Stopping your machine should be paramount over going fast, or you will only go fast once! Your braking system should be designed to handle the machine and rider and in ordinary riding situations should be more then adequate for quite some time before needing your attention, except for brake pads. Pads should be checked before each ride as in certain environments such as riding in mud or when there is a lot of water on the trail your brake pads can get worn down extremely fast leaving you in a bad spot with no brakes!
When you have to get more involved with your calipers due to a rebuild or to fix an issue beyond brake pads, you should know what is involved and for most, the job is simple and will save you some cash over taking it to the dealer. There are five major components to your braking system:
Brake Master Cylinder- Holds fluid and when operated by your brake lever pumps pressurized brake fluid to the caliper to make it operate
Brake Lines- carries the brake fluid from the master Cylinder to the caliper
Caliper- Houses the pressurized brake fluid and when applied, forces a piston out of the caliper to contact the brake pad, which in turn forces the pads to squeeze the brake rotor.
Brake Rotor – This item is connected to your front hub or rear axle assembly (rear Brake Hub) and is what the brake pads contact when pressure is applied to the system via the brake lever(s)
Brake pads- These two pads are made of either sintered metal or organic compounds and are held in place by two sliders in the brake caliper housing and provide friction from the force of the system to stop your machine
All of these components work in harmony to bring you to a nice stop when needed and are often overlooked during routine maintenance. Here we will take an inside look at how to disassemble and reassemble a Honda 400ex caliper. (Most all calipers for ATV’s equipped with hydraulic braking systems are of similar design even though the outer appearance may be different)
Tools needed: Small pick, 4mm and 6mm allen head wrench, soft jaw pliers,
Always start with a clean work area and get the calipers as clean as possible before starting your work. The caliper consists of several parts including the housing, sliders, various seals, piston(s), bleeder valve and caliper mount.
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