Bryan's 1989 FJ1200 rebirth in Poplar Grove, IL

[FJmonkey]

The blue/gold dots rebuild the same, no need to remove the the dot.

[Waiex191]

The blue/gold dots rebuild the same, no need to remove the the dot.

Thanks for the reply.  So what tools are required to work on them?  I see they have tools to remove the dot, but what is the purpose then?  I also see tools that grab on the inside of the pistons, are those handy?  Or not required?

[FJmonkey]

I rebuilt my Blue dots just like OEM calipers. Removing the center dot allows you change the color if you like. It also means you need a new O-ring(s) to reassemble them.

[FJ_Hooligan]

For monoblocks, I tie wrap one side of pistons in place and force the opposing pistons out.  I then remove the seals and reinstall the pistons, tie wrap them and blow the remaining side out.

As you probably already know, watch out for your fingers.

If you're going to reuse old lines, the FZ lines are probably 10 to 15 years newer (assuming they're from a Gen 1).  If they fit.

A note about the brakeline splitter.  Using it keeps all the line flex between the splitter and caliper. Running 2 lines to the master cylinder means you have to be aware of the line movement and be really careful that the lines don't rub on anything when the suspension moves.

[Waiex191]

For monoblocks, I tie wrap one side of pistons in place and force the opposing pistons out.  I then remove the seals and reinstall the pistons, tie wrap them and blow the remaining side out.

I never thought to remove the seals - that was worth the price of admission!  Thanks for the technique explanation.

I guess the spots are there for manufacturing.

[fj1289]

For monoblocks, I tie wrap one side of pistons in place and force the opposing pistons out.  I then remove the seals and reinstall the pistons, tie wrap them and blow the remaining side out.

I never thought to remove the seals - that was worth the price of admission!  Thanks for the technique explanation.

I guess the spots are there for manufacturing.

Also as I recall hearing (have NOT done it myself) — the dots get screwed INTO the caliper to remove - they DO NOT screw out as you may expect.

[FJ_Hooligan]

You mean they install from the center of the caliper?  That makes a lot of sense.  No way they would ever fall out

[Waiex191]

Very tricky. Hydraulic pressure would try and force them tighter.  Seems like good engineering. 

[Waiex191]

The carbs I bought from woodcreekpete came today.  Looks good - I think I've got everything I need to finish this.  I hope it still runs.


The stock brake lines would not go on the blue spots as they were bolted up to the splitter.  I can see that swapping left for right basically gives the lines a 90 degree rotation, and then they should work.  Since I had to take them out anyway, here is a comparison to the FJ lines.


I guess technically I could have just popped out the double banjo on the bottom of the splitter and swapped it.  But I decided to swap.  Here are the FZ lines loosely bolted up.


The other cool thing was the FZ splitter bolted up to my lower triple clamp.  The steel horn bracket - no go.  So I am making a replacement.  I found some alodined .050 7075-T6 in the scrap bin, transferred the holes from the splitter, and bent it 90 degrees with a generous radius.


The angle comes out above the splitter.  The next piece bolts onto the first angle.  There is a funny rubber isolator on the horn.  Not sure if its purpose is mechanical or acoustic.  I copied the hole shape to use the isolator.


Here is the horn bolted onto the bracket.  Now I have to mate the two pieces.  Would be nice to do it in one piece but then I think fasteners are hard to get to.

[GhostMerc]

Bloody hell Bryan....first ride on the road.....just got learners permit.....and riding a V30 Magna !!!!!!!!!!!!!  Your rider licencing training laws are wayyyyy more relaxed than ours !

Our youngest had been riding MX and Enduro bikes, off road, for 12 years, since he was 4 (up to and including a Suzuki RMX 450), but before he could even take to the roads on his learners permit/licence, on a 33mph restricted moped, he had to go through and pass a days training at an approved school and a skills examination.

After a year riding that moped, he had to do more training (both arena and accompanied road riding) and pass 3 exams (1 theory, 2 riding) before he was allowed to ride a bike of maximum 33 bhp power on the roads. He was limited to that for a further 2 years before being allowed to ride any bike he could get insured on.

To get insurance as a learner on any unrestricted bike (I realise V30's aren't "that" powerful, but a 500cc V4 ain't that slow  ) is simply impossible here, as well as being illegal.

Don't know whether that makes you lucky over there, or unlucky ?

Here in Michigan I believe you can get a moped license at 14.  Once you turn 18 you only need to take a written test to get a motorcycle permit which allows you to ride with somebody who has an endorsement (full motorcycle license).  Once you feel confident you can take a road test.  We do have several colleges that offer two day motorcycle classes.  If you pass the class you are certified to obtain your endorsement.


Last year I broke a brake line on my truck and had a terrible time getting the system bled.  I had a vacuum pump and tried the old school two person pump method.  Eventually I bought this one man brake bleeder and was able to get it.  I then tried it on my FJ and it worked like a charm.

[Waiex191]

I've been using this one, or one like it for a bunch of years.
https://www.harborfreight.com/brake-bleeder-and-vacuum-pump-kit-63391.html?_br_psugg_q=vaccum+bleeder

A good alternate to teflon tape is ez turn:
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/ezturnlube.php

It's basically what you use on aircraft when you want to use teflon tape.  Teflon tape in fuel and oil systems is evil.  I used ez turn on my rear caliper bleeders and it worked great.  Typically I crack the bleeders and run vacuum until I'm pulling fluid into the can.  Then I pump up the master and crack the bleeder while pulling vacuum on it.  A few cycles and it is generally good, and minimal mess.

[Waiex191]

Here is my horn bracket when I thought it was finished. It was 32g vs the stock bracket at 96g.  Wheelies here I come.


Unfortunately I put the nutplates on top and was not able to start the bolts from the bottom. So, I drilled off the nutplates and put a set on the other piece.


While I was under there I also took out some old radar detector wires. I'm too old for that foolishness. 

I did pop off the cover for the MC. One screw was bent and the fluid is yucky.


All the banjo fittings are torqued and the bleeder threads are sealed. Next session I'll be bleeding them.

[Millietant]

Looking forward to hearing your views after trying the brakes vs the original set-up. 

[Waiex191]

Looking forward to hearing your views after trying the brakes vs the original set-up. 

Me too!

[Waiex191]

No pictures, but I got the FZ1 brakes bled.

Pro tip: works much better if you tighten the MC banjo.