2006 ST1300 w/61K miles - should I rebuild the brakes?

Joined
Apr 14, 2021
Messages
63
Age
42
Location
California
Hi Everyone:

I have to install new pads. I was thinking maybe this would be a good time to do preventative maintenance. At my current mileage should I buy new pistons and seals? Should I replace the SMC assembly? Any advice would be much appreciated.

-Charles
 
Have you checked the maintenance intervals in the service manual?
How many miles of those 61k have you put on?
I believe the schedule maintenance can be found in the Articles section.
But I think it's always a good idea to clean and inspect the pistons, slider pins, rubber boots, spring clips, etc when replacing the brake pads.
 
I got the bike at 48k. The previous owner took pretty good care of the bike, however, the brake fluid looked like it hadn't been flushed for several years, so I ran new fluid through the lines. I have been flushing the lines every year/year and a half since taking possession of the bike.
 
Some background needed (in order to decide how deep to get into calipers/SMC): a) was brake system overhauled since you bought the bike? b) was a maintenance schedule followed after a)?

There are 2 aspects here: 1) calipers and 2) SMC.

1 - Caliper Condition: if calipers were taken apart since you've had the bike, cleaned and components reviewed for wear/condition, then you'd have a baseline where you'd know the condition of the parts and the need for replacement. Should calipers never had been overhauled now is as good a time as ever.
Given the bike's mileage, a simple cleaning of the piston walls, fluid flush and pads would not provide information such as: are piston walls pitted, are the bores corroded, are seal grooves clean, etc.
The rear brake caliper bracket needs also inspected because it locates the rear brake pads via a retainer clip attached to the bracket. In my case the retainer clip was missing and the pads dug up into the bracket.

2 - SMC (secondary master cylinder) Condition: this is a critical component of the bike brake system that works in conjunction with the left front brake caliper. If you have never had the SMC apart, I would first read the brake system articles on this forum to understand operation and particulars of taking this apart and reassembly. There are a few indicators of the state of the SMC, starting with push rod spherical union condition, bore entry condition and the white plastic mesh filter cartridge cleanliness - see jfheath articles with cut-outs of the SMC. I don't believe SMC replacement should be automatic, its function is as important as the front brake MC (or any MC), which, should the return port get blocked by dirt will cause front brake drag and/or lock up.

I am stopping here as this may be a lot more answer than what you're asking. Should all of this - above - sound daunting I'd find a member in your are who's done it and is willing to help. Or, if you've worked on braking systems before I'd piece meal it. Or, I'd just give it a superficial cleaning - push pistons out some (careful, not too much) and clean walls, push back and install pads, then schedule overhaul as a winter project.
 
Hi Everyone:

I have to install new pads. I was thinking maybe this would be a good time to do preventative maintenance. At my current mileage should I buy new pistons and seals? Should I replace the SMC assembly? Any advice would be much appreciated.

-Charles
I rebuilt all of mine at 50,000 miles(new caliper seals, rebuilt master cylinders and new SMC) and found a seized piston on the front. The brakes work perfectly now but according to the service info someone had written down over the years I think the brake fluid might have only been flushed twice in 19 years.
 
Good Day Sir Squid. Last month (June 2024), I replaced rear brake pads and decided to dismantle the caliper too (96k odometer). I was curious regarding the condition of the caliper seals and pistons. The original seals were impressively in good condition. I replaced them only because of age. The center piston looked a little rough and I tried to clean it without shaving any metal. I'm ordering a new one. I'm riding the bike with the cleaned (?) piston as is. Enjoy your day.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0003.JPG
    IMG_0003.JPG
    68.7 KB · Views: 14
If you are gonna rebuild consider Brakecrafters products. They have a stainless steel piston option that will greatly reduce the corrosion problem. I usually like "stock" parts but this is one area where the aftermarket makes sense. The stock parts are just plated steel, and they are more expensive. I used Brakecrafters kits on my bike and couldn't be happier with the result. No affiliation, just a happy customer.
 
