Replace front motorcycle brake pads, 1995 Kawasaki Vulcan

[@jakejeskey]

This video was a great help on my 93 Vulcan 500. Thank you so much! Job was easy. The diagnosis was seized slider pins. I did what you said and got some high heat brake lube, put some new pads on, and all is well.

[@Shoutagious]

hey Spelunkered thanks so much. i just got a used 2005 Vulcan from a buddy, and came here to search for the best and safest ways to change out all the fluids. A gear oil video would also be very helpful. Thanks so much!

[@may03LT]

I've never replaced front pads on a motorsickle before, but after watching this I'm sure that i could handle it. Good job!

[@ItsKibet]

Thank you for making this video. I have an 95 EN500A that also needs some front brake TLC.

[@donwolfjr1]

My front brake caliper has dual pistons but this video is getting me through my process! Thank you very much for the video!!! : ) Don W., Ohio, USA!!

[@timbrogan1057]

I bought an '88 454 LTD that hadn't seen daylight in 20 years, I flushed the master out yesterday and did some cleaning of the caliper. Wish I'd seen your video first, I gotta go back and do some more cleaning on the caliper, the sliders don't move near as easy as yours did. The more I work on this classic the more I like it. Thank you for the informative video!

[@kennethhopper2918]

Thanks it was verry helpful

[@eh2361]

Extremely helpful and easy to understand video,. thanks for sharing.

[@Hitman119966]

Almost identical situation in my case but different bike. 1999 Vulcan 500 with 17k miles, slightly warped rotor, 0.2mm from minimum thickness. There is plenty of life in brake pads but I will have to clean caliper since its full of brake pad dust, and to check and try to fix slight brake pad drag. Great video, will be useful in upcoming repair. Caliper looks the same on my VN500 as on the VN800 you have.

[@michaelmorris1274]

Thank you for making this video. I have a 2008 Vulcan 500 and I used this video as a guide to change the front brake pads. I just gave it a test ride and the brakes work great. I appreciate the video!

[@spelunkerd]

I'm glad it helped, thanks for the feedback.

[@TemptedSpirit]

Dude thank you soo much... Could not find another video that shows how this type of single cam brake is changed... Me and my 2005 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 both thank you

[@spelunkerd]

You're welcome.

[@soundspoon]

Great video as always, will be swapping mine out this weekend!

[@Mudflap1974]

Thank you sir, I've bought some new pads for my recently acquired 1996 Vulcan 800. It only has 5500 miles, but the brakes at very low speed have somewhat of a pulse. The rotor doesn't look bad, and I've just had the shop change out the fluid, so I figured I might as well give the pads a try before springing for a rotor (much the same as you mentioned).

[@mclatj]

Great video. My main concern was whether or not I could compress the caliper or if I needed to twist it in. This answered my question. Keep the videos coming!

[@spelunkerd]

I'm glad it helped! As you know those twist pistons are a pain, especially when they stick. In my experience rotating caliper pistons are usually associated with the park cable mechanism of 4 wheel vehicles, so often are present in the back pair only. Maybe you or somebody will chime in and describe them on bikes, but I've never seen rotating caliper pistons on a bike.

[@mclatj]

I've never seen twist in on a bike either. This is only my second bike so I wanted to make sure. Thanks for the info.

[@JevonsLove]

great video. going to do my front breaks very soon, they were speaky during the summer there. The new disk price.........wow what a shock $320 that's crazy! Your videos are great, thank you for doing them, they give me more confidence in doing stuff myself.

[@spelunkerd]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@willd9739]

ALWAYS WATCHING YOUR VIDEOS, BUT I'M JUST WANT TO HAVE A FEW SUGGESTIONS, I ALWAYS PULL THE PINS REGARDLESS OF WHAT BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY ISSUES WITH BRAKES ON THE MOTORCYCLE I CLEANED THE GUIDES ENDS UP AND I ALWAYS USE A CERAMIC BRAKE GREASE WHICH HANDLES EXTREME HEATS, I ALSO USE THE OLD BRAKE PAD TO COMPRESS THE PISTON INSTEAD OF USING THE NEW ONE AND I DON'T USE THE BACKING ADHESIVE YOU DID. BECAUSE IT REALLY DOESN'T TAKE ON TOO MUCH HEAT, I TEND TO USE A COPPER EYES BACKING ADHESIVE MADE SPECIFICALLY FOR MOTORCYCLE BRAKES WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. I HAVE A 99 KAWASAKI VULCAN 800 CLASSIC AND ABSOLUTELY PRISTINE CONDITION, AND IF YOU SEEN IT YOU WOULD BE AMAZED. THANKS FOR THE VIDEO MAN. I DIDN'T NEED THE VIDEO FOR INSTRUCTIONS I JUST LIKE TO WATCH THEM BECAUSE YOU SHOW THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW THE BEST WAY TO DO IT.

