Caliper woes

[Coyote]

Even though the caliper looked good, I decided to take it apart to be sure. Boy am I glad I did. The 'floating' pad was so tight I had to beat it out with BFH and a drift. There is a ton of wear left on these pads, but somehow they have swelled beyond belief. I dressed the floating pad with a wire wheel and it still won't fit. I guess I will have to pick up some new pads.
The caliper bore is smooth and slick and the piston looks new. No marks or pitting at all. Seal and dust boot look good as well. HOWEVER, the axle o-rings are wasted. Only 2 of the 4 are there and one of those is broken. I have no idea where the missing ones went. They flat weren't there. Soooo, I need 4 new o-rings. They are available but are $4.60 each discounted at Partzilla and another $6 shipping.
A while back there was some discussion about these o-rings and someone had found them cheap. I can't remember who that was. Watercooled maybe? Anyone know a source for these o-rings? I looked on eBay and there was one seller. He wanted $14.00 for ONE! I don't need a $60 rebuild kit. Everything is fine except for these o-rings and swollen pads.

[yeadon_m]

If it were mine I'd delete the axle O-rings.
If you are sure the pad is modern compound I'd lightly dress the outer edge with a file. If not sure, chuck in bin!
Mike

[GT750Battleship]

Hi,still available from Suzuki,for what they are these O rings are expensive & are unique,any old O ring from a Bearing Service won't work & cause problems !! Personally I always replace mine with genuine when I service the calipihers on mine,a lot of people just leave them out & use copper slip on the pins...or something similar,& never have a problem
Cheers,
Roger

[Suzukidave]

Maybe these guys have what you need http://www.theoringstore.com/index.php? ... 01f5e9fd8c" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Coyote]

If it were mine I'd delete the axle O-rings

.
Care to elaborate on that Mike?
I would say the pads are original. Circa 1976. I have determined by careful measuring that the floating pad has grown a full 30 thou or .75mm. No wonder I had to beat it out. I think I'll upgrade to something new. I found a reasonably priced pair of pads on eBay made by DIADO. EBC are a little pricey for me. Maybe I am confusing the name with D.I.D. I have used and will continue D.I.D chains with great results. O-ring chains are way overkill on these ancient machines IMO.

[Suzsmokeyallan]

Oh I don't know about that comment Chris, I know I will never use another stock chain on any bike I own, for me its an X ring all the way.
Back in 2010 I had a new DID regular chain on the Canadian buffalo for a trip out to Vancouver from Calgary and back. It rained for a good portion of the trip outbound and on the return portion as well. When I finally got back to Calgary the chain was totally finished, towards the last couple hundred miles back, things got so bad I was lubing and adjusting it every 45 minutes just to coax it home.

[pearljam724]

I agree with doing away with the o rings. When they swell or harden they simply tear apart from movement or sliding the pins back through the calipers to do repair or other maintenance. The only purpose they serve is to keep dust, grime and water off the pins. But, if you remove the calipers every so often to inspect and maintain them. I feel there is no need to keep or replace them. The brakes work fine without them, if you service the calipers at a descent interval.

[Coyote]

I was able to dress the pad down with my disc sander. Got a good slip fit. Still I have mixed emotions about re-using it. It swelled out of sight before, what's to prevent it from happening again? Anyone ever run in to this issue? Remember I had to beat the sliding pad out with a BFH and a drift. Lucky I didn't break the carrier.

[pearljam724]

I believe that has been caused by what ever brand pads someone installed previously. Brake pads are made from a lot of different compounds today. Cheap pads equals a cheap compound. What ever those pads are made of, that compound sounds to be absorbing water causing them to swell. Pads are cheap and not worth, not replacing. I believe they will continue to swell or begin to break apart due to all of the absorption that has taken place. Some people like a hard biting pad. You'll need a soft composition. Some people don't like a hard biting pad and would rather have a longer lasting pad made from a harder compound ( sintered ). Or you can compromise in the middle using a Kevlar sintered pad. These bikes are heavy, so if I had the option. I probably would go soft (organic), even though I don't like a hard biting pad. But, at the same time they lack in the performance area. So, what ever. Lol !

[Coyote]

What are tho ones that are partially metallic? You can see metal scattered around in the compound. Seems like they would play hell with the rotor. I did use a semi metallic set on my GS. Don't notice much difference other than they squeal once in a while. Those pads are on the rear only.

[pearljam724]

Sintered is mostly a compound made of metal. Yes, those have a tendency to squeal once in a while and they also wear rotors faster because they are harder. They don't bite as hard. But, on a bike that wear won't be much of a problem like a car that you drive every day. Kevlar/sintered is one example of a compound mixed with metal as you mentioned. Some are labeled as semi metallic also. The pads mixed with metal are going to last a lot longer than organic for example. Won't squeal that much, have an adequate bite. But, I'm not sure if a lot of options are available for these pads. You'll have to look. If I had to guess, most aftermarket pads available for these bikes today are probably organic. Those are probably the ones you have installed now that are absorbing water. They bite hard, but won't last as long because they are made from a softer compound. But, a bike isn't ridden every day. So, it would be fine. Just choose what characteristic you're looking for. If that is available for these pads. I don't know what they used for the original Suzuki pads. All I know, is that compound is extremely poor at biting when those pads get wet. When they aren't wet, they do a good job. The Suzuki pads sold today might be made of a different compound to fix the problem the original pads created. Not sure about that.

[pearljam724]

You got me interested in researching what compounds are available for these bikes. Just looking through Ebay there are several different compounds to my surprise for these bikes. I've never seen these before. I'd like to give them a try myself. I'm willing to bet these are designed to dissipate both heat and water that were designed to fix the problem of swelling and wet stopping power a lot of the other pads have problems with. Surprising to me. Organic, ceramic, Kevlar, sintered choices are available for these pads. I think you have me interested in giving these a try. But, they don't state what compound they are made from. http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUZUKI-GT250-GT ... 45&vxp=mtr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Coyote]

I'm going to order those. Vesrah I think are very decent quality. I need pads anyway and I think the price is fair. If they fit 380 and 750, they will fit the 550 -- even though that bike isn't mentioned.
Some people never bother to do their homework. 73 - 76 GT500?? If I understand correctly the GT500 was only made for 2 years. 76 and 77 and was actually a T500 in a different dress.
I WAS going to order a set made by DIADO, but I can't say I've heard of them before. I AM familiar with the Vesrah brand. I HAD 2 new sets of Vesrah pads that I sold for $5.00 a set to someone on the board years ago. Went to Canada if memory serves me right. Didn't need them. I'm not building another 550. Famous last words This is my THIRD one!

[pearljam724]

Vesrah is a very good brand. But, you can X those out of the equation due to the wrong listing. Kevlar is a good pad when mixed with metal on a high performance bike that you don't particular want a very hard bite. These are a combination of Kevlar and a softer organic compound. I like that combination possibly for these bikes. EBC is good pad also. They all will work. But, depending on the brake power you're looking for will depend on the compound. Sometimes people are disappointed in their brake performance. Not realizing the compound they just bought doesn't equate to what results their looking for. Or air remains in their lines. If that is addressed right any bike should stop well enough. Even these dinosaurs. A lot of people like a hard biting jerky feeling. I don't, I like a pad that shaves speed well enough to slow me down. http://www.ebay.com/itm/EBC-Kevlar-Orga ... 2a&vxp=mtr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Coyote]

I soaked the once swollen pad in a cup of water for 24 hours. It didn't move at all