[zx6rcat]

I figure I'd better start a thread, rather than keep making new posts for every bit of rubbish I find on this benighted wreck.

We have a several careless owner, somewhat crashed, 25K miles (but apparently though gravel filled snow), mostly complete example which has been crudely repainted with inch thick paint.

When collected after buying sight unseen, it was FULL, and I mean FULL of dead spiders. Last road registered in 2017.

When sold as 'just needs a battery', you know you're in for a good ride, right? Luckily I like a challenge.

During initial exploration:

List of bits I've had to buy it:

• Right hand switch gear (start button was present, but under the seat, snapped)
• Left hand passenger footpeg.
• Two engine bolts.
• Seat and battery retaining bracket.
• Ram-Air valve and airbox hose.
• Water cooler.
• Oil cooler.
• Mirrors.
• Led dash kit.
• fuel pump.
• water-resistant electrical connectors.
• fuel tap refurb kit.
• LED indicators and relay.
• Fluids service.

List of things I've done to it:

• Traced and repaired the broken wires preventing cranking
• Cleaned all the corroded connectors (on first power up NOTHING worked, NOTHING)
• Replaced countless twist and tape horrors with water-resistant connectors
• Ultrasonically cleaned the carbs
• loosened the chain so the rear wheel can actually turn.
• fixed the brake light switch
• redone the exhaust so it has actual exhaust studs and doesn't leak

It's not yet had a new battery, I just borrow the one out of my bandit if I need power

 

[zx6rcat]

So today I beat one of the front brakes off, the front wheel has never been 'keen' on turning and I was pretty sure the brakes were binding.
I find that whatever MORON was in there before me, whilst they have put copper grease on things like the pad pin, they've installed the pistons backwards so the hollow part is inside the caliper... that must have cost them a lot in brake fluid to fill the caliper

The seals look swollen so I'm going to need to rebuild them anyway.
I guess I will just drill a hole in the piston face, drive in a decent screw and pull them out with that but we need to talk about rebuild kits...

Does this look reasonable? Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja front brake caliper piston seal rebuild kit 1995 1996 1997 | eBay
Anyone know of any other options in the UK market?

 

[RJ2112]

You may be able to blow the piston out with compressed air…..

 

[riverszzr]

Looks like CHINESEUM trash to me............

and instead of drilling holes in the pistons why not simply hydraulically push them out with the brake lever (still connected) or with shooting compressed air into the brake fluid feed hole......... use a thin piece of wood between them so they cannot actually come out completely- thus all of them can come out 90% of the way........
then simply remove the wood, grab them and twist and pull them out one at a time

that way you do not need new pistons- just seals........

 

[zx6rcat]

Aren't the pistons chromed steel? I've not idea how long they've been in there backwards and I'm not gleeful about the idea of putting them in right way round and expecting them to NOT tear up the new seals.

The ebay thing says they're ground stainless and made in the uk but in fairness, lies are cheap.

I've never had much luck getting brakes apart with compressed air, I tend to get one of the pistons to pop and the other is stuck forever. The last ones i worked on were just twin pot, not 4. no harm in trying though, if i fail i'll just do something else

 

[Mr Winston]

So today I beat one of the front brakes off, the front wheel has never been 'keen' on turning and I was pretty sure the brakes were binding.
I find that whatever MORON was in there before me, whilst they have put copper grease on things like the pad pin, they've installed the pistons backwards so the hollow part is inside the caliper... that must have cost them a lot in brake fluid to fill the caliper

The seals look swollen so I'm going to need to rebuild them anyway.
I guess I will just drill a hole in the piston face, drive in a decent screw and pull them out with that but we need to talk about rebuild kits...

Does this look reasonable? Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja front brake caliper piston seal rebuild kit 1995 1996 1997 | eBay
Anyone know of any other options in the UK market?

PERSONALLY I buy parts like a rebuild kit from a retailer like Wemoto or dirtbikeexpress etc. rather than eBay. Although when looking for genuine parts on auction sales then yeah fair enough. Here's a link to the kit for your 1995 model Front & Rear ~20% cheaper than the kits for mine so bonus for you there!

Compressed air into the hole line and a rag to catch the pistons? That is how I got mine out.

 

[Mr Winston]

I figure I'd better start a thread, rather than keep making new posts for every bit of rubbish I find on this benighted wreck.

We have a several careless owner, somewhat crashed, 25K miles (but apparently though gravel filled snow), mostly complete example which has been crudely repainted with inch thick paint.

When collected after buying sight unseen, it was FULL, and I mean FULL of dead spiders. Last road registered in 2017.

When sold as 'just needs a battery', you know you're in for a good ride, right? Luckily I like a challenge.

Reads opening lines

"You son of a bitch, I'm in."

Love a basket case, best of luck 😅

 

[zx6rcat]

So humbleness is a thing I was wrong, the piston ARE in the right way round they're just fitted with some kind of packing

I was hoping I could get this out and use a piston puller to get the piston out. The seals and stuff are all knackered so need replaced.

Everyone seems to say the pop pistons out with air, but how it's beyond me how you get four pots to pop simultaneously, and after splitting the halves, all the holes are open so you can't build pressure anyway.