[@wilburton1585]

Well done Gives us a whole lot of new confidence thanks a bunch

[@spelunkerd]

Thanks for the note! On my Vulcan the motor oil and transmission oil are shared in the same pool. Change the motor oil and you have changed both.

[@angelachism1474]

Didn't know that

[@dicer4683]

My son just bought his first bike, a fixer-upper 96 Vulcan. We need to replace the stator. if you feel like making a video along those lines... we'd watch it. Thanks!

[@spelunkerd]

I'm glad it helped, thanks for the feedback.

[@Chris_IGY6]

Thank you for the video. Very helpful. Just changed my front pads. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@spelunkerd]

Mine had a slight catch, though it's hard to see in the video. If the rotor hadn't been so expensive I would have replaced it. I also looked into getting it machined, but a machinist friend near here was not keen to do it, stating that the very hard steel on a bike rotor is a difficult job. A motorcycle tech I spoke with said they never machine their rotors. He advised that I watch it unless I observe functional braking problems (pulsations usually). Thanks for your comment.

[@jeffthomas7539]

nice bike! I have a 1999 Vulcan classic with Vance & Hines exhaust.......love that bike! I'm replacing the fuel line on it right now....kinda hard to find a line that fits in that spring sheath the old one was in....think I really need it?

[@scratchcoderig]

You should use the old pads when squeezing the caliper back. That will prevent you damaging the new pad. What is the minimum thickness for the rotor? Great video!

[@spelunkerd]

Thanks for dropping by! I usually do just that, and so had to review this old video to see what I did here. I have the official dealers repair manual for this bike, and it says the rotor thickness should be 4.8-5.2 mm, with a service limit of 4.5mm, and a runout service limit of 0.3mm. Of course those limits may be different if the rotor on your bike is not OEM. Limits are usually stamped on the rotor although I often have to remove the rotor and wire brush dirt off before I can find the stamp. I was shocked at how much they want for this rotor, presumably because there isn't enough demand for aftermarket manufacturers to compete.

[@scratchcoderig]

All the bolts that need to be torqued down every year would be another great video to do. Which bolts and what ft lb would be helpful.

[@juwanlogan6845]

Video helped a bunch....thank you

[@SnuggleBear1970]

Thank you for making this video. I have a 93 vulcan 750. My bike is so old that most dealers won't touch it. I love my bike. Being able to learn to do as much as I can on my own really helps. How do you replace and adjust the back brakes?

[@spelunkerd]

Oscar Cruz I've never done it. MrMaxStorey has done a number of similar videos of how to do rear drum brakes on a bike.

[@mikelagaffe]

could you please make a video on the rear brakes if you can. that would help me a lot. i just bought the exact same bike and i want to make sure everything is perfect. already changed the engine oil and front brakes thanks to your videos but cant find anything for the rear brakes

[@spelunkerd]

+mikelagaffe It's been a while since I had a look at the rear brakes and I'll do so this year. Typically the wear on those rear drum shoes is much slower than wear on the front.

[@JafarSetentaeUm]

This will certainly help me tomorow. Thanks

[@fredboat]

Thanks.

[@hp11208]

Nice work,i like this video Dave.

[@roberthayes9842]

Many thanks from Devon UK Ower of a Kawasaki 500en 97 cheers

[@stevedentt9016]

Thanks a ton..much more help then my downloaded shop manual...Cheers

[@spelunkerd]

+steve dentt Yeah, the shop manual for Kawasaki bikes is pretty weak.

[@davidchopps7106]

Thank you changing my front today.

[@zx8401ztv]

Smashing tutorial :-) The caliper on my little kawasaki kh125 looks very similar, and i did rebuild it a while back, but when the wheel is spinned there is a slight catching of the break shoes. Do you know if a slight catching is ok?, the break works fine. The motorbike shop i got the parts from gave me some silicon grease for the pins, and after everything was very clean i coated the pins and assembled it :-)

[@russellsmalls318]

going to try this on my 1999 vulcan 800b classic. thanks for the video

[@spelunkerd]

You're welcome I'm glad it helped.

