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An experience.
Bouyed by recent success in renovating my 1972 CB 750, I though Id try and get the front disk brake working this weekend. Ive replaced the disk pads, bled the line, still the brake was less than ideal, so I procured a Master Cylinder repair kit, which I though I could install in one night and have my bike ready for a ride out into the coutryside in the morning.
Repairing my Master Clyinder took three days and appears to have caused my wife some angst as well, wondering what I was swearing.
The manual was as detailed as any great maxim. It effectively said, remove all the parts then put them back in the same order you took them out. Now that was helpful. I found some youtube clips and some other generic info on the net which helped a bit more.
The following is my advice on how to renovate a master cylinder for anyone else who has never done it before and has the same insiteful manual as I do.
Ill give you two options:
1. Remove the master cylinder, and then take to it with a large hammer, then purchase a new Master Clysinder unit and re-install that one. Hey presto, away you go.
or
2. Remove the Cylinder from the bike and from all cables and lines. Remove the brake handle. My cylidner was full of all sorts of things rust, miscelaious insects, a cat in a hat, etc. I cleaned it with petrol and penetrating fluid (the manual says under no circumstane use either of these thigns to clean the cylinder, but nothing else was cleaning my cylinder. It was either petrol or hydrochloric acid and I figured since I was replacing all rubber parts that it would be ok?).
Place the cleaned Cylinder in a vice. Remove the exteral rubber dust cover from the end of the plunger. To do this just get a pair of pointy nose plyers and give it a pull. you will be replacing it. Take no care with it.
It took me about 5 minutes to get to this point. The next stage took two days as I attempted to remove the inner Circlip. Unless you are born with a set of circlip plyers on the end of your fingers, have X-ray vision and at least 4 arms this process is challenging. In the course of two days of scrathing around inside the cylinder I discovered that there was in fact, a 'Circilip retaining Circlip' (looks like a split ring).
Using a smallish screwdriver, prise off the split ring washer that is located just above the inner circlip. Remove it in any way you can. You will be replacing it, so do not take care with it.
Then you can remove the inner circlip. Now this is really some feat of engineering. Who through that a Master Cylinder, which is a small part could have a Circlip inserted sooo far down inside. It seems this circlip challenges the whole 'time and relative dimensions' in space theory.
My Circlip pliers were not long enough to reach the clip. So I went and bought another pair. I actually got a cheap pair. Over the course of the weekend I modified this pair by narrowing down the stems so that they would fit inside the barrell, adding some extra length by soldering on some small allen keys so that I could reach the inner circlip.
Re-insert the bolt that retained the brake handle into the master cylidner unit and using this blot as a leverage point, insert a screwdriver and apply pressure on the plunger so that it is fully depressed within the master clylinder.
Now with your supper extra special circlip plyers remove the circlip.
From there it is simple. Carefully take everything apart. Replace all parts and put it back togerther in the reverse order. I suggest bathing the cylinder unit in brake fluid to get rid of the petrol before re-applying parts.
To re-apply the circlip, I suggest that you use your circlip plyers to get the circlip just inside the barrel. Then using a socket (about 12mm) which will fit inside the barrell, push the socket against the circlip until the circlip is pushed far enough into the barrell that it clicks into place. Then insert the new 'circlip retaining circlip' (split ring) in the same manner. Then the external dust cover and hey presto, there goes a weekend and now you have an extra special pair of circlip plyers to show off your soldering capabilities.
Now that I have a pair of extra special circlip pliers I reckon I could do the whole task in about 20 minutes. Alterantively, this whole putting a kit through your master cylinder thing is a rort perpetrated by people selling kits on Ebay.
My brakes work now.
Finally, always check with your licenced Honda practioner before taking my advice on motorbike repair. I have no training or experience on these matters and brakes are important.
Best of luck
Tim
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