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Brake work

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by Ingulfr, Mar 26, 2019.

  1. Ingulfr

    Ingulfr New Member

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    I've got a 1985 Maxim XJ700 X and I'm looking at doing some work on my front brakes, namely the lines themselves. I know I'll need the lines and some crush washers ( I've read up on the posts around the site, including the parts from Chacal) I was wondering though, if I will need to replace any of the other parts such as the joint or the union bolts. Unfortunately I'm on a tight budget right now, so if they are compatible, then I'd rather not change out more than I need to. I also need to do some digging and see about my master cylinder , as I know the sight glass is cracked, but I'm not sure I have the tools to do a straight swap on the glass, and may need to change out the entire M.C. Any thoughts or wisdom about the above work is appreciated. Thanks in advance!
     
  2. Jetfixer

    Jetfixer Well-Known Member

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    Xj4ever if I recall has the sight glass and braided steel lines is a great upgrade ,yes they are not cheap but for safety sake replacing the original rubber lines is a must . They have a 5 year life good chance this has never happened,a line may look like new ,but can collapse internally. Every bike I've owned I upgraded to braided steel lines. Old adage" buy the best cry once " applies here.
     
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  3. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    The union bolts won't need to be replaced unless you round the heads off when removing them.
    The distribution block won't need to be replaced either.
    Just make sure to dismantle everything and clean out the old brake fluid residue really well.

    Swapping a sight glass dosen't require any special tools. Just patience and care with the adhesive when you install the replacement. Again, make sure the recess for the glass is really clean.
     
  4. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

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  5. Ingulfr

    Ingulfr New Member

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    Thank you all for the responses. Sorry I'm slow with updates. So, like I said above, my M.C. needs some love. Does this look like the type B sight glass window? It doesn't look flush like type A is described.. Unfortunately I also need to replace the screws holding the lid on, as one of them is stripped, so to view inside will take a bit more work.
    20190401_173737.jpg
     
  6. chacal

    chacal Moderator Moderator Supporting Vendor Premium Member

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    Until you remove the lid, you'll never know for sure. But, if I were a betting man, I'd go with it being this one:

    HCP9819 Aftermarket front and rear brake master cylinder glass brake fluid level SIGHT WINDOW, correct size and thickness crystal-clear mineral glass. NOTE: fits all style B front master cylinders that use a c-clip retained original sight window, and fits the 1981 XS1100LH Midnight Special rear master cylinders.

    Typically, this style sight glass is NOT found on the large (dual-disc) master cylinders, they almost always use the pressed-in style window. But Yamaha (or their suppliers) was not always as consistent as we might imagine...........
     
  7. Nuch

    Nuch Well-Known Member

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    Ingulfr,

    I did an entire front brake job on my 700N. Mine is Aircooled, but I believe it has the same brake set up as yours. It is well documented here:
    https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/1985-86-xj700-caliper-rebuild.118121/

    You'll find the specifics on the master cylinder refurb on the second page.

    All of the parts came from XJ4Ever as posted above. Premium parts... perfect fit. I am extremely happy with the final result.
     
  8. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    Use a dab of superglue on the screw and the screwdriver, or the appropriate bit from a handheld impact drier.
    Get a set of JIS screwdrivers too, because none of the screws on the bike are Phillips (and that's why the screwheads get stripped).
     
  9. raskal

    raskal Active Member

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    or use the screwdriver in your Yamaha toolkit (if you have it of course)
     
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  10. lostboy

    lostboy Well-Known Member

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    Also a bit of valve lapping compound on the screwdriver tip will add some grip.
     
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  11. Simmy

    Simmy Well-Known Member

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    I have Motion Pro's JIS T-handle. The 3 bits are magnetic and you can move them around.
    You can really get your body weight into it and go gorilla, breaks everything loose, as long as a PO hasn't buggered the head with a Phillips.
    Best tool I've ever bought.
     
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  12. Chitwood

    Chitwood Well-Known Member

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    I own the same t handle as simmy. None of my buddies believed there was a difference until they tried it. I like a lot. The only small complaint is sometimes the magnets come out with the bit. I've just been too lazy to glue them in
     
  13. Simmy

    Simmy Well-Known Member

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    that did happen to me and I glued them in.
     
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  14. Ingulfr

    Ingulfr New Member

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    Alright, after waaaay too much time elapsed, I finally have the screw out, the superglue didn't hold, so I ended up drilling a small hole down the center to run an easy out into. That worked, though I was pretty nervous since the m.c. does not sit flat and I was holding it steady by hand. I can confidently say I have the type A, and it looks the same as Nuch's in the write-up.

    Thanks again for the help. Ya'll are awesome.
     
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  15. cgutz

    cgutz Well-Known Member

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    FYI - I was able to find replacement screws for the MC lid on my XJ550 at the local ACE hardware. I bought some that had hex heads.
     
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