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All 650's Brake Maintenance

robbie_62

2017
CBR650F ABS
Aug 19, 2020
Riding Since
2020
Hi All,

I have a 2015 CBR650F which needs a bit of work,

The Calipers seem a bit sticky and the front discs are down to the limit.

How difficult is it to change the Discs & Pads on the front yourself & also change the Caliper seals, etc

I don't have much maintenance experience yet but I'm hoping to try and do as much as possible myself so I can learn how to maintain it properly

Cheers

Rob
 

miweber929

2014
CBR650F
650 Alumnus
Staff
Feb 13, 2015
Woodbury, MN
Riding Since
1975
Hi All,

I have a 2015 CBR650F which needs a bit of work,

The Calipers seem a bit sticky and the front discs are down to the limit.

How difficult is it to change the Discs & Pads on the front yourself & also change the Caliper seals, etc

I don't have much maintenance experience yet but I'm hoping to try and do as much as possible myself so I can learn how to maintain it properly

Cheers

Rob
If you can properly support the front end in the air and get the front wheel off, it’s pretty easy. If you can’t do that, or that sounds daunting, I’d use a shop.
 

Motojack

2019
CBR650R
May 26, 2019
I learnt to do all those things in a clapped out SV650s with no garage. I got a deal from a breaker for a spare set of calipers for my bike and so I just rebuilt them and swapped out my worn out calipers as a unit, fixed them and had them on stanby.

This might not work for you, I had o go down this route as I relied on my bike to get to work
 

robbie_62

2017
CBR650F ABS
Aug 19, 2020
Riding Since
2020
Cheers Jack,

Issue I have is no garage so I need to try and get the wheel off and support the bike while I replace the discs as these are getting very close to the wear limit,
 

Motojack

2019
CBR650R
May 26, 2019
judging from your flag looks like your in Ireland like me, I had to make do with no garage either, not easy! just get a weather app :happy:

To lift the bike just get a front and back paddock stand, they dont take up to much space, there may be more compact mobile solutions around if you google otherwise if space is an issue id just take it to a mechanic.
 

Brammers

2014
CBR650F ABS
Staff
May 30, 2014
Hampshire, England
If you remove the belly pan and fairings, you can support the engine block on wood using a trolly jack (I've seen a Honda dealer do this) which will keep the front wheel off the ground.

Personally I'd use a proper bike stand (Abba is recommended with the front wheel lift option).

J
 

robbie_62

2017
CBR650F ABS
Aug 19, 2020
Riding Since
2020
The Abba is the dream bit of kit alright, I have no garage so I am nervous about taking it apart outside as the Irish weather is unreliable at best!

On another note, do you know anywhere to source a replacement radiator, I think prev owner went at mine with a power hose or a wire brush or something, A lot of the fins are missing.
 

Brammers

2014
CBR650F ABS
Staff
May 30, 2014
Hampshire, England
Check ebay for rads, don't go with Chinese aluminium ones. They're cheap for a reason.

Oem rad cost is huge. Import from the USA (partzilla, babbits) might prove more cost effective.

J
 

robbie_62

2017
CBR650F ABS
Aug 19, 2020
Riding Since
2020
Cheers Jack, Yeah I couldn't afford to put a brand new rad in at €700, I love the bike but not that much!

That site in Holland lists a different part number for the rad, they have 19010-MEE-D01 which I think is for a CBR600 even though it comes up when I pick the CBR650F

Anyone tried fitting one of these?
 

Motojack

2019
CBR650R
May 26, 2019
I would go secound hand OEM
Cheers Jack, Yeah I couldn't afford to put a brand new rad in at €700, I love the bike but not that much!

That site in Holland lists a different part number for the rad, they have 19010-MEE-D01 which I think is for a CBR600 even though it comes up when I pick the CBR650F

Anyone tried fitting one of these?
good spot, drop them an email to double check that, could be a bad listing on their website.
 

robbie_62

2017
CBR650F ABS
Aug 19, 2020
Riding Since
2020
Yeah have popped them a mail to check thanks for the link though
 

Motojack

2019
CBR650R
May 26, 2019
When I was looking for parts for my SV before I rang dealers, some of them ( a local one for me) have a breaking business on the side. I never had any issues with that bike for spares :p
 

robbie_62

2017
CBR650F ABS
Aug 19, 2020
Riding Since
2020
The SV's seem to be a lot more common and easier to get parts, not too many CBR650's around.
 

robbie_62

2017
CBR650F ABS
Aug 19, 2020
Riding Since
2020
Hi Folks,
Had a go at changing the pads this weekend on my CBR650F.

Eventually got them changed on one side after cleaning up the calipers.

When I was tightening the caliper bolts, one of them snapped off even though I had only set the torque wrench to 30nm,

One thing I noticed was the bolt seemed to have gone a long way through to the other side where it was nearly touching the disc\abs ring, does anyone have a pic of how far the caliper bolts come through?

Also, is this common for a caliper bolt to break, I have replacements on order now anyway but just wondering was this normal as I don't think I overtightened it.

Thanks

Rob
 

Brammers

2014
CBR650F ABS
Staff
May 30, 2014
Hampshire, England
I'd stretched the bolts before, fortunately spotted the issue and replaced them before a snap.

They are (according to Honda) a single use item (yeah, right!). But be aware.

I'll grab some pics in a minute for you.

J
 

robbie_62

2017
CBR650F ABS
Aug 19, 2020
Riding Since
2020
Cheers Bram your a legend, I had read it in the manual too that they were a single use but everyone I spoke to said they can be reused.

I was only tightening them as I am waiting on new bolts anyway so I could move onto the next job of changing the Discs & ABS Ring.

One final query, is it normal for the pads to still be a little loose in the caliper after screwing in the pad pin, that side is snug but the other side they just sit against the silver clip but nothing seems to be there to hold them tightly in place
 

Brammers

2014
CBR650F ABS
Staff
May 30, 2014
Hampshire, England
Here's mine, they don't stick out far at all (less than 1mm)

20210920_123201.jpg

Pad pins should have blue threadlock on them. Check the service manual for proper procedure.

J
 

robbie_62

2017
CBR650F ABS
Aug 19, 2020
Riding Since
2020
That's great thanks, Mine had definitely gone in too far from looking at your pic,

Only thing I can guess is maybe I had the torque wrench set incorrectly but its fairly straightforward so I don't know,
 

Loyfex

2019
CB650R
Nov 24, 2020
Riding Since
2020
Speaking of brake maintenance.

I recently disconnected my calippers. Pushed the pistons in on both sides by hand (went in smooth), and removed the brake pads. Went on to clean with an old toothbrush and brake cleaner. I then did something that might've been stupid....I pumped the brake lever as to extend to pistons so i could clean them too.... I pumped them further out than they would have been when attached to the bike, went on to clean, push pistons back in, attach brake pads and reassembly.

When riding now, the brake lever feels a little soft. I can feel the brakes engage when they are supposed to, and I can brake hard enough to engage the ABS on dry asfalt. However the pull is soft, and I can squeeze the lever all the way into contact with the throttle on a stand still, if I want to (with quite some force mind you). It's not squishy or mushy, just somewhat soft. Not sure if they are softer than before or I am just now noticing it. If I apply a constant force on the lever it will reach a point and stop, it does not sink further in unless I increase force. So no leaks I guess.


TLDR: Is there a posibility to get air in the brake lines when extending the pistons in the calliper further out than their attached state on the bike? I'm talking about half a centimeter here.

Update: Switched from setting 4 to 3 on the wheel adjuster on the lever and it firmed right up. I have zero idea why this worked.
 
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