will really help everyone & no mechanic can make us fool if we know the procedure ...


#Drifty_Thanks