Freeing Brake Bobbins

I did not want to hijack the previous thread.

I watched the video and then found another. Are there any negatives or concerns with cleaning the bobbins?

I do not think that the discs on my 2003 float so is there any real benefit?






Canadian FJR

Thanks for posting, this is another good vid on cleaning up the bobbins.

...ATTICA ATTICA ATTICA !!!....FREE the BOBBINS...wait....sorry man....if they're not chewing pads or misbehaving otherwise..i'd leave 'em alone....jus me .02...

Bobby

Fixed up my mates ex cop FJR with pulsating front brakes.

Mind you the bike would have had a rather hard life.

Don't know about lubing the bobbins ???

I wouldn't worry too much about it, maybe when you change out pads.

I would try cleaning the bobbins if I had some pulsing, but there's no way I'd lubricate them. Even the smallest amount of oil is going to migrate outward as the wheel spins.

PhilJet09 said:

I would try cleaning the bobbins if I had some pulsing, but there's no way I'd lubricate them. Even the smallest amount of oil is going to migrate outward as the wheel spins.

Click to expand...

+1 Sitting here quietly freaking out. Keep oil away from brake discs and pads.

Canadian FJR said:

... Are there any negatives or concerns with cleaning the bobbins?
I do not think that the discs on my 2003 float so is there any real benefit?

...

Canadian FJR

Click to expand...

Negatives? The only negative (provided it is done properly) is the possibility of introducing a click when braking, somewhat similar to the sound and feel of free movement in a head bearing. This is caused by the disc rotating slightly before hitting the rivets. Doesn't affect braking at all, just makes that click. I've had this on a couple of my FJRs when new, diagnosed by grasping the disc and attempting to rotate it to and fro, you could feel and hear the click.

I believe all FJR front discs float, including your 2003. Just look at your brake disc, you will see the rivets.

The benefit is that your discs won't warp due to being unable to expand or shrink with thermal cycling. I suspect that if you never brake hard this wouldn't happen anyway, but it only takes a couple of high-speed rapid braking sessions, or a mountainous descent, to get the discs cooking nicely. Then you would risk warping.

(Sorta watched with no sound so this may have been mentioned in the video...) Looks like it would be a good idea to pry the brake pads apart before performing the bobbin clean up to keep byproducts from contacting the pads. Now I'm waiting for the next video, "Cleaning the Inside of the Exhaust Pipe" to improve exhaust flow and increase power and top end speed. Boy, all these subtle maintenance needs that we routinely ignore.

Armor-all the inside of the tire

Laugh if you must.

I freed my bobbins today and feel better for it.

Amazed at the grit that came out of those suckers after only 39,000 miles. They were definitely not floating anymore.

Some were stuck tighter than others. Did not use any lube. Just brake cleaner.

After setting up it went really fast.

Always worked on the bobbin in the 6 o'clock position and had a home made splash shield /drip bucket cut out of an old cat litter container.

I plan to try it on my spare rim first. I'll post an update once done.

Canadian FJR

A ratcheting box wrench would make the job easier. If I were to try this it would be during a tire change while I have the wheels off the bike.

Could this apply to the Gen 1 (non-ABS) bike?

Could this condition (stuck bobbins) explain why one of the brake pads on each caliper (the inner one IIRC) wears 10x faster than the other?

If the inner is 10x the wear rate of the outer, I think the cause is far more likely to be a stuck piston.

+1 - If you are getting uneven pad wear that would be due to dirty / sticky calipers, not the rotor. Just need to use that same brake cleaner and clean up your caliper pistons. When you are done, you should be able to observe that the pistons self-retract a tiny amount after you slightly pull the lever or pedal. That is what you want so the pads aren't dragging all the time. You may find you get slightly better gas mileage after this clean-up too.

If the rotor isn't floating due to dirty bobbins, and the rotor is frozen in a position not perfectly perpendicular to the axle, it will act like a warped rotor and result in brake pulsation and/or a need to pull the lever a long way before getting any significant brake action. That's because the wobbling rotor will push the caliper pistons back into the bores further after the brakes are released.

Geezer said:

A ratcheting box wrench would make the job easier. If I were to try this it would be during a tire change while I have the wheels off the bike.

Click to expand...

It was easy to do with the wheel on the bike. I elevated the front so I could rotate the wheel easily and used a socket with a 6" extension which allowed me to turn the bobbin and keep my hand out of the way while I sprayed the brake cleaner on with the other hand.

stealth1 said:

Geezer said:

A ratcheting box wrench would make the job easier. If I were to try this it would be during a tire change while I have the wheels off the bike.

Click to expand...

It was easy to do with the wheel on the bike. I elevated the front so I could rotate the wheel easily and used a socket with a 6" extension which allowed me to turn the bobbin and keep my hand out of the way while I sprayed the brake cleaner on with the other hand.

Click to expand...

Thank you for that. Being an old geezer I know it would be easier for me on a work bench. Also, I always take the time to clean the wheel and rotors while I change tires, so it won't matter if I make a mess. Tire changes is about the only time my wheels get cleaned.

I imagine there are some very high mileage FJR owners that are looking skeptically at this procedure.

"Hmmm, why didn't I think of this in the last 200K miles?"

Geezer said:

stealth1 said:

Geezer said:

A ratcheting box wrench would make the job easier. If I were to try this it would be during a tire change while I have the wheels off the bike.

Click to expand...

It was easy to do with the wheel on the bike. I elevated the front so I could rotate the wheel easily and used a socket with a 6" extension which allowed me to turn the bobbin and keep my hand out of the way while I sprayed the brake cleaner on with the other hand.

Click to expand...

Thank you for that. Being an old geezer I know it would be easier for me on a work bench. Also, I always take the time to clean the wheel and rotors while I change tires, so it won't matter if I make a mess. Tire changes is about the only time my wheels get cleaned.

Click to expand...

I must admit, I've never heard of this before but i'll definitely do it as part of my spring maintenance. I'll use a 3/8" impact to spin the bobbin and compressed air to blow it clean; might make the process a little quicker and cleaner.