2014 Triumph Tiger Explorer XC Rear Caliper

[RJPisani]

Hey all,


The rear caliper on my Tiger Explorer went on me. Doesn't look like I can repair it. I called the local dealer for a new one, not only were they out of stock,
a new one is $600. I was wondering if anyone has any aftermarket suggestions or used sites they check? ebay came up empty for me

Thank you!

 

[sikatri]

Why is it not repairable? Did some metal part shear?

 

[RJPisani]

Why is it not repairable? Did some metal part shear?

Yeah, forgive bc I don’t know the correct name of it, but the metal piece that sits above the pad that slides. Not the pistons, it’s like a flat, metal piece

 

[sikatri]

Yeah, forgive bc I don’t know the correct name of it, but the metal piece that sits above the pad that slides. Not the pistons, it’s like a flat, metal piece

Is it part of the caliper? Picture might help. Yes, if it's part of the actual brake caliper it might be a toast item. If it's a component part it might be replaceable.

 

[RJPisani]

Is it part of the caliper? Picture might help. Yes, if it's part of the actual brake caliper it might be a toast item. If it's a component part it might be replaceable.

Okay, so maybe some hope after all. I’m not near it right now, pull will send a photo as soon as I can

 

[ManInTheJar]

Okay, so maybe some hope after all. I’m not near it right now, pull will send a photo as soon as I can

Here is a parts diagram which might help identify if it is a replacable part.

 

[RJPisani]

Okay, sorry for the delay. I took it apart and also had someone with more experience check it out. It’s not sheered, but I think my seals are broke. I’ve never repaired a caliper before so I don’t really know where to start on this one. But seems a lot cheaper and something worth learning. Anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks again for your help

 

[sikatri]

Okay, sorry for the delay. I took it apart and also had someone with more experience check it out. It’s not sheered, but I think my seals are broke. I’ve never repaired a caliper before so I don’t really know where to start on this one. But seems a lot cheaper and something worth learning. Anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks again for your help

If it’s seals, there’s probably a rebuild kit available. I’d replace the pads at the same time. I’ve rebuilt ones on a few cars, I suspect the motorcycle brake calibers are similar. Check out a few videos. I’d invest in a shop manual. Brakes are a good manageable project to start with. Hopefully a Tiger owner will chime in with more specific advice.

 

[ManInTheJar]

Okay, sorry for the delay. I took it apart and also had someone with more experience check it out. It’s not sheered, but I think my seals are broke. I’ve never repaired a caliper before so I don’t really know where to start on this one. But seems a lot cheaper and something worth learning. Anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks again for your help

It sounds a bit early for the seals to be shot, it could happen though if the calliper had been neglected and/or the brake pistons corroded. Triumph sell a repair kit containing new seals and pistons which is not cheap but less expensive than a new calliper. It's fairly straightforward to replace the pistons and seals if you are familiar with working on bikes. I would remove the calliper, plug the threaded hole where the banjo bolt goes and give it a good clean with degreaser and/or brake cleaner and a stiff brush. The pistons need to be pushed under control with grease or air to ensure they both come out together and don't fly out at speed. The piston bores should then be cleaned and the new pistons and seals fitted after rubbing a little brake fluid or silicon grease on the new seals to help them slide in. Of course it will need bled once everything is refitted, this can be tricky with ABS unless you have the correct tool or app to operate the abs.

Probably a better plan if they are not actually leaking is to unbolt the calliper from it's retaining bracket (leave the hydraulic hose connected) then remove the brake pads, shims etc Give it a good clean with degreaser/brake cleaner and a stiff brush. Once it is as clean as possible place a piece of wood, plastic or metal in the calliper where the pad ere leaving a gap of at least 0.5 inches between it and the pistons. Holding the wood etc. in place gently pump the back brake pedal until the pistons touch it - if one or both don't move try spraying around the edges of them with silicone spray. Once the pistons are protruding at least 0.5 inches give them a good clean with brake cleaner and smear the exposed surfaces with silicone or red grease and gently push them back in leaving the wood etc in place. Pump them out and push them in a few more time until they work smoothly. This should have cleaned and lubricated the outer (dust) seal and hopefully fixed the problem. If it doesn't work or the pistons are badly corroded then its time to think about new pistons/seals or a replacement calliper.

A used calliper is another option, many bikes use similar callipers just check your old one for any makers name and model number. Unfortunately this solution also introduces the issue of bleeding an abs system.

