I noticed when riding the VF 500 that one of the front calipers seems to be sticking. Is this common when a bike has been sitting up? Is there a simple fix for it? If it tries to force me to lean left, is it the right caliper?
Could be the mounting bolts for the caliper reg. They mount the caliper to the caliper bracket. They need to have a light coat of grease on them. The pins that hold the brake pads in the caliper also need a light coat of grease. If that doesn't do it, then it might be a problem w/ the piston seals in the caliper itself. I almost forgot, make sure the caliper bracket and the rotor have clearance. There's a spec for it in the Clymer manual. They could be draggin'.
Do you think the caliper is seized and so the opposite caliper bites harder on the disc, causing the forks to twist? Like JC says, the calipers should be able to float a little to center on the disc when actuated. If you do have one seized, try this, THIS IS THE ULTIMATE CHEEPO METHOD FOR PEOPLE THAT DO NOT WANT TO OVERHAUL THE CALIPER COMPLETELY! USE AT YOU OWN RISK AND WATCH FOR BRAKE FLUID LEAKS AFTER JUST IN CASE! IF YOU RESORT TO THIS IT MEANS THAT YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOOSE AND EVERYTHING TO GAIN.:wink: Remove the caliper that is suspect but leave the brake line attached. Remove the pads Carefully pump the brake lever and observe the piston move outwards Don't let it come all the way out! Pull back the dust seal and apply a penetrating oil around the piston (let sit) Use a clamp to push the piston straight back into the cylinder Remove the clamp and pump the piston back out again (apply more lube) Repeat till you have flushed out any crap that may be trapped in there and the piston can be pushed back by hand Reinstall the dust seal, the pads and the caliper on the bike. You should have a better brake action and feel at the lever. I have done this on old cars with sucess and managed to get years of service out of them rather than fork out more good cash after bad. I only do this if my ass is in the drivers seat and would not do it to someone elses vehicle unless they were in the garage with me and understood the risks.
