NIPPLES!!!

[Baza]

Now that I have your attention lads.

With my bike off the road and waiting for bits I got bored and bought myself a very cheap 1986 FZ750, its as old as me . Its sat in a shed for a few years. I gave it a good service, cleaned the carbs and managed to get it running ok. I'm guessing the carbs now need synced to smooth it out, but its runs good for the amount of work I've done to it for now. I was thinking about having a cheap run about to rack up the miles and run through the winter.

Anyway, I took off the calipers and gave them a good clean. However on one of the calipers the bleed nipple was solid. I soaked it for a few hours with lashings of plusgas. I rounded the nipple. I then tried to use an extractor and the inevitable happened, it snapped. (yes I have read all the recent posts about removing studs, but my eagerness told me to go get stuck in with the tools I had).

I then filed it down so I had two flat surfaces, and sheared it flush with the caliper, nice.

Next step was to drill a bit more and try to use an extractor. FAIL.

I didnt drill that far into the nipple so I assume its still sealed. If it is can I just use one of these instead? click

I'd imagine bleeding could be a bit tricky. Can I get them local? I'm not looking for perfection here just something that works.

I've seen a few calipers on fleebay, but they look a bit rough compared to the ones on the bike and I could just end up with the same problem. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Zax]

Using one of those will probably require you to remove the caliper (from the bike) to forcce out the air but the more important question is how are you going to plug the hole that the bleed nipple left.?

It can be a royal PITA to do brakes at the best of times with having all the bits there.

You could however bleed them using a big syringe by "reverse bleeding the system". this forces the old fluid up to the resevoir along with any air. (just keep emptying the resevoir with a second syringe)

[Baza]

Once zax again thanks for the super quick response. Thats what I was thinking about the bleeding, it would be more of a faff then usual.

taking the caliper off, and moving it about to get the air to the high point or by using syringes etc. I wasnt sure if these banjo bolts with a bleed nipple have a some other purpose to what I would like to use it for?

As for the bleed nipple in the caliper, I was thinking it would still be sealed, closed off? As I only drilled about 5mm into the nipple when it was flush with the caliper. I cant remember the size of the drill bit I used, but stll a good bit of W/T left. Therefore its already blanked off, by itself.

[sneezey]

Oh. That kind of nipples.

Been offshore too long....

[SugR1]

if it still seals bleed it at the pipe uonin were it gos on the caleper. pell the lever in. slackin the uonin keep lever pulled im should come in to the bars. keep held in. tightin uonin reepet, while makeing shure reveswire does NOT run dry, keep toped up do this a few times till all the air is oot. petrol on rag cleen tire wheel etc where brake flued my bee. oh avoid paint with brake fluid. it tends to lift it an make it all buble

[Baza]

I got the bolt with the nipple on it the other weekend. I had a go at the reverse bleed method this time as in the past its always taken a few hours fumbling with the normal method. I always got there in the end though.

The caliper with blocks of wood jamed in it, up in the air at odd angles ensuring the nipple was the highest point. I couldn't get it right. I eventually got it doing it using normal method. Brakes seem rubbish though (not spongy, and it has braided hoses), not been used in a few years and I've also read that they were meant to be poor in its day (23 years ago).

MOT next I'll hopefully get into BRC motorcycles, Muir of Ord one of the next two weekends when I'm back in Narnia.

[Andy168]

bugger, wrong ones