People scare me. No, mechanics scare me. No, I just hate people. 😉
The reason I really love my job is because you can take something that isn't working quite how it was designed, and improve it. Sometimes you can improve it even beyond the original designer's idea because he/she was probably restricted by time or, more likely, money constraints.
But in the last few years that has become harder because most vehicles are amazing straight out of the box. No question. You can literally jump on a 650 Versys and embarrass the average Joe on an R1, easily. They are that good!
Why am I ranting?
Because I just rode a three year-old bike which, arguably, should out handle most things on the road. And yet, this thing was hopeless, dangerous even.
Scrub the suspension, we can all ride around that. Tyre pressures might cause a few indiscretions, but hey ho. Brakes? Brakes that are downright dangerous, on a modern bike, is not the way to make progress.
The bike itself looks reasonably clean; the fluids however, need a damned good seeing to... oo'er missus.
The front brake reservoir is bad enough. It contains a dark-coloured fluid, probably original. The clutch fluid is now opaque. When it gets to that stage, you're seeing seal degradation. Changing the fluid regularly will prevent excessive wear within the cylinders — master and slave. And it's only a five minute job for the clutch.
So, first thing's first people, get that bike protected. Brake fluid will have your paint off faster than you can make another brew, so wang your better halves' bath towel over every painted part before you unscrew the reservoir cap.
The rubber diaphragm has been sucked in, a bit like Smithy when he bought this bike, but this is pretty normal. The droplets you see formed on the top side of it are water. And this is exactly what you don't need in a braking application.
Brake fluid is hygroscopic, and will suck this moisture in all day long. Regular brake fluid changes is how we keep this problem at bay. The moisture within your brake fluid lowers the boiling point. The lower the boiling point, the faster you don't go round the corners on a racetrack.
A lower boiling point causes issues when the brakes are used hard, and get hot. If you get it to that stage, gas is formed within the hydraulic system. And gas can be compressed, leading to a brake lever that comes back to the bar, instead of pushing the pistons in your caliper out to meet the pads.
Sorry for boring you but, if you were unsure, reading this rubbish at your computer is preferable to entering turn 3 at Queensland Raceway with boiling brake fluid. 👀
Now the diaphragm is out, the fluid doesn't look too horrendous, but it's probably original, and needs changing. And, being a Ducati, is probably sourced from the finest Olive trees in Italy... (I'll get my coat).
This next step might seem pedantic — though necessary. I'm going to wash all the dirt off the calipers and pistons. They will never work efficiently once coated in dirt. Now is the time to pump out the pistons slightly, use warm, soapy water and give them a good clean up. Just do one at caliper at a time, and keep an eye on the pistons as they move outwards. The built-up grime on these needed a scourer to remove it, and has probably never been done before.
Although only a thin coating, it creates friction and is something else that has to slide by the rubber seals. The pistons will never move freely unless they'e clean. And you want those babies to move freely for optimum braking!
Just don't keep pumping the pistons until one actually drops out. It's not the end of the world if it gets to this stage, but you're in for a lot more work.
Now you can see on the left caliper how dirty the four pistons are. Because this job was in a hurry, and Smithy likes to go through his Sunday afternoon rituals before work, I didn't get the chance to take enough pics. Suffice to say, the pistons were pretty good one finished. They were then blown out with compressed air and silicone spray added to reduce stiction. They were then thoroughly dried, and blown out again before refitting the pads.
The old pads have been roughed up a little for today, but new Brembos are on order.
Now you can see the contrast with clutch and brake fluids changed. Once empty, always clean out the reservoir with clean paper towel or a rag. Wet it with brake clean to remove all deposits. The clutch reservoir was full of black gunge from the seals, and after a few months may start to discolour again. If so, we'll renew the fluid again.
The rear was a five minute job. The caliper can be washed out another time. For now it works perfectly, so just a fluid change needed here.
This changed the feel of the front brake immensely. Not quite where I want it yet, but it's predictable. The brakes, as expected from Brembo, are strong. The levers are Evotech, and I want a little dabble with it all again when I can have the bike for a few hours.
During my quick test blast up the mountain, I got stuck behind a Transit van. Two geezers came up behind me on an R1 and an S1000RR — and they were all over me! Not being on my own bike I was a little reluctant to have a go, but I overtook the van and gave it a little. And yes, it looked like I was about to have my arse handed to me on a plate.
Then I thought fuck it! It's my road, if you're going past me you're gonna have to work for it. Fair play to the Panigale, it dropped them off. And I was happy with that (I'm such a child!). A week ago on this bike and I'd have been over the side of the mountain.
A little bit of suspension setup now and we'll be somewhere near. It's wallowing when leant over at the moment, but that's a job for next weekend.
I'm seriously starting to enjoy this bike.
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