Some background needed (in order to decide how deep to get into calipers/SMC): a) was brake system overhauled since you bought the bike? b) was a maintenance schedule followed after a)?

There are 2 aspects here: 1) calipers and 2) SMC.

1 - Caliper Condition: if calipers were taken apart since you've had the bike, cleaned and components reviewed for wear/condition, then you'd have a baseline where you'd know the condition of the parts and the need for replacement. Should calipers never had been overhauled now is as good a time as ever.
Given the bike's mileage, a simple cleaning of the piston walls, fluid flush and pads would not provide information such as: are piston walls pitted, are the bores corroded, are seal grooves clean, etc.
The rear brake caliper bracket needs also inspected because it locates the rear brake pads via a retainer clip attached to the bracket. In my case the retainer clip was missing and the pads dug up into the bracket.

2 - SMC (secondary master cylinder) Condition: this is a critical component of the bike brake system that works in conjunction with the left front brake caliper. If you have never had the SMC apart, I would first read the brake system articles on this forum to understand operation and particulars of taking this apart and reassembly. There are a few indicators of the state of the SMC, starting with push rod spherical union condition, bore entry condition and the white plastic mesh filter cartridge cleanliness - see jfheath articles with cut-outs of the SMC. I don't believe SMC replacement should be automatic, its function is as important as the front brake MC (or any MC), which, should the return port get blocked by dirt will cause front brake drag and/or lock up.

I am stopping here as this may be a lot more answer than what you're asking. Should all of this - above - sound daunting I'd find a member in your are who's done it and is willing to help. Or, if you've worked on braking systems before I'd piece meal it. Or, I'd just give it a superficial cleaning - push pistons out some (careful, not too much) and clean walls, push back and install pads, then schedule overhaul as a winter project.
This is a great list of things to inspect. I'm waiting for parts to come in before I dig into the braking system. As for the SMC, I found a new unit for $176 (Hondapartshouse). So following advice I've gathered from the ST1300 articles section, I'm just going to replace the whole thing. The mere notion of the rear brake potentially locking up with little to no signs is enough for me to just replace it.
 
If you are gonna rebuild consider Brakecrafters products. They have a stainless steel piston option that will greatly reduce the corrosion problem. I usually like "stock" parts but this is one area where the aftermarket makes sense. The stock parts are just plated steel, and they are more expensive. I used Brakecrafters kits on my bike and couldn't be happier with the result. No affiliation, just a happy customer.
Which kit did you order? They don't make a piston kit for the ST. I had to provide them dimensions from the technical fiches. They haven't responded yet, but I'm curious to know what they might comeuppance with.
 
Good Evening Gents. The verdict on the rear brakes is in.

1. No sludge in the caliper.
2. Caliper pistons look... well I don't know what they are supposed to look like at this interval. I cleaned them with brake fluid and a non-metallic scouring pad.
3. The stopper bolt looks... well again, I have no clue what its supposed to look like.
4. Brake pads appear to have even wear. As far as these go... clearly they need to be replaced.

Would appreciate feedback on visual impressions of these items.

Did you know you could use a bike pump and rubber cork to pop the pistons out of these calipers? Figured that one out earlier this evening.
 