Otherwise I'm going drill and tap these inserts and pull them with a bolt and a slide hammer.

I cannot seem to improve my skills here at all

 

[zx6rcat]

bad form, but i checked wemoto again and they had a deal on the reconditioning packs, so I just bought them. I'll smash these pistons out one way or another but i don't need to care about them so much since I'll have fresh ones in a few days \o/

I'll whack the calipers through the ultrasonic machine to make sure they're spanking for reassembly.

 

[Mr Winston]

So humbleness is a thing I was wrong, the piston ARE in the right way round they're just fitted with some kind of packing

Everyone seems to say the pop pistons out with air, but how it's beyond me how you get four pots to pop simultaneously, and after splitting the halves, all the holes are open so you can't build pressure anyway.

Firstly.. WEIRD but okay

Second, to remove the pistons with air, you're right. The large holes left behind after removing a piston means air just comes out the big hole, making removal of further pistons impossible. Instead of removing any pistons, you want to have them all in the caliper, then take a piece of wood that is small enough to fit inside the gap where the brake disks sits. Use air to push them out all the way TO THE WOOD. Then once they are all almost popped out all the way. Split the caliper, remove the pistons the final 5/10mm with say, a piece of bike inner tube rubber (for grip) and a pair of your favourite pliars.

 

[Mr Winston]

bad form, but i checked wemoto again and they had a deal on the reconditioning packs, so I just bought them. I'll smash these pistons out one way or another but i don't need to care about them so much since I'll have fresh ones in a few days \o/

I'll whack the calipers through the ultrasonic machine to make sure they're spanking for reassembly.

Niiiiiice!

Send us update pictures once they are all clean

 

[zx6rcat]

Firstly.. WEIRD but okay

Second, to remove the pistons with air, you're right. The large holes left behind after removing a piston means air just comes out the big hole, making removal of further pistons impossible. Instead of removing any pistons, you want to have them all in the caliper, then take a piece of wood that is small enough to fit inside the gap where the brake disks sits. Use air to push them out all the way TO THE WOOD. Then once they are all almost popped out all the way. Split the caliper, remove the pistons the final 5/10mm with say, a piece of bike inner tube rubber (for grip) and a pair of your favourite pliars.

hmm, thanks, I'll try the rubber bit a go, I'm not sure if I'm just weak or what, but I really struggle to make them move.
I did pump them out to a large block of wood till they all moved, then a smaller bit of wood, till they all moved out to that point, then a single brake pad, and then they started farting fluid so that was as far out as they were coming.

 

[Mr Winston]

Oh well there you go then! You've done it as we all would or there abouts..

Oh & Twist and pull don't just pull

 

[zx6rcat]

Got a bike inner tube, and I have vise grips... If I ever get arsed to go in the garage again I'll see what that does

 

[zx6rcat]

Right, it's been a minute, but what's a thread worth without some photos?
The brake kits turned up:

so I got on with mangling the calipers.

I found if I chipped away the SURELY asbestos crap, it revealed a plate with a hole in it which could be tapped.

so I butchered a 'puller' together using a bit of steel box and a christmas tree drill.

That pulled SOME of the stuck pots out.

The others got treated poorly.

The calipers then got to sit in a hot noisy bath for about a WEEK and we have:

ready for masking, painting, and then reassembly.

The rear will come off at some point and get the same, but who uses the back brake anyway?

 

[zx6rcat]

Other silly jobs have been 'fixing' the anti rotation feature of the handle bar control unit which had snapped off at some point.

And modifying a gear puller to release the seized gear change linkage. I knew I needed to avoid putting a sideways load on the gear selector shaft so this seemed the best way. The jaws would easily close far enough but the clamping bolts were insufficiently threaded to keep the jaws locked. More threads were added.

And then the tool worked perfectly!

I've just had delivery of a bunch of bolts and stuff to mount fairings properly and new seals for the fuel tank and stuff.

I actually nearly have enough stuff in place that this bike might start, run, and maybe even make a short journey up the drive in a few weeks when the snow goes away.

 

[zx6rcat]

They got me with the fuel pump... the 'correct' fuel pump has 10mm barbs on it and there's a stupid specific hose that converts from 10 to 8mm I tried to do the convertion with adapters but there's not really space... so I've had to drop more money on a compatible fuel pump with 8mm barbs.
Fuel setup from tap to carbs is now set up. It should be able to pump it's own fuel out of a jerry can now till I get the tank fittings attached/ tank painted/ installed.

Milimetric progress is being made. I'm waiting till it's warmer to paint the brakes and finish that off.

 

[zx6rcat]

It's not MUCH warmer but it wasn't raining so I did a bit of paint. I'm going to do a bit more sanding on the other caliper, but i think this is good enough for the optics of standing next to the bike and looking down at a wheel.

 

[RJ2112]

Looks really nice. I try not to get too wrapped up in cosmetic details, as they are prone to chipping, and sundry insult over time. This is quite good work, and something that will pass the 10 foot test without issue. I'm guessing that you made sure to mask off the points where the lines will attach, and the cooper washers will be? It's easy to see you masked off the threads.... the flat surfaces are the 'money shot' in this situation.

 

[zx6rcat]

yep, l've masked all sealing surfaces.