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Brembo caliper seal kits

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 4:42 pm
by mangocrazy
I'm currently overhauling a set of Brembo gold calipers (the generation before that fitted to the Falco) and have noticed that a couple of the dust seals look to be a little past their best. I could re-use them without any real qualms, but if a seal kit was available I'd use it.

The only trouble is, I can't find anywhere that sells them. Worse yet, I've heard from a couple of sources that Brembo stopped selling seal and piston kits except for race calipers after about 1990. This was (supposedly) due to some excessively litigious American prick suing them. Rather than risk this again they redesigned their calipers and stopped selling seal/piston kits for subsequent models.

Can anyone verify the truth of this, or (hopefully) give me a source of where I can buy a seal kit from? I'm going to try my local seal and bearings stockist in the morning, but I'm not very hopeful.

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 4:45 pm
by Aladinsaneuk
i think that you can get them through ducati dealers??

I could be wrong but... may be worth a try?

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 4:46 pm
by mangocrazy
I'll give John Hackett a ring in the morning. If anyone knows, he will.

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 4:48 pm
by Kwackerz
Have a word with Don Plane at Southern Cross Motorcycles.

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 6:28 pm
by mangocrazy
Cheers Kwackerz, I'll do that.

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 6:41 pm
by Kwackerz
Don runs Southern Cross, but also races. If he cant get it 'normally' he should be able to point you in the right direction via his track contacts.

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:29 pm
by mangocrazy
Yes, understood. That's why I thought of John Hackett cos he's head honcho at Ducati Coventry and tunes a lot of Ducati race motors. When in doubt, head for the racing community...

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:48 pm
by D-Rider
mangocrazy wrote:Yes, understood. That's why I thought of John Hackett cos he's head honcho at Ducati Coventry and tunes a lot of Ducati race motors. When in doubt, head for the racing community...
.... and, if while you're talking to him you discover that he wants to see what a real Italian V-twin looks like, you can always ask me to pop round to show him - I'm only down the road .... (well, not that far away)

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 10:03 pm
by Kwackerz
:smt081 :smt081

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 10:14 pm
by D-Rider
By the way, I've also got this place bookmarked for Brembo spares - never yet needed to use them but they would be my first port of call.

http://www.moto-racing.co.uk/cat--Bremb ... pares.html

Can't remember where I got the link from but it would have been one of the Aprilia forums.

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 10:37 pm
by mangocrazy
Hmm - yes, I've known John for about 15 years now, and it's going to be 'interesting' when I tell him I've bought an Aprilia...

Moto-racing.co.uk came up first in my Google search but I have the feeling they only do spares for the racing Brembos, which don't have two seals per piston, only one (i.e. no dust seal). And as it's the dust seals which are looking a bit wonky, that may be a problem. Anyway, it's another place to try.

My £22 eBay bargains are now turning into a bit of a 'mare. Both calipers have had the banjo bolt fitting cross-threaded by some Neanderthal and are currently being Helicoiled. The same knuckle-dragger also smeared vast amounts of Copaslip on the backs of the pads which appears to have migrated to the dust seals and knackered them...

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 12:44 pm
by mangocrazy
Well, it seems as if Brembo do NOT supply seal kits for road calipers, due to product liability concerns. I tried Don Plane, John Hackett and a Brembo supplier recommended by Don, and the reply was always the same.

If you've got a racing caliper, then seal kits should be available. But for road calipers, no chance matey...

On a positive note, I got my caliper halves back from being Helicoiled, and it's a lovely job. I sent the calipers on Thursday and had them back, fixed, by Monday morning. You simply can't get better service than that. And for helicoiling two M10 x 1.25 threads, it cost me £25. Absolute bargain. If you need any helicoiling doing, this the chap to speak to:

Kevin Moss,
8 Ilfracombe Road,
Offerton,
Stockport
SK2 5AS

Tel: 0161 666 0981
Mob: 07770766660
Web: www.kevinmosshelicoiling.co.uk

Top chap and highly recommended.

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 1:40 pm
by D-Rider
mangocrazy wrote:Well, it seems as if Brembo do NOT supply seal kits for road calipers, due to product liability concerns.
So anyone have any idea how the logic works in this?

They sell a product with parts that wear and that are normal service parts but they don't sell replacements because ...... you might fit them to bring one of their components from a dangerous state to a safe state.

Wonder what the product liability is of not selling them !!

Bet there are suitable alternative seals out there somewhere - if not, considering the number of brembo brakes about, what a business opportunity for a seals manufacturer is sitting undiscovered!

Might be worth a trawl of the various forums for bikes that run brembos to see whether anyone has discovered some alternative seals.

Anyone here with contacts in the seals industry or with a friend in the brakes trade who may know of another makes seals that will do the job?

This sounds as though it could be important information to hunt down ..... especially for a few years time when all of our seals have aged.

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 2:00 pm
by D-Rider
Quick hunt on AF1 threw up this:

http://www.yoyodyneti.com/Category.aspx?CategoryID=3017

.... though I'm not sure which kit we'd need ... and the supplier is in the US of A



This was another comment I found:
We overhauled the Brembos a year or so ago and went thru this issue also.

Ended up taking the old seals to a car brake specialist and he matched them up for us. They still work fine without any dramas or leaks.

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 2:03 pm
by joecrx
my bike was in for a servive a few monthe back at avuss super bikes , they called me to say the front breaks have seized n i told them to go ahead and fix them , then i got a call saying the cant get the seals, youl need new calipers :smt009 i explained iv never had a problem with my breaks , i asked to talk to the mechanik , after a conversation or 2 he called me back saying my breaks are working fine now , 1 hour labour was charged , were they at it ?, i do get that pulsing in the lever wich disapeard when i got the bike back n but it back again , so if seals are available it would be a handy job to do ,