Rear Brakes

The rear brake system was completely rotted out on the bike when I got it - the master cylinder had leaked out all of the brake fluid, the caliper was seized and the pads were worn almost to the backing plate. in addition, the rear brake line was suspect simply because of its age. (The shop manual recommends replacement every 2 years!)

I removed the entire system and stripped it down for a rebuild. The master cylinder looked OK, there was some tiny pitting on the inside of the bore, but a little scotchbrite cleaned it right up. The piston and seals would be replaced with a rebuild kit, so it didn't matter what condition they were in.

One side of the rear caliper came apart easily, but the other piston was stuck in its bore. Normally I would use compressed air to blow it out of the caliper body, but since I don't have a compressor at home I used a pair of Channelocks. it's a brute-force way to do it, and can cause damage to the piston if you're not careful so I don't normally recommend it.

Both pistons had very minor pitting - not enough to reject them. With new seals this caliper should work nicely, with no leaks or sticking problems.

I ordered the parts to rebuild the system from Motostiles in Lawndale. They were very helpful, but I later learned that OEM parts from a mail-order Suzuki dealer would have been cheaper.

The rear brake hose is a $35 part from Suzuki, so i brought the original down to Earl's in Lawndale, near where I work, and had them make up a replacement in stainless braided teflon hose. I've gone this route on most projects I've done, and I'm always happy with the results. At $36, it was no more expensive than the overpriced original, and should last much longer.


I assembled the brake system onto the bike and did a little cleaning in preparation for installing the new rear tire and wheel.