[MeandMyArrow]

Hey guys -

So I've been riding my '72 Honda CB450K5 through most of this horrible Philly winter and all has been well.

I had to cease riding with the onslaught of snow we had over the past four weeks or so... I did get to take it out a few times in between when the roads where clear but my front wheel has had increasing drag the past few times out. At first it was minor, then another trip or two to work and it got bad. The disc was burning last time I got home... Now the wheel is pretty tight, even getting it up on the center stand takes some ummph.

So I've looked through some of the other posts for troubleshooting the front brake and found some useful advice, but I have a couple of thoughts I figure I'd ask the wiser members of the honda board.

1- Can I just loosen the caliper adjustment bolt and get a little more clearance for the pads?
2- Can I remove the caliper without removing the wheel? (for future reference)
3- If I can't loosen the caliper adjustment then the likely cause would be the piston seal, right? I figure it's not a bleed problem since it was fine for the past year and a half I've had it and I haven't had to touch the front brakes yet.

The temperature has been around 15-30 degrees F these past few weeks and the roads have been heavily salted. I kept it covered for the most part to avoid the salty mess, but who knows, maybe some salt penetrated and corroded the seals?...

Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Drew

 

[longdistancerider]

When this occurs have you opened the bleeder screw? If so did fluid squirt out? If so then the problem is in the master cylinder. The pressure relief port is plugged or partially plugged and needs to be cleaned out. Good time to rebuild the master cylinder.
BTW it's suggested to replace your brake fluid yearly

 

[WintrSol]

1) Yes, you can adjust the bolt to loosen the pads*
2) Yes, you can remove the caliper with the wheel on, just remove the caliper bolts through the spokes
3) *There could be a build-up of grime from the winter roads around the piston, causing the piston to bind in the housing, so adjusting the caliper would be temporary
Or, Jim's correct, and something it blocking the relief port. When was the last time you flushed and bled the system? If not for the past year and a half, there could be water in the system that's freezing out, too; brake fluid sucks water out of the air, which can separate out at low temperatures when it has more than it can hold. It should be replaced at a minimum interval of two years.