I thought I'd have a look at the caliper on my Mk3, as I'm fitting a reconditioned master cylinder and braided lines. To say it's a bit of a horror story in there barely covers it! First clue was the brown sludge in the reservoir, then upon stripping the caliper the goo pictured below was revealed...
Now I've had this bike for a year or so & rode it a bit to assess what needed doing; the brakes worked... On stripping the master cylinder it was worse, if anything. This bike had a long term owner for 20-odd years before that, and visited a well-known dealer pretty much annually during that time. It seemed they never thought to check, or change the fluid. Maybe the problem with hydraulic brakes is that they are pretty much 'maintainance free', leading us to leave well alone? It has made me think about my other old-ish crocks, maybe a dose of looking at wouldn't go amiss there too.
Now I've had this bike for a year or so & rode it a bit to assess what needed doing; the brakes worked... On stripping the master cylinder it was worse, if anything. This bike had a long term owner for 20-odd years before that, and visited a well-known dealer pretty much annually during that time. It seemed they never thought to check, or change the fluid. Maybe the problem with hydraulic brakes is that they are pretty much 'maintainance free', leading us to leave well alone? It has made me think about my other old-ish crocks, maybe a dose of looking at wouldn't go amiss there too.