GT380 front brake ..... model "B"

[oldbiker]

In between the showers, I took the old gt380B out for a run on Tues. I have put up with the front brake for ages, and it's even passed an MOT without any issues, but I think it's poor even for a seventies bike.

I bet it still has the original brake pads. So as a start, I could try a better set of brake pads.

Just wondering if anybody has a suggestion of which pads might be worth a try. Ebay has a good selection...... some of them might even be good.

Ta
OB

[mick 63]

EBC or Vesrah are usually ok for these old bikes .

[oldbiker]

EBC or Vesrah are usually ok for these old bikes .

I finally took the old brake pads off and found them to be a good(ish) set of EBC pads. I must have changed them a few years ago and forgotten. Maybe they have become contaminated. Anyway, I have taken the caliper apart and drained the brake fluid. So with a service and new brake fluid we shall if things improve. If not, a new set of pads might be needed.

OB

[Optedout]

Some plumbers abrasive mesh on a flat surface will remove contamination
if there is enough meat on the pads. I have rescued many a glazed pad using
this technique.

[oldbiker]

Some plumbers abrasive mesh on a flat surface will remove contamination
if there is enough meat on the pads. I have rescued many a glazed pad using
this technique.

Good idea. Been and cleaned the pads. I have had the bike some 27+ years and was rescued from a breakers yard. I must have replaced the pads in the past and forgotten. They were not particularly worn.

So with new brake fluid it's all back together. Just need a rain free day to test before a bit of a winter break. I suspect there is going to be salt on the roads this week.

OB

[teazer]

You need to clean or scuff the rotor surface. Contamination gets embedded in the faces of the disk.

And make sure that the caliper can slide side to side on the pins.

[Scotch750]

In between the showers, I took the old gt380B out for a run on Tues. I have put up with the front brake for ages, and it's even passed an MOT without any issues, but I think it's poor even for a seventies bike.

I bet it still has the original brake pads. So as a start, I could try a better set of brake pads.

Just wondering if anybody has a suggestion of which pads might be worth a try. Ebay has a good selection...... some of them might even be good.

Ta
OB

Wuh, dain't know you had to av a shower before ya took your bike out ! sos.

[asco58]

And make sure that the caliper can slide side to side on the pins.

A slight digression but, I had a problem with my 550's brakes squealing really badly and after looking over the usual suspects (pads,pistons, dirt, mounting bracket/pad holder) but none of that worked. I noticed that the caliper didn't really slide on the pins at all and I can't definitively say what the exact problem was but I think the fixed pads were squealing on the inside of the discs.

I looked at the O-rings on the bolts and I estimated them to be 1.25mm cross section o rings (if selecting from a list of standard sizes). I'm not sure what the original size was and if it was a non standard size, or if someone changed them on my calipers, the parts manuals just say 'o-ring caliper, axle', I'd be interested to know what they were supposed to be if someone knows.

After trying a few different things I decided to change the o rings and use two (8mm x 10mm x 1mm) o rings in each groove with a small amount of copper grease for lubrication and they had just enough resistance to allow the caliper to slide smoothly but still low enough for it to let go and relax properly. The squealing went away after that and has been gone for at least 5 or 6 months and hasn't come back now. It seems like this might have worked and I'd be interested to hear other peoples thoughts on this but at least the squealing has stopped and the bike has gone back to turning heads for the right reasons