Brake Calipers that’s the question?

[madmax]

Has any one fitted different calipers to there Voyager ?
The problem being that I find they require quite a lot of maintenance, due to the design.
There are two things that go wrong with them.
First being a floating caliper the sliders stick & the piston also sticks, both causing rapid pad wear. Far better would be a fixed caliper with two pistons, fitted with a dust cover gaiters. Like most car calipers have. The gaiter moves in & out with the piston.
I know a lot of Italian brakes like early Brembo, Grimeca had this feature.
It would seem that Kawasaki in there wisdom are trying to save as much as they can or get you to spend your money on spares.
Don’t get me wrong, the calipers work well enough to lock the brakes. But I find I have to rebuild them every 6 months or so. A pain in the ass!
These calipers are fitted to a number or other Kawasaki’s including my ZN1300 & C10. So that makes caliper rebuilding a constant job and cost, which I could do without.
I must admit I do a lot of wet weather riding, so this does not help things.
Corrosion is the big problem. Pistons rusting & corrosion behind the dust seal is my biggest problem. Yes I have tried so called stainless pistons but they even rust. (Not marine grade)
So has anybody fitted other Calipers & if so, What?

[Mr Jensee]

I saw on Facebook that someone fitted a Voyager XII with Tokico Calipers off a ZRX1200. There was no discussion on how or when he did it. but it looks possible.

[voyager55]

I've never had to rebuild my caliper in 13 years. replace pads, that's it. I change brake fluid every year

[Mr Jensee]

Rebuilding the calipers is no big deal. Get some 1000 grit sandpaper have access to an air compressor to pop out the piston. Be careful not to damage the rubber rings that seal the piston. It they get damaged you will have order new ones. Put the compressor onto the opening of where the nipple goes. I use an Air Hawk that looks like an electric drill with the nipple for inflating toys. Pop out the piston, go over it with the sandpaper lightly to get off any corrosion. I used my bench vise to gently put the piston back in. Reconnect the brake fluid nipple back on and you are done. The trick is not to get overly aggressive with it.

[cushman eagle]

I am surprised ,madmax,that you have to rebuild your calipers that often.I just rebuilt mine for the first time during my 2016-2017 winter service.I have had the bike for 8 years and put almost 51,000 miles on it.I do not know if they were rebuilt before I got it,however.

[madmax]

Hi thanks for the replies everyone, I’ve been riding Kawasaki bikes since the 70’s and have rebuilt many calipers over the years not only for myself but also for friends.
But not until the last few years have I had to rebuild so many.
I’m sure it because of all the road salt that’s put down in winter. The highways dept started to add some form of molasses to the salt to make it stick to the road surface. This was because it was being washed away by the rain and costing them too much.
This stuff sticks to everything else. They don’t wash it away after winter but rely on the rain to shift it.
A friend runs a repair shop and he gets all kinds of problems in after winter with sized calipers /suspension problems on cars
I try to wash my bikes every two weeks when they are being used but you can’t get into every nook & cranny. A pressure washer helps but the only way to shift it is with a steam cleaner.
I’ve had corrosion problems with the inside of the caliper sliders holes. Fitted new Slider rubber boots only to find out that the sliders wouldn’t fit. On further investigation I found that the hole that the sliders go into had closed down due to corrosion inside it. I had to drill out the holes to get rid of all the corrosion. This is the kind of problems I’m getting.
That’s why I’m asking about alternative calipers & if anyone has fitted the type I’m on about

[ekap1200]

Well there is the answer. Salt and Calcium. Not good for any of the parts on bikes. Most just wait it out and leave the bike sit , asleep for the Salty season , as it will eat away at everything, I like to ride but I would rather not battle salt and what it does to my investment
I would assume that any caliper you install will be eaten away with the salt and calcium.
Ekap1200

[cushman eagle]

Well there is the answer. Salt and Calcium. Not good for any of the parts on bikes. Most just wait it out and leave the bike sit , asleep for the Salty season , as it will eat away at everything, I like to ride but I would rather not battle salt and what it does to my investment
I would assume that any caliper you install will be eaten away with the salt and calcium.
Ekap1200

You are certainly right about that,Gene.I just had to replace the calipers on my truck last fall for that very reason

[glvnthedream]

Going to try and bring this thread to life as the original question was never answered.

Has anyone installed alternate calipers than the OEM? Is there an after-market alternative that will work? I have a 2002 XII and am interested in finding an after-market replacement. Why, just because.

I just pulled the calipers (original) as they were starting to stick. They are in rough shape so I was planning on cleaning, rebuilding, and giving them a new paint job too. That was what got me thinking to see if there was an upgraded caliper anyone has found for their XII

Thanks

Hi thanks for the replies everyone, I’ve been riding Kawasaki bikes since the 70’s and have rebuilt many calipers over the years not only for myself but also for friends.
But not until the last few years have I had to rebuild so many.
I’m sure it because of all the road salt that’s put down in winter. The highways dept started to add some form of molasses to the salt to make it stick to the road surface. This was because it was being washed away by the rain and costing them too much.
This stuff sticks to everything else. They don’t wash it away after winter but rely on the rain to shift it.
A friend runs a repair shop and he gets all kinds of problems in after winter with sized calipers /suspension problems on cars
I try to wash my bikes every two weeks when they are being used but you can’t get into every nook & cranny. A pressure washer helps but the only way to shift it is with a steam cleaner.
I’ve had corrosion problems with the inside of the caliper sliders holes. Fitted new Slider rubber boots only to find out that the sliders wouldn’t fit. On further investigation I found that the hole that the sliders go into had closed down due to corrosion inside it. I had to drill out the holes to get rid of all the corrosion. This is the kind of problems I’m getting.
That’s why I’m asking about alternative calipers & if anyone has fitted the type I’m on about