rusty brake rotor....

What is the workflow for going through the front brake system? The bike was left outside during a snow storm uncovered (unfortunately) and the snow finally melted last week. I was still going out and running the motor every week or so to keep everything moving, so thats fine, but I moved it onto a trailer to go into storage last week, and the front wheel was having a very hard time moving...

So I took a look at it today, and the rotor has a good amount of rust, and the calipers are applying the pressure to the rotor (or disk, whatever...) I have to get the tire replaced anyway, so the wheel is coming off anyway, but can I just steel wool the rust off, or should I be doing something else...

Then I should wait until the wheel is back on before bleeding the system. When I last rode it, the front brake was operating just fine, but was a little spongy. I'm planning on flushing and bleeding and inspecting the master cylinder.

Let me know if I"m on the right track and any tips and tricks.
Thx in advance!

Kellen

 

You can use a fine sand paper to clean up a rusty rotor. Son't get too carried away, just remove the rust. Take the caliper aprt and clean the slides and lube them so they slide in and out well. That will keep the caliper centered on the rotor properly. Flush the system and make sure to inspect the brake lines. The spongyness comes from air in the lines sometime so bleed them well. The rubber stock brake lines have a small amout of expansion when you hit the brakes, so you will get a certain amount of spongy feel with them. Steal lines will elliminate the spongy feel.

 

Hey! I like yr Bike .
What Size is that Rear Wheel .. Diam and Rim width. (also the front)
I have Yama 350's and they have the Similar looking Ali wheels but they are 18" and 1.85" wide.. was curious about wider wheels that are essentially identical .. looking at least.

 

I got the wheel from a 650 Maxim (drive shaft) for my 750 Seca. The wheel is 16" rim. The tire is a also the stock tire, which has plenty of clearence. I may go a size wider then it comes time for a new tire. The stock wheel on a Seca is 18" I think. It dropped the back of the bike about 2" which is just what the doctor ordered!! I don't know of any other bikes that you will be able to swap wheels with. I just happened to have a scrapped out Maxim for parts and I got lucky with the swap when I tried it.
Nothings better than having a bobber, with the seating position of a cruiser and the handling of a sport bike!!!

 

Thanx.. Reputedly XJ 550's have 18" wheels identical in apperance to yrs and My 350's. However I have no clue as to what width those rims are. Mine are kinda Skinny. BUT there's No fitting wider than Stock (recomended) tires on the rims as the geometry of a wider tire on a too narrow rim gets messed, with the result that there is actually Less rubber on the ground when cornering. Gotta be carefull with tires, as Bigger is not always better.