Front brake caliper won't slide off

[rdx]

Hello,

I have a 1991 GS500, and am trying to replace the front brake pads and piston seals.  My Clymer manual says to undo the two bolts that hold the caliper on and 'slide' it off the disc.  I undo the two bolts, and can move the caliper around a little, but because the disc is old and has a groove in it, I can't slide it off.  I can rotate the wheel, so the pads aren't jammed up against it, they just get caught on the rim of the groove and won't pull out.  Is there any special technique or tool I need to use to get the thing off?

Thanks,

Peter D.

[dgyver]

The pistons need to be pushed back into the caliper. The easiest way is to twist the caliper against the rotor pushing the pistons back. Worse case you will need to open the bleeder to let some of the fluid out as the pistons are being pushed back.

[Kerry]

If you're going to replace seals anyway, you may as well bleed off some fluid while you "lever" the pistons back in - like dgyver said.

But you shouldn't have to.  Sometimes it takes some creative positioning, but I think I have always been able to get my front caliper off of the rotor without taking drastic measures.  The caliper and pads ARE different between your '91 and my '99 though, so don't break anything trying to take my word for it.  

[rdx]

Thanks guys, I'll give that a try this weekend.

[dgyver]

Another thing I just thought of....if there is a groove in the rotor, then there probably is excessive wear on the rotor. Best to measure its thickness. Service limit: 4.0mm or 0.16"