cleaning Front brake caliper

[silverback]

My front left brake caliper seams to stick and not release completely. Any ideas on how to clean the inside of the caliper?  Is just spraying brake cleaner into it ok??  TIA 1999 interstate

[NITRO]

Try searching-- there's a lot of good info on the forum already.

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,16332.0.html

[sandy]

Rebuilding it is the best solution, but try this first. Use a vacuum brake bleeder to pull all the fluid out. Refill with denatured alcohol and pull that through. Then refill with DOT 4 brake fluid. I use Valvoline synthetic.

[Ricky-D]

My front left brake caliper seams to stick and not release completely. Any ideas on how to clean the inside of the caliper?  Is just spraying brake cleaner into it ok??  TIA 1999 interstate

I guess what need to be better defined is "not release completely"

If the brake will stop the bike after release of the brake lever, the I would concur you have a problem.

But if it is just rubbing some, I would say that is normal for disc brake calipers since there is no "return" built into the whole brake system.

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[John U.]

The brake pads ride on and are secured by a couple of pins. These pins can corrode. They can be cleaned with some fine steel wool or a scotch brite pad. You will need to take the calipers off the rotor to remove the pads and pins.
The caliper pistons can also get junked up. Some brake cleaner may be enough to clean them up. If not you'll need to rebuild the calipers.

I agree that a thorough brake fluid flush should be done as well. I think it's called for every two years. The darker it is the longer it's been since it was replaced.

[Quicksilver]

A while back Ricky-D suggested putting some wd-40 on brakes to eliminate squealing of the front brakes. I put a liberal amount of liquid wrench on both my front brake callipers and then washed them with soapy water. The result is the squeal is gone and my front brakes operate very smoothly since.