Brake caliper repair?

[elizabethgypsy]

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Thanks for everyones replies and input!
I called yesterday morning, and the bike was ready to go, just waiting on the paperwork for the safety certificate. So I'm heading over to pick him up this morning.
Brake caliper just needed servicing and a new seal, piston was fine. Phewf! He chopped the plugged overflow cables to they aren't blocked with screws, and took photos of everything to show me. Feeling much better about it all.

As for the Dyna, if I go that route I will do it myself. One of the reasons I bought this bike was to wrench on it myself, and I completely agree it's hugely satisfying to get er done yourself. I'm keeping it over the winter to learn as much as I can about it, and between the forums / videos / helpful folk like you online, my Clymers and my stubborn streak, I figure I can learn to do most of the maintenance and repairs myself.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[CafeRay]

The thing with old bikes is you need to learn to work on them yourself or be at the mercy of someone else and end up paying. As mentioned, old bikes all require more upkeep and if you are not up for that and or the attendant cost of someone doing the work for you then you need to rethink the choice of bike. For many of us, wrenching on an old bike and bringing it back to a safe and reliable ride is a big part of the enjoyment and the reason we much prefer old bikes. Fixing something yourself also brings immense satisfaction and goes a long way to promoting confidence and self esteem. You can learn to do theses things and I urge you to try. With the Internet, the knowledge is at your fingertips and there are tons of vids to show you the way. Give it a go.

+1,000

Old bikes can be great and cool, but not for the mechanically declined. It's amazing what is on YouTube, and you realize its not that hard to do. EBay is a wonder for parts.

70s bikes and Cafe racers have been embraced by hipsters, but will likely be discarded once the fad is over and they can't figure out how to maintain the bikes.

If you have an issue, there is a good chance others had the same issue, and there are likely even better parts to avoid the issue from ever happening.

One place to start: Hackaweek on Youtube and the restoration/modification of a Honda Sabre. He shows how to replace a caliper seal, set valves, etc. He's a licensed mechanic. Even shows how to make a cafe tank and tail.

[video=youtube;-bHv8hUwE5k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bHv8hUwE5k&list=PL8SLiVEQM9KNBccNx4p2W9W5ggKPFy30w[/video]

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