[@1212megajr]

I'm having problems removing the second brake pad off the sliders. Any suggestions?

[@spelunkerd]

You could spray the slider with a light oil like WD40 or penetrating oil, then compress the piston back enough to give yourself room to rock the slider back and forth to let the penetrating oil to work itself in deeper. If the slider is seized you'll have to work it loose with elbow grease and effort. Hopefully you can get it loose and mobile with that, otherwise you'll need a new or rebuilt caliper. If the slider was seized, after you get it out you can take a similar sized drill bit with your fingers (not drill) and spin it where the slider was to try and clean rust inside the tube. Douche it with ample brake cleaner and then use a cylindrical brush to clear rust. When putting it back together, pay close attention to the rubber seal, you may need to buy another seal to prevent water from getting inside. Silicone paste works great for sliders, I find some formulations of brake caliper grease to be too thick and viscous. Never use antiseize for sliders. If the piston is seized, you can deal with that the same way, but my experience with seized pistons has been poor, eventually I replace the caliper anyway.

[@1212megajr]

@@spelunkerd thank you for your reply. I was able to get it off, the rust penetrant seems to have done the trick. I also removed the anti rattle spring before I removed the brake pad and I'm not sure if that helped or not. Regardless, I was able to reinstall the spring and install new pads. Thank you so much for the help!

[@spelunkerd]

For some reason Google won't let me reply directly to Mario Nagar. I suspect the footpeg would be pretty simple. Just get the replacement part and swap it over, but I've not done that on this bike. Thanks for watching!

[@mw666roar4]

Another fantastic video , thank you

[@spelunkerd]

Thanks, man!

[@mw666roar4]

Seriously your the best man, you explain it all so well and make it understandable. I was worried about having a go at changing the breaks pads but I shall watch your video again a good few times so iv got it all in my head. Thanks again -)

[@jean-francoisbouliane6368]

Like everybody else, great video, thank you. Do you have a video on how to clean and set a carburator for Vulcan 800? That would be appreciated!

[@spelunkerd]

Thanks, not yet.

[@spelunkerd]

By the way, consider putting an inline fuel filter into your Vulcan if there isn't one there already (mine didn't have one). It is an easy and worthy upgrade, and it will keep your carb cleaner for longer.

[@jean-francoisbouliane6368]

spelunkerd thanks for the tip!

[@adamzarouk]

Great vid! made it much more clear

[@spelunkerd]

Thanks!

[@anniebratun2911]

I have a 2006 EN500 kawasaki vulcan and need to replace the rear brake pads. Any video on the rear?? thanks!!

[@spelunkerd]

+Annie Bratun If they are disc brakes there are a lot of similarities. My bike has a rear drum brake, which is completely different.

[@anniebratun2911]

It is a drum. . .

[@MrGabirahellim]

It's helpful video. i want ask one thing. if i dont apply the disc brake quiet on pads, Is it a problem? Thank you.

[@spelunkerd]

+Erol Kutay Not generally a problem, though there is a little higher chance of squeaky brakes after you're done. Often a small packet of disc brake quiet or generic equivalent is supplied with replacement brake pads. Whatever you do, don't use grease, or anything else that might gum up the pads. At the temperature these achieve with active braking, any product needs to remain adherent and not melt onto the pads.

[@MrGabirahellim]

spelunkerd thank you very much

[@Soundofthetimes]

I have the same bike. Everytime I pump up the brakes, the smaller pad falls out. I'm not sure what I'm missing...

[@spelunkerd]

Gee, that's disconcerting. I'd wonder if you're missing the abutment clips, which can rust out, not be installed correctly, or not fit properly. Sometimes aftermarket pads don't fit properly, and occasionally I've seen bad brake caliper alignment after an accident. I'd start by checking your dealer repair manual to be sure everything is there. Even professionals can mess these things up, and there's no opposite side to compare to. When amateurs replace brake hardware we mostly reproduce what was there before, which leads to the assumption that the last guy knew what he was doing and that aftermarket hardware fits properly. I'd be taking it all apart again, reexamine and lubricate the slide pins, and reassemble. If in doubt, I wouldn't hesitate to get advice from a pro, preferably somebody who works on Vulcans.

