I just removed my front wheel to change the tire. Glad to say I survived my first tire change, even if it took a few hours longer than I expected   However, I ran into some trouble when I tried to re-install the wheel. The brake caliper seems closed, with the pads a bit pressed together, even though I never squeezed the lever. I wasn't able to fit the brake disk between the pads, so I'm wondering how to do that. Do I need to remove the caliper?

I guess I should have removed the caliper before taking the wheel off, but the user manual doesn't say to do that when removing the front wheel (the Suzuki service manual does though  )

It's possible that the pads aren't sitting flat against the pistons/caliper body. Make sure everything is in place before you start. With the GS500, it's possible to remove the wheel without unmounting the caliper, but it's a huge hassle to try to re-install that way. I recommend unmounting them.

If the pistons are just slightly closed up, you can usually wedge the brake rotor between the corners of the pads. They will spread out a little when you push them over the rotor.

With the GS500, you can remove the brake pads without disassembling anything on the caliper. If the pads are really closed together, I'd pull the pads, push the pistons in by hand, and re-install the pads. The first time you try removing the pads, you'll find it to be a huge pain. Eventually, you'll get to the point that you can install new pads in 5 minutes.

Be absolutely 100% sure that everything is installed correctly before you ride, and don't forget to install your wheel spacers.

With the wheel/disc removed the pads can close up just from the weight of the fluid above the caliper. In my tool box I have an old plastic wedge that was once used to hold my kitchen door open. Now I use it to hold the brake pads apart everytime I remove a wheel.

Thanks for the tips. I decided to remove the caliper, but I'm wondering if I need to replace the sealing washers on the banjo nut? The Hayes manual says they have to be replaced, but I don't have any replacements for them. Are they a standard type that I could pick up at a hardware store? Or would I be alright just reusing the same ones?

EDIT: After looking again at the removal instructions, I'm wondering if it's even necessary to disconnect the brake hose if you're only removing it to get the wheel back on. Could I just remove the mounting bolts and leave the hose on? And if I do disconnect the hose, will any brake fluid leak?

You don't have to disconnect the hose, but don't let the caliper hang by it. Get a piece of string or a twist tie and hang the caliper off of the bike by that so you're not putting strain on the hose.

Thanks to your replies I was able to get the wheel back on by removing and then re-installing the caliper. Now there's just a minor problem with the front brake. Right after installing the brake around the wheel, I gave the wheel a spin and it spun freely, no contact at all with the pads. I then tried using the brake and it worked perfectly, stopped the wheel immediately. However, after squeezing the brake I can't get the wheel to spin freely anymore. It spins, but there's definitely contact with the brake pads, as the wheel spins more slowly and stops quickly, and I can hear the wheel scraping against the pad. I'm wondering if I screwed something up while getting the pads apart so the wheel would fit.

After first pushing the pads apart, I noticed that there was a metal part sticking out between the pads and blocking the wheel's disc from fitting between the pads. I managed to push that thing out of the way, but then one of the pads together with the part it's mounted to came loose and fell out of the caliper. I just kind of stuck it back in and it seemed positioned right, but now I'm wondering if that pad isn't disengaging properly. Or maybe its something else? I'm going to put the brake issue on the back burner for a couple hours and get back to changing my rear tire, but any advice on how to fix this would be much appreciated.

Could you be more specific about the part giving you issues? Maybe pull up the schematic for the brake on bikebandit and list the part number or something?

Yeah, you shouldn't have disconnected the brake line. I wish I had been more clear on that. Replacing the crush washer probably isn't necessary - just inspect for leaks. Make sure you don't over-torque the banjo bolt, and make sure you thuroughly bleed and flush the system. Good news, is that a fluid change was probably due anyway.

A little dragging is normal. A lot of dragging isn't. Hard to diagnose over the internet. If you get 2-3 good revolutions out of your wheel without using a whole bunch of force, I wouldn't worry about it. If the wheel slows noticably during the first spin, you probably have a problem. Most likely, you're due for a calliper rebuild - pistons start to stick after a little while. Messaging them (pumping them in and out a little by hand) may help.

Burning, I didn't end up disconnecting the hose. Luckily it occurred to me at the last minute that that wouldn't be necessary just for installing the wheel. I just removed the 2 bolts connecting the caliper and used a twist-tie to fasten it to the bike so it wouldn't hang by the hose.

Ryott, I looked at the schematic on bikebandit. I'm still not 100% sure what part needs adjusting, but at least the schematic gives me a few vocab words to use  The first thing I did was move the pads apart, as they had come together after I removed the wheel. I moved the right pad (on the right when facing the caliper from the front of the bike, so the pad not in contact with the pistons) back as far as it would go, then I did the same with the left pad by pushing the pistons back, as they had moved forward a bit. Once I did that there was enough room for the disk, but I couldn't get the disc between the pads because another part of the caliper seemed to have moved forward. I can't figure out from the schematic what part this is, but it seems like part of the caliper's main body. It's not a separate little piece, but a bit of metal that juts out from the caliper from the left (piston) side. That bit of metal was right in front of the space between the pads, at about their mid-point, so it was blocking the disk from going between the pads. In other words, not just the pads but also the "frame" of the caliper seemed to have closed in a bit. I had to push hard, but I got that jutting bit of metal to move back out of they way (together with the larger piece it was a part of). This seemed to loosen the left pad, because it slid out of the caliper, still attached to the shim. I just stuck it back in where it looked like it should go, but now I'm wondering if there's some little clip that holds it in place. My guess is that I didn't seat that left pad correctly so that when I apply the brake it will go in but when I release it it won't completely disengage.

If that left pad is supposed to be fixed to the pistons then that's probably what's causing the problem, because after it slid out I just kind of stuck it back in and re-installed the caliper, so it would still be loose.

Quote from: burning1 on June 26, 2011, 01:47:06 PM
A little dragging is normal. A lot of dragging isn't. Hard to diagnose over the internet. If you get 2-3 good revolutions out of your wheel without using a whole bunch of force, I wouldn't worry about it. If the wheel slows noticably during the first spin, you probably have a problem. Most likely, you're due for a calliper rebuild - pistons start to stick after a little while. Messaging them (pumping them in and out a little by hand) may help.

I tried spinning the wheel a few times, it spun just over 3 times before stopping. I spun it pretty hard, but then I was sitting next to the bike, grabbing the wheel near the top just in front of the fender, then spinning it as hard as I could with my hand staying on it for about 1/4 of a rotation. So not a ton of force. Hopefully that's not too much drag, as I don't have time right now to do a bunch of work on the brake. Seems fine though, so I think I'll leave it as is.

Take it slowly around the block after you get it back together, check and see if handling, acceleration, or braking are noticeably different. Afterwards, just recheck everything to make sure it's all ok.