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Wow , theres some nice covers right there, I'm waiting for a spare cover to turn up soon,my thoughts are to drill one of them. Is the powdercoat brake fluid resistant?i wreckon the polished units look sweet but actually on the bike i think i like the black.Letting some heat out sounds good, dust as well , considering doing myself on a drillpress or is that a tried and stupid idea?

Powdercoating is brake fluid resistant (tested).

Frank

I've read that powdercoating isn't brake fluid resistant and can crinkle but this weekend I unpacked a pair of Brembo calipers that I had powdercoated a couple of years ago. They were wrapped in plastic foil. It seems there was still a little bit of brake fluid in the calipers which spilled. They may have been stored like this for a year or more and the powdercoating is still fine. Certainly over the years also the materials used for powder coating have developed and improved.

Ok I will probably change track there and try to go for pc , and make a decision on the drilling, thanks

Hey HIGHWAY89,

With regard to the brake-fluid-resistant paint/powder coating discussion, one last contribution.
I assume that the brake fluid will only contact the paint/powder coating for a very short time: during bleeding and should not take longer than let's say 10 seconds.
If you spill it, you wipe it off (if possible rinse it with some water, neutralizing the brake fluid).
Like this modern powder coating will last forever.

Almost all powder coatings consist of polyester compounds that must be able to withstand this.
I did tests with immersion in brake fluid DOT4 for 1 hour, 1 day and 1 week.
1 hour: no effect,
1 day: almost nothing to see, however a small gloss difference,
1 week: surface has become dull and the layer seems to have softened slightly (temporary).

If you want to avoid this, you should use an acrylic (powder coat) finish, which is also insensitive to brake fluid for a longer period.
Acrylic finish is used as a clear coat on e.g. rims (i did use this on my rims since I wanted maximum brake fluid resistance).

If you want the ultimate in brake-fluid-resistance (e.g. inside of brake/clutch calipers) there is only 1 coating you could use: ceramic coatings (best known and an abundance of colors: Cerakote).
This is completely insensitive to brake fluids.
I've used it on my headers and also on a set of (extra) mufflers but it is also ideal for engine covers.
The only drawback I find is its higher cost and also the critical preparation of the parts beforehand.
Also: it's it is also water-thin, but then that can be both an advantage and a disadvantage (depending on the application).
As far as wear resistance is concerned: I have read a lot about it, but still have little experience with it so far.

For me: if with some caution I would be tempted to opt for a "simple" spray can paint matt or satin black for, let us say 10 usd.
If it has diminished over time, it is easily removed again (try that with ceramic coating!) and sprayed like new for next to nothing.
Or you are a perfectionist like some of us (yep guilty to) and you pay handsome money for a -slightly- better solution.

As Einstein already said: everything is relative

Whatever makes you happy!

Frank

Thanks for the extra twist Frank, that looks like a awesome product as well. I really don't know what I'll do ,there some knowledge and options aplenty to keep me thinking

I just opened the package from Rudy, looks sweet, tomorrow I have a go at checking out the slave piston, once again from Rudy always good parts and no mucking around

And again the piston was quite stuck in the bore, air alone didn't work air and a rubber persuader didn't work but the added gentle heat on the boss released it in a big hurry, lucky I caught it in the guts not the head

The bore looks good and the piston looks good, a new seal and a grease should be all it needs, l think this unit cant be stripped any more than what you see and this is different to the piston I have in the 900 but basically same, I think Rudy said this is off a paso

What about a black anodized finish?

Cheers anodise sounds like another good option, I think my calipers are anodized and looking good after 31 years

Hi boys,

Casting qualities of aluminium usually contain a higher percentage of silicon.
This silicon makes it difficult to obtain an optically good anodizing layer.
If you let them anodize anyway, very likely the surface will have a rough grey/black appearance (charcoal look).
Best (looking) results with anodizing is achieved when using (modern) billet qualities.

Frank

+1 for the calliper paint. Used it on mine 9 years ago and they still look good. As Gerhard said you have to bake it on as per the instructions.

Taking all these ideas and options into account I'm starting to lean towards the caliper paint myself thanks guys

Having a little look at how to drill this, exact location and size and not really stuffing things up I don't think at this stage I will vent this , it's a bit more complicated than I originally thought