Motorcycle Brake Service The single most important piece of equipment on your motorcycle is your brakes. The ability to stop in an emergency situation can mean the difference between continuing on with you ride or serious injury. We encourage everyone to inspect their brakes monthly to ensure safe operation of your motorcycle. Most motorcycle brake pads have a lining that is 4mm thick. Some are more, some are less. The amount of lining on a brake pad should never get below 25% for maximum performance and safety. Brake pads worn too thin cannot dissipate heat as fast, they risk the chance of the lining coming off the backing plate and by the time they are that thin, dirt and glaze will have ruined the pad. Your rotors condition is also important. There should be no deep grooves and absolutely no waprage. Bent or warped rotors will cause a pulsation feel at the lever when braking. Extreme cases will push the brake pads way from the rotor causing a sudden loss in braking power. Inspect your rotors for uneven wear, grooves or cracking. Lastly, fluid leakage around calipers or a master cylinder is a dangerous situation that can lead to sudden brake failure without warning. if you have any leakage, stop riding your motorcycle immediately and see help from a professional as this condition is not safe by any means! Brake fluid condition can lead to poor performance and brake fade. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture out of the air. Contaminated brake fluid will look brown. Good brake fluid is clear and may have a slightly yellow tinge to it. DOT (silicone based) brake fluid is purple in most cases or blue. Contaminated brake fluid can cause brake fade from the moisture in the system turning to steam when the brakes get hot. It also attacks aluminum because it becomes acidic. This leads to aluminum corrosion(oxidation) which is called aluminum oxide. This folks is what they make sandpaper out of! Imagine some of that going past the delicate rubber seals in your braking system causing a leak (this is the what kills a lot of brakes on real old bikes) At SSU Motorcycle Service Center, we cut no corners in our brake service to ensure your safety. Each motorcycle brake job receives new pads or shoes. We then inspect your rotors and replace them if required. The hydraulic system is then flushed and filled with new fluid and bled of air. In the case of cable brakes, the cables are lubricated and adjusted or replaced if needed.	This is the end result of not changing brake fluid at routine intervals. Moisture absorbed by the brake fluid has corroded this entire master cylinder. Had the owner kept riding this bike, the brakes could have failed without warning.
We then go on to set your tire pressures and lubricate your drive chain. Your motorcycle is then thoroughly road tested to ensure your safety. We also offer performance braking upgrades for racing or high performance street applications. If you are interested in boosting your motorcycles stopping power, give us a call! We proudly use performance parts from: Galfer EBC Ferodo Braking Speigler Goodrich Performance Machine DP Vesrah Russel Carbon Loraine   We service and repair all motorcycle brake systems including: Harley Davidson Honda Kawasaki Suzuki Yamaha Aprilia Ducati BMW Triumph Norton BSA Don't see your make listed? Don't worry, chances are we can work on it! Are you not sure about your brakes? Stop in for a free HONEST multi point safety inspection that includes inspecting your brakes! We are not here to upsell you on something you do not need but we hope that the 15 minutes you spend on a safety check will make your riding safe and that you keep us in mind when you might need service!
This caliper piston was also the victim of moisture exposure possibly to the leaking dust seal or the brake fluid that looked like coke syrup that we drained from the system.

 

SSU MOTORCYCLE SERVICE CENTER
2930 RUCKER AVE
EVERETT WASHINGTON 98201
(425)263-9325

©1999 SSU Motorcycle Service Center. All Rights Reserved

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