Cracking calipers revealed
Mechanic Paul Knight spotted a dangerous fault on this 2011 Blade
Brakes need to be in top order so when this Blade was dropped off for a service at A55 Motorcycles in Penmaenmawr, North Wales, Paul Knight got a shock. He explained: “Whenever something is brake-related, even professionals can go overboard tightening everything up, relying on ‘mechanic’s feel’ more often than not. But the torque setting for a pad pin is generally tiny compared to caliper mounting bolts. But that doesn’t stop people ‘making sure’.” Those Blade pins are 6mm with a 10mm head and their setting is 15Nm, little more than finger tight, while the mounting bolts are 45Nm. If you over-tighten them the pin bottoms out in the hole and pulls the outside of the caliper down, which can cause cracking around the pin hole as happened here. “I’ve seen this happen three or four times over the years, on ZX-10s too. I wouldn’t be happy riding a 180mph motorcycle with the brakes in that condition. When I pointed it out to the rider, he had no idea, which makes me think this was done in a dealer’s workshop,” added Paul. The way to avoid this grief is to use a torque wrench; Paul has three, one a Halfords Professional 8-60Nm on a 3/8 drive which would cover most home needs too. When you need to secure a rear wheel spindle it needs to be really tight but it’s the little fasteners that are easily damaged. As his wrenches are in use every day, Paul has calibration certificates for them all.
“I’d expect a professional to get theirs calibrated every couple of years, and if I was a customer going to a new place I’d ask the question. If the bloke looks at you like you’re daft, you might want to rethink.”
A new caliper is £434, but Paul sourced a used one for £150.
‘The rider had no idea… so I suspect a dealer did it’