DIY Caliper Pin Spring Mod on my KTM Duke 390

If these caliper pins are stuck due to muck, grime and poor lubrication, the returnability of the caliper is compromised which in turn would mean uneven pad wear and excessive brake dust.

BHPian VijayAnand1 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Caliper Pin Spring Mod - DIY

Sometimes rainy days bring out the best out a wretched mind. With plethora of springs out there at my disposal after working on things, this mod was on my list for a while to come, in fact it was so in the back-burn that it actually made me bad for being a wuss and finally the motivation came over a Jordan Peterson's video.

Cut to chase, why did I consider this mod? The brake pad you see is literally two years old, and is fresh, wouldn't say that to the front though. Priorities are always to the fore. Now, the simple reason for this is, the power to the wheel has to go over a lot, the weight of the wheels, sprockets hub/carrier and BRAKE DRAG

A grazing brake pad will wear faster, will wear even faster if worn unevenly like " / \ " and a stuck piston accumulated with dust will only aggravate it further leading to more uneven wear and brake feel. This to an extent will reduce pad contact with the wheel, which effectively means a better free-wheeling wheel, better pad life and better rear pedal feedback. After riding it for 13 kms, the rear brake feedback is a charm and I can feel the rear pedal coming alive providing that correct feel -- definitely not placebo.

What this spring mod actually does? Well, it makes sure the pads are pushed against the calipers, each time, every time, when the brake is released, irrespective of the brake material wear, which in turn means uniform pad wear, enhanced brake pad retraction to its original place, better brake feel and feedback, reduces sponginess.

It was a random mod that came to my mind, and hence I haven't taken the spring dimensions, but it's the same dia as the piston pin. If anyone requires the dimensions of the spring I can share the details sometime later. These springs are pretty and plenty much available off the shelf at any spare retailer, you can take your piston and get a spring that slides inside the pin, trim the spring if it's lengthier and carefully insert it between the two pads (needs some patience as the spring tension will be really taut) and insert the pin and that's it.

A pictorial perspective should better serve the readers!

1.Notice the extremely mild air/pad gap which is exactly what I've aimed for.

2. Notice the flush spring seat. Would pass an OEM fitment. Neat!

3. A dab of brake grease goes a long way!

4. And here's it actually working in action. Notice here, how the pin itself slides ever so slightly by actually improving the return action of the pad, this is precisely what I wanted achieve with this mod. A job well done and a pat on the back later..

Contemplating the same on the front caliper as well. The front caliper would certainly accommodate a spring, albeit I'd have to check the length and get it trimmed which is easy. The only aspect of this is to check the space below the (OE Arrow Spring marked in red) to see if it can accommodate my spring mod so that it isn't disturbed/bent in the process.

At the end of the day it was a job well done and the satisfaction is simply immense! Hope it helps!

Cheers!
VJ

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