The single-piston calipers on my Seca only worked adequately when they were new, so the ravages of time in a shed in Michigan reduced them to little more than unsprung weight. Moto-Services.net fixed them up good as new?better even, if you count the solid feel from the new steel-braided brake lines.
One of the least glamorous tasks involved in getting an old bike back on the road is rebuilding its brakes. Even when a 1970s to 1990s Japanese bike is otherwise properly stored, changing the brake fluid is often overlooked. In addition to being mildly corrosive and potentially harmful to paint and finished surfaces, DOT 3 and 4 hydraulic brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning that it absorbs water from the air. When a bike sits, particularly outdoors, water absorbed by the fluid acidifies and eventually begins to corrode the metal parts in the brake system and attack the rubber seals. At the same time oxygenation is slowly causing the rubber hoses to harden. When the time comes to resurrect the machine, if the master cylinder can even pressurize the system, quite often the brake calipers will seize and lock the wheel. That was the case when I took delivery of my 1982 Yamaha Seca XJ650RJ from the seller in Michigan. We had to lift the front wheel onto a moving dolly in order to roll the bike into the shop, where I was able to carefully pry the front caliper pistons back into their bores with a screwdriver. Further inspection made it clear that a front brake rebuild was required?the...