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I will add that when i squeeze the brakes lightly I do get a kind of wobble feeling in the brake lever as if the brake disk is not 100% straight. Don't know how old the disks are but they look ok for wear but perhaps they are a little warped and that makes the pad rattle?
Warped rotors won't cause a caliper rattle.
As you said these calipers are pretty basic.
When you tapped on the calipers could you tell if the rattle was on the outside or the inside part of the caliper?
Don't bother with the grease. To check the pads you should remove them. They may look ok on one side but thin on another. Replace them anyhow, along with the springs. If you are still getting pulsing (not just with light pressure at the lever), you may need one or two rotors. As THC said, there aren't a lot of parts involved.
Good luck.
IVe been looking at your diagram beemervet and ive noticed when i took the calipers off that i definitely didnt have O ring 1, and i dont think I saw O ring 2 and 3....and I´m not clear where O ring 3 would go to be honest. This may be the guide pin that´s rattling? I'll check it out again and fit some O rings.
I'll have a look around again this weekend. Unfortunately getting some new clips as Sir Graham mentions may take a while out here.
Ah! Are you in the real Gibraltar?! There must be Spanish H-D dealers not too far away, failing that I routinely use Jersey H-D for my spares. It's well worth contacting them, as they sell us stuff VAT free!
Haha, yes indeed I am in the real Gibraltar! Unfortunately Jersey HD doesn't tend to go back to my old '92...I have tried. There are a couple of dealers in Spain but over an hour each way and usually dont have stock (for my old bike again) and everything takes a couple of weeks to order, so usually try and get it from online catalogue parts dealers or the UK but small things like clips can be prohibitive.
I'm hoping its the O rings...which i have!
I have a 1990 and know the problem. Some stuff is still available, so it's always worth emailing to ask. For small value orders shipping is always a pain. Look forward to hearing how you get on with the O rings!
Well gents, I had a look at the "missing" O rings but they werent missing except perhaps a 3rd one that I cant work out where it would go as per my photo (the other 2 I have). Here´s some pics of the O ring s Im talking about...
If its not this missing 3rd O Ring then I think it might be the clips that have lost the will to "clip" as the brake pad is definitely loose when in place (before i put it all together and when its all bolted up...that clip just stops it falling out but no more so probably is that!...unless it is the 3rd O ring thats missing?
Leave it with me and Ill try and get some clips and then come back to close this down.
That's fine. if your o-ring(s) were missing or bad your caliper would be a mess like like below. The caliper rebuild kits are dirt cheap and you get new pistons too - replace all the old parts shown.
A little Brake Kleen to pretty it up a bit.
Reassemble and use good DOT 4 - Motul RBF600. Of course, go ahead and get some good, fresh pads - why not right? Galfer, EBC, Ferodo.
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