I took apart my front brake caliper for the first time last week to overhaul it. I didn't find any good guides so I decided to write one.

1. Remove two bolts holding the caliper to the front fork

2. Remove the banjo bolt holding the brake line to the caliper. Be careful. A small amount of brake fluid will drain from the brake line. Don't let it touch anything. It eats through paint.



3. Pull the caliper off and remove the inner brake pad. It should basically fall out.

4. Now gently pull the piston guide away from the caliper. It will eventually come out.



5. The piston pads should dump out. The next step is removing the pistons. Blow them out with and air compressor pointing in the hole where the brake line used to be, or if you're going to replace the pistons just pull the out with vice grips.

6. Now take a toothpick and replace the dust seal and the piston seal for each piston bore. This should be replaced.

7. Clean everything with brake cleaner. (DO NOT use wd-40 or other petroleum based solutions).

8. Once you're ready to put everything back together lube the piston and dust seals with new brake fluid and place them in the proper grooves. Gently push  the new pistons in their bores. Replace the washers for the brake line. Put everything back together and bleed your brake system. Hope this helps.

9. It is IMPERATIVE you use thread lock on the front caliper bolts AND torque them to spec. I was on the race track and my front brake caliper fell off my bike and was hanging by the brake line only for about half a mile before I could pit. Yea, stupid. 

9. It is IMPERATIVE you use thread lock on the front caliper bolts AND torque them to spec. I was on the race track and my front brake caliper fell off my bike and was hanging by the brake line only for about half a mile before I could pit.



that is why you should safety wire parts that you don't want to fall off