Winter anti seize brake advice wanted

Hello all you anti-seize brake pundits out there.

Just had the '07 SD, (the problem model), under wraps for 7 weeks due to foot in cast. Getting it out this weekend for a spin over to Bristol. Didn't do too much riding in December in the wet but must have picked up some salt and crud over the last few months of 2010. What's the opinion of the dreaded brake seizure happening on my run this weekend?

Also. I've never stripped down the brakes on the SD so what's the procedure to minimise the risk of the seizure before I set off? I honestly don't have time to take everything apart before Saturday morning.

Is there a quick fix/check? Any advice?

I keep on thinking, "Got to get to Bristol fast, keep on a steady 100mph, look for cops and speed cameras, huddle down to keep warm, keep an eye out on the fuel situation, then suddenly.......FRONT BRAKE LOCKED ON!!! FUUUUUUCK! Don't want to be paranoid but........................

Hi Bic,

This is what works for me;

If the pistons are not corroded, I would take the pads out, callipers off, pump the brake a little to raise the pistons a good few millimetres, clean the pistons with copious amounts of brake cleaner. Dry with a rag. Then pump the pistons out a little further, pour brake fluid over the pistons and then push each piston back into the calliper. The fun part being that as you push one piston in, you immediately know which is the piston that is most free as the darn thing try to pop out of its seal. So, slowly juggle all pistons back, once all back in pump them out again. And repeat. The slowest piston / stickiest piston needs the most working and perhaps a drop more brake fluid. Once all are as free as they are going to be, push all pistons in and then rag clean every last drop of fluid off. Then a final wipe down with a rag soaked in brake cleaner. From there on in, dependant on use and conditions, keep the callipers and pistons clean with brake cleaner.

^^^^ Yup that's what I do. The only thing I did different was lube the pistons with a squirt of Muc Off teflon bike spray, which also helps to stop fresh crud sticking to the pistons. Just make sure you don't get it anywhere near the pads. So far this approach seems to be working well on mine, which gets ridden in all conditions.

I would agree with the advice so far and offer a little more.

I talked to a KTM mechanic at my local shop at the height of the fuss about the brakes last year. He has an 950SM and a SDR and knows his stuff.

He said a contributing factor to the binding problem can be the build up of material around the edges of the pads. Basically road salt/mud/brake dust corrodes on to the outside edges of the pads, changing their shape. If this problem is allowed to develop over time (say 12-18 months), the pads can get to a stage where they no longer fit properly and then you get the binding problem.

He advised me to incorporate the following procedure into a more general brake cleaning like the one SD05 described below.

1) Remove brake pads.
2) Check the edges of the pads for corrosion.
3) On any pads showing build up of corrosion, carefully remove it with a small file.
4) Apply a very thin coating of Coppaslip or similar to the back and sides of the pads
(I use this stuff: http://www.nippynormans.com/ACF-50-CORR ... fo/WWA-CB/)
5) Refit pads, ride with confidence.

For a bike ridden year round, he reckoned running this check twice a year would be good. I checked mine recently. Last service was probably five months ago and I've run it most days through this winter. I found pistons were a bit dirty and there was some corrosion on the pad edges too. Half an hour or so and they were all shiny, I don't worry so much now