[@bradmcgregor5962]

Hey I noticed you mentioned the brake fluid level.. I know this is an old video but just wanted to throw it out there.. If your not leaking brake fluid.. it is a way to check how your pads are doing.. your brake fluid level will only change as the pads wear and you have to push more fluid out of master to engage them to the rotor. Lots of guys will see the brake fluid is down and just fill it up.. no no.. a trained tech can tell you that is how you tell your pad life. As you mentioned the level went back to normal after you change the pads.. had you had just filled the master then found the pads were low you would have been too high.. Anyway, just thought I'd throw that out

[@spelunkerd]

Ya, that's what I said. I think it has something to do with the fact they didn't make very many of them, and it's an old bike now. Even used rotors for this vehicle are expensive.

[@luisausay2462]

Thank you Sr. for the video !!!

[@spelunkerd]

luis ausay You're welcome, thanks for the feedback.

[@spelunkerd]

Thanks, Harry.

[@griffindegray5801]

Do you have a video on front fork oil replacement?

[@spelunkerd]

No, sorry.

[@willd9739]

If you have never done front fork oil replacement before it would be best not to attack it because there are many steps that need to be followed very carefully and when you do change the fluid you should also change the springs inside the forks, ALWAYS

[@willsrestorations]

FOLKS FOR THE SAFETY OF THE RIDERS PLEASE REMEMBER TO USE BLUE MEDIUM LOCTITE ON THOSE MOUNTING BOLTS FOR THE CALIPER AS STATED IN THE REPAIR MANUAL. SAME THING WITH YOUR ROTOR BOLTS

[@nismo2ful]

exelent vid sr it help a lot

[@spelunkerd]

+Christian Vasquez I'm glad it helped, thanks for the feedback.

[@karatechop4899]

Thank you

[@iaespinosah76]

My sliders wont move as easy, have to check them, thanks

[@durcekmartin83]

Perfect video very very thanks. Like.

[@spelunkerd]

Thank you!

[@pedroradical3016]

if the sliders are stuck what can i do? Thanks

[@willd9739]

They are easily removed by sliding them through the back of the caliper and removing the boots and putting a ceramic grease on them and making sure they clean before applying the grease

[@franzgutowski2980]

Ah! you didn't show getting the piston side pad in! That's where I am stuck...

[@spelunkerd]

I don't remember it being an issue. Be sure the piston is compressed enough, and while doing that be careful not to damage the protective boot. In most calipers, there are stainless steel clips that the pads slide on. If you have those clips, you need to remove them and file all the caliper rust behind, then reinstall. Rust jacking behind the clips is a common cause of binding pads. You shouldn't ever have to sand the ears of the pads down to get them to fit, though I suppose aftermarket parts might be an issue. After installing the pads, and before pumping up the piston, slide the caliper side to side to be sure it moves easily.

[@reubenpope168]

I just broke the bolts clean off. They just spin freely in the caliper and won’t come out. I don’t understand why this happens to me.

[@spelunkerd]

I may be able to help if you show me an exact time stamp (ex 2:21) where I'm removing the bolts that are spinning in place for you. Broken bolts are a fact of life for mechanics, when you build up your skill set you'll encounter it less frequently and you'll be able to overcome the inconvenience with a few tricks. These days aluminum is commonly the base metal, very soft and it often requiring a thread insert to fix.

[@reubenpope168]

spelunkerd the two 12 mm bolts going into the caliper were waaaaay overtightened into the caliper. I figured out a way to back the bolts out. I’ll just have to get a used caliper off of eBay for a few bucks.

[@spelunkerd]

@@reubenpope168 Sounds reasonable. Normally these are installed with locktite, which is a little easier to remove if you carefully apply heat. If you can't locate a caliper, a helicoil thread insert is an option, but there is a learning curve with that and special tools are required.

[@reubenpope168]

spelunkerd is there a downside of using a helicoil? Will it cause the bolt to come out with the helicoil still attached? Even with locktite on the bolt?

[@spelunkerd]

@@reubenpope168 Properly installed, they are stronger than the original, but there is a learning curve. I've used them in spark plug holes, and various other situations. Your plan avoids the bother and extra expense....

[@robertmunro4846]

does anyone have a video of a kawasaki zephyr 1100 zr rear brake pads removal having trouble. .rob ☺☺☺

[@spelunkerd]

Thanks!

