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Brake Questions - 1995 KX125

By SpyderGirl,
in Kawasaki 2 Stroke

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SpyderGirl

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Hello all, I'm new here and pretty new to off-road riding. I purchased a KLX140L for myself and a 1995 KX125 for my husband. The KLX is new and "ride-ready" however the KX needed new tires (and of now I need to bleed the brakes too).

So here's the deal... I was taking the rear wheel off to change the tire (what a pain by the way) and was seemingly forced to pull the "oil bolt" that carries the hydraulic fluid to the caliper off to be able to slip the caliper off and away from the rotor. Now I have the new tire on, the chain back in place but I cannot seem to get the bolt back into the caliper (not to mention I will now have to bleed the brakes).

The threads on the bolt appear that they are about a .25 pitch smaller than the threads on the inside of the caliper and it's beyond me how they ever went together in the first place.

So, first of all what do I need to do to bleed the brakes on my KX and second of all, any thoughts on getting that bolt to go back into the caliper?

Thanks in advance.

~Katlyn~

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2strokecrazy

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Hello all, I'm new here and pretty new to off-road riding. I purchased a KLX140L for myself and a 1995 KX125 for my husband. The KLX is new and "ride-ready" however the KX needed new tires (and of now I need to bleed the brakes too).

So here's the deal... I was taking the rear wheel off to change the tire (what a pain by the way) and was seemingly forced to pull the "oil bolt" that carries the hydraulic fluid to the caliper off to be able to slip the caliper off and away from the rotor. Now I have the new tire on, the chain back in place but I cannot seem to get the bolt back into the caliper (not to mention I will now have to bleed the brakes).

The threads on the bolt appear that they are about a .25 pitch smaller than the threads on the inside of the caliper and it's beyond me how they ever went together in the first place.

So, first of all what do I need to do to bleed the brakes on my KX and second of all, any thoughts on getting that bolt to go back into the caliper?

Thanks in advance.

~Katlyn~

you go girl !!:ride: dont hear much about the WIFE buying husband a bike !!:ride: WOW and a wife who works on it too? WOW am i dreaming / is this a joke ??

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SpyderGirl

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you go girl !!:ride: dont hear much about the WIFE buying husband a bike !!:ride: WOW and a wife who works on it too? WOW am i dreaming / is this a joke ??

I actually got my husband into motorcycling. I wanted to do it and he said that I couldn't unless he did too. We now own four motorcycles, two off-road bikes and two street bikes - a Honda Nighthawk CB750 (his) and a Can Am Spyder (mine).

I have always enjoyed working on cars, and now motorcycles. He does help me out when I need it, but I have always been the mechanically inclined one.

We are a rare breed. :D

Now any thoughts on the brakes? I am relatively new to doing maintenance on motorcycles.

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Grand Master

hi_im_sean

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:ride::ride:?

its called a banjo bolt, im not sure how that could happen, not sure how to answer your question. did you actually measure it with pitch guages? is it possible the last thread got bugered, got a tap? you shouldnt have needed to remove it to get the rear whell off, or is there sonmething i dont know on the 95's? i still dont believe youre real

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SpyderGirl

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:ride::ride:?

its called a banjo bolt, im not sure how that could happen, not sure how to answer your question. did you actually measure it with pitch guages? is it possible the last thread got bugered, got a tap? you shouldnt have needed to remove it to get the rear whell off, or is there sonmething i dont know on the 95's? i still dont believe youre real

LOL!! I'm real, not sure how to prove it to you. Maybe get the hubby to photograph me working out in the garage?? Maybe. I have a picture somewhere of me painting a car some time ago.

No, I didn't actually measure it with pitch gauges, it was just a guess. But it's definitely off (unless my eyes are going bad).

It is possible that the last thread is messed up, a tap would be a good way to go (YAY! Another reason to buy new tools!), I will try that... that might just do the trick.

I didn't think I would have needed to pull that bolt out to just get the rear wheel off, but it seemed necessary at the time. The banjo bolt, as you called it, was right up against the swing arm and I couldn't muscle the caliper up and off of the rotor. I am now regretting pulling that bolt off now. GRR!!

And how difficult is it the bleed the brakes? I haven't actually looked at the book, but I couldn't image it being that difficult. I figure if I can change a timing belt and a water pump in a Porsche 944 I could do just about anything on a motorcycle (ask me how I know).

Keep the tips coming, I will try the tap idea. :D

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SpyderGirl

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i'm lovin' where this thread is going....:ride:

Let's just say that I am not afraid to get my hands dirty and instead of flowers and candy I like tools, parts, and toys of a mechanical nature (cars, motorcycles, etc) for gifts.

Here is me on the front riding my Can Am Spyder through The Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap in Tennesee

img_96712.jpg

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Grand Master

Jeekinz

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You most likely cross threaded the bolt or caliper re-installing it. The threads are very fragile and you need to be extremely careful with brake fittings.

First of all, we are talking about the bolt that holds the brake line and not the bleeder, correct?

If so, you may be able to straighten out the threads carefully using the front bolt. However, you will then need to bleed both brakes.

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SpyderGirl

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You most likely cross threaded the bolt or caliper re-installing it. The threads are very fragile and you need to be extremely careful with brake fittings.

First of all, we are talking about the bolt that holds the brake line and not the bleeder, correct?

If so, you may be able to straighten out the threads carefully using the front bolt. However, you will then need to bleed both brakes.

Yes, I am talking about the bolt that holds the brake line to the caliper. It is possible that it was cross-threaded by the last person that installed it and I got lucky getting it out, now it won't go back together.

So I will check that and see if I can fix the threads before going any further. Hopefully the taps won't cost me more than another caliper assembly.

Now say I get that put back together, what is the next step I need to take to bleed the brakes? What sort of tools or equipment will I need to complete the job? Like I said, I'm a motorcycle mechanic newbie.

Thanks again so much!

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SpyderGirl

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No special tools, just a wrench to fit the bleeder and brake fluid.

Look real close at the threads on the bolt, you may be able to clean them up with a jewelers file.

The threads didn't look bad when I looked at them the first time, so they are probably not that bad off. I might get lucky. I will see what I can do and let you all know. The weather is getting really good here so I want to get it out of the garage and out on the trails.

And glad to hear I don't need any special tools to do the brakes cuz the procedure to bleed the brakes on my Spyder is crazy complicated, I just let the dealer do it. :ride:

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hi_im_sean

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The threads didn't look bad when I looked at them the first time, so they are probably not that bad off. I might get lucky. I will see what I can do and let you all know. The weather is getting really good here so I want to get it out of the garage and out on the trails.

And glad to hear I don't need any special tools to do the brakes cuz the procedure to bleed the brakes on my Spyder is crazy complicated, I just let the dealer do it. :ride:

the spyder has ABS? and 3 calipers (maybe 4?) controlled by 2 different masters in the same system, i could imagine why that would be hard to do. dirt bikes are a simple single master thru a line to a single caliper. bleeding is easy but can be tedious. make sure the air bubbles can flow up hill

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