Checked your caliper pins lately?

[Stig / Major Tom]

After reading of member Jesper finding a stuck caliper pin on his LIKE200I. ....after dinner I went out with a 5mm allen wrench and made sure my 4 were not frozen.
I do this with new scoots and then at least once a year.
How long since you checked yours?
Stig

[vespbretta]

I checked mine in detail and regreased them generously 4 years ago, when the scooter was new.
Since then I never had any troubles with it.
But you don´t necessariliy have do take everything apart to check if the pins are able to move freely.
I just push the whole caliper with both (strong) hands against the disc to press the caliper pistons totally back into the caliper.
Afterwards I have plenty of free play between the break pads and I can move and wiggle the caliper back and forth and check if the pins still are greased well and have some free play. No tools and dismantling needed for this test.
And if I can feel these calipers to move freely and having the wheels spin freely, I don´t see any reason to take them apart.

It´s easier on the front caliper, because on the rear the muffler might be in the way somehow to grab the caliper strongly enough.

But bear in mind, if you do it that way, to reseat the brakepads against the rotors by pumping the brakelevers a couple of times until you feel resistance, before your next ride. Do not forget that important step. Otherwise you will/might end up in a harmful crash on following ride.

[Stig / Major Tom]

I checked mine in detail and regreased them generously 4 years ago, when the scooter was new.
Since then I never had any troubles with it.
But you don´t necessariliy have do take everything apart to check if the pins are able to move freely.
I just push the whole caliper with both (strong) hands against the disc to press the caliper pistons totally back into the caliper.
Afterwards I have plenty of free play between the break pads and I can move and wiggle the caliper back and forth and check if the pins still are greased well and have some free play. No tools and dismantling needed for this test.
And if I can feel these calipers to move freely and having the wheels spin freely, I don´t see any reason to take them apart.

It´s easier on the front caliper, because on the rear the muffler might be in the way somehow to grab the caliper strongly enough.

But bear in mind, if you do it that way, to reseat the brakepads against the rotors by pumping the brakelevers a couple of times until you feel resistance, before your next ride. Do not forget that important step. Otherwise you will/might end up in a harmful crash on following ride.

Hey Robo, Good to hear from you this year!
The issue Jesper was having was that at least one of the two caliper pins was seized in the caliper. Trying to unscrew it was destroying the head of the bolt and the tool.
I had a too tight torx screw seized in my Piaggio - but was able to knock an allen wrench in there to finally loosen it. Maybe he can do the opposite to remove his hex head pin.

In any event - I went out and insured that I could loosen each of the 4 hex head caliper pins in my LIKE last evening. Little OCD at work there.
Stig

[vespbretta]

Hey Tom, allright, then this was again a little misunderstanding from my side. In this case it´s for sure good to check for seized pins in the thread.
On the other hand, I use for these pins and threads either Copperpaste or "Loctite Never Seize" and with that kind of precaution, I have never had seized caliper pins on my vehicles for many many years. And I do not torque them like crazy. A common sense snug is just perfect for these pins.

And by the way: This is  - or at least should be - a standard service job at the shop for the first 300 or 500 miles check. My dealer at least did it back then.

But it´s for sure a good service job for heavy duty rain- and winterriders.