[@Mike61259]

How about rear brake ?

[@fordshaw5833]

👍👍👍

[@bgregg55]

How can a rotor possibly cost that much? That's just nuts. You can get car rotors for 40 bucks.

[@joshua_irving93]

👍

[@willd9739]

I DID FAIL TO MENTION THAT I DO NOT REPLACE THE FRONT ROTOR WITH A OEM KAWASAKI, THERE ARE TWO GREAT COMPANIES THAT MAKE AN AFTERMARKET THAT ARE FAR BETTER QUALITY THAN THE KAWASAKI OEM AND THEIR LESS THAN HALF THAT PRICE.

[@spelunkerd]

Where do you get your rotors? I used Bike Bandit this spring and was very disappointed at how slow they were, it took a few months to get what I ordered.

[@willd9739]

@@spelunkerd www.jpcycles.com/product/zz24720/ebc-pro-lite-floating-front-rotor?redirectedKeyword=&totalResult=1&isSearchByMotorcycle=True I have an account with EBC which is a commercial account so I get these rotors for $164 but they sell for $213 or $230. But they are absolutely amazing and last incredibly long and have a great look and their billet.

[@willsrestorations]

Why do you state the video that you should not use anti-seize, when in fact the manufacturing just about every shop I've ever worked at always use copperized seizing cream which is suitable up to 1800 degrees. As so is the permatex aluminized seizing cream at 1600 degrees. Going to have to totally disagree with you on that one my friend.

[@spelunkerd]

Well, you saw me using antiseize in the video, so clearly I believe there is a place for antiseize. Indeed, I still use it where many have stopped. For example in the Toyota Lexus dealers manuals they have completely abandoned antiseize for brake calipers in favor of their proprietary high temp grease at all locations. Part of that is the fact that there are places you definitely don't want antiseize, for example inside the sliders themselves. If a dealer manual advises the use of antiseize in some places, it opens the door for people who won't understand why not to use it in other places, increasing risk and liability. Their reasoning is that it is better to have one lubricant so technicians can't get confused. The reason you don't want antiseize inside the sliders themselves is because it is not a great lubricant, and it can muck up and slow critical movement inside the slider. Most guys have gone back to good old silicone paste for sliders. Even brake caliper grease is a weak second choice for inside the sliders because it is too thick and tends to slow response and muck up over time. Of course you don't want any lubricants directly adjacent to the rotor surface or the brake pad contact surface. On the other hand, I believe that antiseize is the best choice to prevent rust jacking behind the metal hardware clips, even though many mechanics use high temp grease for that, too. I think grease is a poor second to control rust but I understand their perspective. For example if you like watching brake pad videos, Eric O at SouthMainAuto never uses antiseize for calipers at all. He uses brake caliper grease for everything except sliders, and silicone paste for sliders themselves.

[@willsrestorations]

@@spelunkerd I was talking about the pads on the back of the pads using copperized neces but on the caliper contact points for the pads I always use permatex high temp ceramic Grease which is absolutely incredible.

[@spelunkerd]

@@willsrestorations That is fine at those locations, I do that too, now.

[@willsrestorations]

@@spelunkerd I definitely like your videos, I would imagine it helps a lot of people who otherwise would have no idea what to do, a lot of videos on KZbin show just the opposite of how not to do something and can become dangerous to do it yourselfers who seek knowledge. There's guys on here showing how to do front brakes and they're not even cleaning anything up I always clean the pins and the guides with a brass wire brush small in size make sure everything is spotless and then apply my copperized anti-seize and then my permatex to all the contact points, the reason why I like the permatex ceramic grease is because it is extreme high temperature rated and it stays put and hardly ever wears off or liquefies like some bakeries under heat or extreme conditions. I just wish a lot of these guys doing KZbin videos for doing yourself is with educate themselves before thinking they know what to do when they absolutely don't know anything. I also like that use a torque wrench which I use for every bolt I apply on my motorcycle, I did however use medium loctite on the brake housing bolts attached to the forks just for extra precaution because of the amount of vibration some bikes have. I believe I told you before that I own a 99 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 classic with roughly 14,000 miles on it and an absolute pristine condition, not a scratch or a scuff anywhere on it and all original and super well maintained. Once again great video man

[@spelunkerd]

Thank you.

[@spelunkerd]

Thank you.