Everyone's favorite: CB750 Brakes

[Boucher]

I wish I found this forum a lot sooner! The calipers drag on one side of my 81 CB750 (dual disk). I'm a bit pressed for time as I'm moving in a week, and sadly I've always paid someone else to work on my brakes. So I thought I'd just remove the caliper completely and just keep the other side on, which raises several questions:

1. Is this a terrible idea?

2. What would be the best way to disconnect the brake line to the removed caliper and stop it from leaking/ sucking air?

Thanks!

[Re-run]

Have you determined which side is dragging? I would not disconnect the brake from the line. If anything, take the brake off the mount and tie it up good and put a spacer of wood in there to keep the pad from falling out.

Best thing would be to pull the caliper apart and clean it out really well. Clean all the sides and get all the crud out of there. A dremel with a wire brush works good for this, just be gentle.
Clean the gooves for the seal and the clean the piston and pad sides.

If you have time of course. Othwise, the first suggestion will probably be best, just remember you will have much less braking power.

[Boucher]

I took the caliper off the sticking side and disconnected the hose. The piston has minimal pitting and a few rust spots, but nothing serious. Could this have been the cause of the sticking? If not, what else might make it stick on one side?

I'm still considering plugging the break line; any suggestions?

[Re-run]

Well what commonly happens is that a build up occurs inside the caliper. This caused by the brake fluid as dot3 attracts moisture. This crud builds up and causes the caliper to stick. The worst spot many times if the rubber ring that seals between the housing and the piston. Cleaning these ares out and cleaning the piston many times is enough to free things up if cleaned well.

[Boucher]

Thanks! I guess I'm just being lazy; I took off the second caliper and will use a dremel tool later to remove any build up... hopefully this will do the trick. Will post results when the brakes are reassembled.

Any recommendations for places other than ebay to buy caliper/ master cylinder rebuild kits? Thanks again

[Re-run]

Honda actually still has a lot of kits like these. Check with a local dealer if you can. Many times I have gotten things cheaper at a dealer than at some ebay hack.
You could also try bike bandit or dennis kirk. Look through the list of online stores.

[Re-run]

One thing on the dremel. Make sure it is  wire brass brush. The steel might remove metal that should stay.

[Boucher]

I cleaned both calipers and and the master cylinder. Everything is back on, but I'm unable to bleed the lines.  Everything appears to be properly connected, but after pumping for 20 minuets, nothing is coming out of the bleeder valve (air or fluid). Just to make clear, I'm applying pressure to the hand brake, cracking the valve, applying more pressure, closing the valve, and releasing the break. Repeating, but the fluid in the master isn't going down and nothing is moving through the bleeder kit tubes. What am I doing wrong?

[rm56]

Pump the lever three times and hold it.
Open the  bleed screw, do not let up on the lever while the bleed screw is open, and close the screw after just one or two seconds.
The pump the lever again three times and repeat.

Pump three times
Hold
Open the valve count 2 seconds and close it.
Pump three times
Hold...repeat.

Don't let up on the hand lever with your bleeder open, that will suck in air to the system.

[Boucher]

Thanks! I got so impatient I rented a vacuum pump. Sooo easy....

[Re-run]

speedbleeders are nice and quick too.