yea...dont.
Unscrew the two screws on the brake master cylinder on the right handlebar and set them somewhere safe. Take the top off of the master cylinder to break the suction and set it back down lightly. Take an old brake pad, press it against the piston and press really hard until it bottoms out in relation to the housing. Might have to use a c-clamp. If you do, put a shop rag against the back of the caliper and proceed slowly as you tighten the clamp. Install new pads and install the caliper assembly back on the fork. Reinstall the master cylinder lid tightly. Squeeze the brake lever until it gets tight again. Go ride.

* Be very careful with those screws. They're JIS not philips. Id recommend an impact driver from harbor frieght ($6) to avoid messing up the heads.
*Make sure the handle bars are all the way left or right so they dont shift while the master cylinder cap isnt tightened. Spilled brake fluid will eat your everything. Tie a shop rag around the base of the master cylinder to catch any drips or spills.

I have always used a "C" clamp to move the piston back. but if it is too hard to turn than you have more serious issues.

You can find stainless steel philips head replacement screws for the m/c cover at Ace or your local hardware store.

If the piston won't push back fairly easy, you can pop the piston out & clean everything. Just wrap the caliper in rags & slooowly compress the brake lever until the piston pops out. Then take the caliper loose for cleaning & reassembly.

To bleed the system, get a piece of clear tubing & put on the slightly loosened bleed screw, running the other end to your m/c reservoir. Fill the reservoir enough to keep the tubing below the fluid & slowly compress the lever repeatedly until you see no bubbles in the tube & the lever has resistance. Close the bleed screw, remove the tube , & put everything back together. This will give you a good brake without the PITA this usually is.  

Now after applying & releasing the brake, make sure the bike rolls freely with no drag. If there is a drag, it's cheaper to get another caliper from one of our forum members than buy parts to rebuild.

Disclaimer: The above only represents my experience, yours may be different.

BurnPgh wrote on 04/28/10 at 01:30:38:


What is JIS?  Mine are already rounded out and I'm trying to figure out a way to get them out.  

For questions about the JIS screw heads & where to get the drivers, look in Search or, if you suck at that like I do, give Digger a holla..

Did you take the top off the reservoir?    Mass of fluid is either in the caliper or in the reservoir -- if you squeeze in the caliper it has to go somewhere.   Be ready for it to try to go over the edge of the reservoir and make a mess ....

Justin's "crack the bleeder" trick will work even better -- more direct pressure relief and the resulting mess is easier to deal with.