Attachments

  • brake pads 1.jpg
    brake pads 1.jpg
    80.1 KB · Views: 46
  • brake pads 2.jpg
    brake pads 2.jpg
    76.7 KB · Views: 43
  • brake pads.jpg
    brake pads.jpg
    83.4 KB · Views: 40
  • rear brake caliper bracket .jpg
    rear brake caliper bracket .jpg
    107.1 KB · Views: 40
  • rear brake caliper bracket 2.jpg
    rear brake caliper bracket 2.jpg
    120.6 KB · Views: 45
  • rear caliper.jpg
    rear caliper.jpg
    137.6 KB · Views: 50
  • st1300 2006 61K miles rear brake cylinders 07242024 v2.jpg
    st1300 2006 61K miles rear brake cylinders 07242024 v2.jpg
    120.1 KB · Views: 47
  • st1300 2006 61K miles rear brake cylinders 07242024.jpg
    st1300 2006 61K miles rear brake cylinders 07242024.jpg
    121.7 KB · Views: 50
  • Stopper bolt 1.jpg
    Stopper bolt 1.jpg
    115.1 KB · Views: 48
  • stopper bolt 2.jpg
    stopper bolt 2.jpg
    112.5 KB · Views: 41
  • stopper bolt 3.jpg
    stopper bolt 3.jpg
    125.2 KB · Views: 46
Last edited:
Good Evening Gents. The verdict on the rear brakes is in.

1. No sludge in the caliper.
2. Caliper pistons look... well I don't know what they are supposed to look like at this interval. I cleaned them with brake fluid and a non-metallic scouring pad.
3. The stopper bolt looks... well again, I have no clue what its supposed to look like.
4. Brake pads appear to have even wear. As far as these go... clearly they need to be replaced.

Would appreciate feedback on visual impressions of these items.

Did you know you could use a bike pump and rubber cork to pop the pistons out of these calipers? Figured that one out earlier this evening.
I gotta admit I might have steered you wrong. I used Brakecrafters for the brake rebuild on my ST1100, assuming they also cover the ST1300. Apparently they do not. Bummer. You are looking at OEM parts then as replacements.

Looking at your pics I see nothing unusual except the pistons. They look pitted. Is that pitting, or just crud? Gently scrape that crud off with a razorblade and polish them with scotchbrite. If the pitting is very minor you could use them again, but understand they will corrode at those points, and quickly. Tough to see the caliper bores, but if they are clean you are good to go. If you need to scrape out caliper bores I like to use chopsticks for that. Yes you read correctly, chopsticks. They are hard enough to scrape crud but still soft enough to not damage the metal. A short piece of chopstick, whittled to fit the seal groove in the cylinder, and held with a pair of needle nose pliers does a great job at getting the crud out of the seal groove.

Get some red brake grease and sparingly coat the seals, grooves, etc. when it goes back together. Seems to keep the corrosion at bay a while longer.
 
I gotta admit I might have steered you wrong. I used Brakecrafters for the brake rebuild on my ST1100, assuming they also cover the ST1300. Apparently they do not. Bummer. You are looking at OEM parts then as replacements.

Looking at your pics I see nothing unusual except the pistons. They look pitted. Is that pitting, or just crud? Gently scrape that crud off with a razorblade and polish them with scotchbrite. If the pitting is very minor you could use them again, but understand they will corrode at those points, and quickly. Tough to see the caliper bores, but if they are clean you are good to go. If you need to scrape out caliper bores I like to use chopsticks for that. Yes you read correctly, chopsticks. They are hard enough to scrape crud but still soft enough to not damage the metal. A short piece of chopstick, whittled to fit the seal groove in the cylinder, and held with a pair of needle nose pliers does a great job at getting the crud out of the seal groove.

Get some red brake grease and sparingly coat the seals, grooves, etc. when it goes back together. Seems to keep the corrosion at bay a while
Unfortunately that is pitting. I took a chance and ordered some stainless steel pistons from a UK based company on eBay (Powerhouse UK) with an excellent feedback rating. Coincidentally the manufacturer was... you guessed it, Brakecrafters. I don't know if it's the same company, but interesting none the less. I haven't checked the bores yet, but pictures are to follow soon.
 