 

[RJPisani]

It sounds a bit early for the seals to be shot, it could happen though if the calliper had been neglected and/or the brake pistons corroded. Triumph sell a repair kit containing new seals and pistons which is not cheap but less expensive than a new calliper. It's fairly straightforward to replace the pistons and seals if you are familiar with working on bikes. I would remove the calliper, plug the threaded hole where the banjo bolt goes and give it a good clean with degreaser and/or brake cleaner and a stiff brush. The pistons need to be pushed under control with grease or air to ensure they both come out together and don't fly out at speed. The piston bores should then be cleaned and the new pistons and seals fitted after rubbing a little brake fluid or silicon grease on the new seals to help them slide in. Of course it will need bled once everything is refitted, this can be tricky with ABS unless you have the correct tool or app to operate the abs.

Probably a better plan if they are not actually leaking is to unbolt the calliper from it's retaining bracket (leave the hydraulic hose connected) then remove the brake pads, shims etc Give it a good clean with degreaser/brake cleaner and a stiff brush. Once it is as clean as possible place a piece of wood, plastic or metal in the calliper where the pad ere leaving a gap of at least 0.5 inches between it and the pistons. Holding the wood etc. in place gently pump the back brake pedal until the pistons touch it - if one or both don't move try spraying around the edges of them with silicone spray. Once the pistons are protruding at least 0.5 inches give them a good clean with brake cleaner and smear the exposed surfaces with silicone or red grease and gently push them back in leaving the wood etc in place. Pump them out and push them in a few more time until they work smoothly. This should have cleaned and lubricated the outer (dust) seal and hopefully fixed the problem. If it doesn't work or the pistons are badly corroded then its time to think about new pistons/seals or a replacement calliper.

A used calliper is another option, many bikes use similar callipers just check your old one for any makers name and model number. Unfortunately this solution also introduces the issue of bleeding an abs system.

Hey ManInTheJar,

Thanks for the reply. So I was finally able to get back to this, this weekend. I got the pistons moving. Unfortunately, I did get air in the line. So I bled them the old fashioned way. I got a tube, a empty water bottle with some brake fluid in it and I flushed two reservoirs worth of fluid through to be safe. road the weekend and it felt fine. I just had it out on a lunch ride though and I felt the pedal stick again. this is also causing the rear brake to stick. I took some videos (attached below). It almost looks like there is something wrong with the piston attached to the pedal itself.

In video 1,
you can see when the pedal is depressed, it doesn't move perfectly straight up and down. It has a horizontal motion to it. I wasn't sure if that's normal.

Video 2 is an excerpt from video 1.
you can watch the piston go down as the pedal is pressed, it comes back up, and then I pull up on the pedal to bring the pedal all the way back up and you then see the piston come back down. This little bit of sticking is what is locking the rear brakes on me

video 3
you can see play in the brake pedal itself.


anyone every experience this? I'm working with the Mark Barrett's service manual and he references bleeding the brakes using the tiger tool. Its not clear if this is a requirement or just the technically correct way to do this? I can't think of a reason bleeding the brakes using the classic method would fail, but all the same, could that cause the problem?

Thanks again everyone

 

[RJPisani]

Hey ManInTheJar,

Thanks for the reply. So I was finally able to get back to this, this weekend. I got the pistons moving. Unfortunately, I did get air in the line. So I bled them the old fashioned way. I got a tube, a empty water bottle with some brake fluid in it and I flushed two reservoirs worth of fluid through to be safe. road the weekend and it felt fine. I just had it out on a lunch ride though and I felt the pedal stick again. this is also causing the rear brake to stick. I took some videos (attached below). It almost looks like there is something wrong with the piston attached to the pedal itself.

In video 1,
you can see when the pedal is depressed, it doesn't move perfectly straight up and down. It has a horizontal motion to it. I wasn't sure if that's normal.

Video 2 is an excerpt from video 1.
you can watch the piston go down as the pedal is pressed, it comes back up, and then I pull up on the pedal to bring the pedal all the way back up and you then see the piston come back down. This little bit of sticking is what is locking the rear brakes on me

video 3
you can see play in the brake pedal itself.


anyone every experience this? I'm working with the Mark Barrett's service manual and he references bleeding the brakes using the tiger tool. Its not clear if this is a requirement or just the technically correct way to do this? I can't think of a reason bleeding the brakes using the classic method would fail, but all the same, could that cause the problem?

Thanks again everyone

My appologies, I didn't realize videos can't send. Would photos help? I'm not sure how to demonstrate the issue/concern with just a photo

 

[Greyfell]

My appologies, I didn't realize videos can't send. Would photos help? I'm not sure how to demonstrate the issue/concern with just a photo

As long as the video's are not too large they can be sent.

Click on the 3 vertical dots above the text input area to "extend" the menu. The icon just to the right of the smiley is for uploading videos from your phone/computer. The icon to the right of that is for linking videos from Youtube, Vimeo, Facebook, Twitter, etc.