Rear brake caliper bolts are TIGHT

[Steel_Gin]

Need to put new brake pads on the rear, looked easier than the front so I did the front first......not so fast!! The maintenance/shop manual shows I need to take the bolts off that hold the caliper and they should be torqued at 19 pounds. I put the ratchet on it and the things don't show any sign of moving. I just had a new tire put on the back so that is off right now. I put the axel in and the brake hanging off of it so there is something solid holding it, I get out my hammer drill, hit both of them four or five times and these things are not moving at all. Ok I need to back off before I really F this up. I grabbed some oil, put it on them and walked to the computer to ask for help. I'm going to let this set for a couple hours then hit it with a Bernzomatic (plumbing) torch. Any other ideas?

These bolts have never been removed, this is the first time the rear pads are getting changed. So they tightened up over time from I assume heat cycles or came this tight from the factory.

[Cav47]

Different metals prob have seized up some. Had the same issue. I used some PB blaster, heat, and impact. There are new bolts out there from Honda that are much better.

Ray will chime in soon, but don't get heavy fisted. It will strip out.

DAMHIK

[raYzerman]

Others have had the same issue.... if you're talking those slider bolts, they have seized themselves in there with bi-metal corrosion. Don't know if they used loctite there..... Soak the shit out of them with a good penetrant, then perhaps heat the surrounding (aluminum) casting.... if this is your Plan A, wishing you luck at this point. Meanwhile scour the interweb for a used caliper, you might need one... a few others have stripped the casting and there is no fix that's cheap........

HOWEVER, Plan B, just remove the entire caliper from the brake arm and rear axle, it will slide apart without removing any bolts...... grease the slider bolts with silicone brake grease.

[Steel_Gin]

Others have had the same issue.... if you're talking those slider bolts, they have seized themselves in there with bi-metal corrosion. Don't know if they used loctite there..... Soak the shit out of them with a good penetrant, then perhaps heat the surrounding (aluminum) casting.... if this is your Plan A, wishing you luck at this point. Meanwhile scour the interweb for a used caliper, you might need one... a few others have stripped the casting and there is no fix that's cheap........

HOWEVER, Plan B, just remove the entire caliper from the brake arm and rear axle, it will slide apart without removing any bolts...... grease the slider bolts with silicone brake grease.

It will slide apart?? When looking at it I didn't noticed that it would do that but that wasn't in my mind at all. I will look at it again in the morning and see if I can figure how it slides apart. I'll keep you posted.

[Steel_Gin]

SUCCESS!! Thank you Ray!! Pulled it apart off the pins, cleaned up the pins & holes, put new grease on them and in the holes. Needed a third hand to hold stuff, ended up using a block of wood to support the housing to get it back together. Is it a good sign there are no extra bolts, washers or nuts on the floor??

I'll take it out for a test ride later today.

Side question to this. The front and back wheels spin fine but I hear the brakes dragging a just a very little bit. Is that normal?

Incase you're wondering these are the new pads I installed:
Front: EBC - FA423/4HH
Back: EBC - FA319/2HH

[Festus]

Side question to this. The front and back wheels spin fine but I hear the brakes dragging a just a very little bit. Is that normal?

I'd say it's normal.

[Red]

SUCCESS!! Thank you Ray!! Pulled it apart off the pins, cleaned up the pins & holes, put new grease on them and in the holes.
Side question to this. The front and back wheels spin fine but I hear the brakes dragging a just a very little bit. Is that normal?

Steel Gin,

Your brake rotors attach to the rotor hub plates using metal "bobbins." Each bobbin should be free to rotate, so the rotor can float as needed. You can insert the right-sized common screwdriver into the center of each bobbin, and rotate it by hand to the left and right. Dirt and grit will then fall out of the bobbin, if that was the problem. Repeat for each bobbin. If the dragging continues, you may need to check the caliper mounting, as the caliper should "float" from side to side also.
Whenever you do any brake work, take the bike on a short test ride to check your work. Then let everything cool down, and repeat the test ride without using the repaired brake at all. Stop and check the rotor (carefully) for excess heat. A slightly warm rotor is okay, but searing, blistering heat on a brake rotor that you did not use will be telling you there is a serious problem.
Overheated brakes will feel like a loss of engine power as the brake fluid starts to boil; this can lock the wheel solidly while riding, or cause a complete brake failure on that wheel. Do not try to "power through" the problem of overheated brakes, unless you have all of your affairs in order.

[raYzerman]

Slight gritty noise is OK and normal..... hard drag not good, what Red says....
The pads are just barely touching the rotors normally, you'll hear it.
BTW, one day you should lube up the pivot on your rear brake pedal... it should return freely to the rest position.

[Steel_Gin]

Test ride went well on Saturday. Almost forgot how new brakes feel on the bike.

Thank you on answering about the brake drag. After thinking about it a little more the brake cylinders aren't attached to the pads to pull them off the rotor so just a very little drag/noise is possible. The next short ride I'll check rotor temps.

Rear brake pedal was grease up last season and still looks/feels like it's coming all the way up. I might give it a re-grease before I go to EOM anyway.

Thank you for all of the input!! This place is the best!!

[dcarver]

Piston seals... my CBX front is kicking my ass. Bought new pistons, seals.. and the piston is still 'tight' preventing full piston retraction resulting in too much drag / squealing.

The FJR's don't seem to have this issue...