Unfortunately that is pitting. I took a chance and ordered some stainless steel pistons from a UK based company on eBay (Powerhouse UK) with an excellent feedback rating. Coincidentally the manufacturer was... you guessed it, Brakecrafters. I don't know if it's the same company, but interesting none the less. I haven't checked the bores yet, but pictures are to follow soon.
Brake Crafters have a very large selection. Unfortunately, they don't have any listed for the st1300, but there are so many, i would imagine there's cross reference parts that fit. I'm kind of surprised that they don't list anything for the 1300 even though they probably have them, considering all the other models they list. Another option, https://titanclassics.com/
Not stainless steel, but titanium. They have quite a selection of parts, from Pistons to nuts, bolts and specialty parts, in titanium, not that that matters much on our bikes.
 
Alrighty the deed is done. I replaced all wheel bearings, shock oil, shock oil seals, Goldvalve o-rings, brake pads, brake caliper pistons and brake fluid. The bike's stopping power feels like it's three fold more powerful. When I pulled the front calipers, I found some congealed fluid which I cleaned out with soap and water. I don't know if that affected the brakes so significantly to where it now feels like it has the stopping power of my VTR1000, but I will definitely be more attentive with regards to bleeding brakes.

I got the stainless steel pistons off a UK based company on eBay within 6 days. Definitely worth considering for those needing to replace caliper pistons. Overall, I'm very satisfied with the results. The ST feels and rides great. Too bad the rest of my summer is ruined by this foot surgery I have scheduled on Friday...
 
Looks like I didn't get off that easy. Both wheels are dragging on the new Honda pads. The rear pads came with a white backing plate and thin metal shroud which I installed with the pads. I used a vacuum pump to refill the system and followed the manual sequence for bleeding. I cleaned out the slide pins and replaced the rubber seals. Is this normal? Do they just need time to bed in? Or worse case scenario... there's air in the system?
 
my summer is ruined by this foot surgery I have scheduled on Friday...

Good luck with your surgery, hope's nothing major...

Both wheels are dragging on the new Honda pads.

I'd feel/measure rotor's temps, I had a similar case when first assembling my braking system where my left caliper was dragging which engaged my rear caliper as well... tell tell sign was slightly warmer left rotor (than the right one) and warmer rear rotor. I had to redo the left front caliper (did not use brake fluid on seals first time around) which eliminated dragging and cooled off both rotors (front left and rear). could hear pads dragging as I was moving bike around. No noise now.

The rear pads came with a white backing plate and thin metal shroud

My OEM/Honda rear pads came with customary back perf shims attached to the pads (is that your white backing plate??)... not sure what the "thin metal shroud" is... and it's not in Partzilla's rear caliper exploded view.
 
My OEM/Honda rear pads came with customary back perf shims attached to the pads (is that your white backing plate??)... not sure what the "thin metal shroud" is... and it's not in Partzilla's rear caliper exploded view.
Don't think that what you have is Honda OEM. I have never seen a black anything on Honda OEM ST1300 brake pads. Below is a photo of a brand new set of Honda OEM ST1300 rear brake pads P/N 06435-MCS-G03 that I picked up a couple of weeks ago. The white heat shield is held in place by a steel backing plate.

06435-MCS-G03.jpg
 
The white heat shield is required only on the rear pads. With OEM pads, the shield is not provided for front pads - they are not needed as they are in direct cold air flow and there is not enough room in the caliper to fit a shield. If you try, the front brakes will drag and that causes the rear brake to be applied.

Air in the system will not cause brake drag. (Brakes don't work, but it does not cause drag).

Read this pdf document in post #1. It illustrates issues with the rear caliper, but applies equally to the front calipers. There will be a lot of stuff in there that you do not know.

 
Last edited:
Or worse case scenario... there's air in the system?

The problem with air - in the breaking (or clutch) circuit - is that it is compressible (as opposed to the brake fluid), so the symptom will be a soft(er) lever/pedal, thus reducing the force applied onto rotor(s).

Brake dragging implies (residual) pressure from pads-to-rotor created by either mechanical (incorrect assembly or worn components) or hydraulic (pressure in brake lines not released) causes.

Hope this helps.
 
Back
Top Bottom