Brake Caliper Black or Polished

[Eldrick]

Should my brake caliper be painted black or left shiney...?
I see in the worksop manual it is black then I see on 'car and classic' some are painted or even just the inside caliper is black.  This being a UK 1975 model if that makes a difference.

[Bryanj]

Black

[Eldrick]

thank you
 

[TrickyMicky]

If you use a good brand of aerosol Satin Black it gives a half decent finish.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

Probably not necessary but I bought the black caliper aerosol paint as it's heat resistant

[Laverda Dave]

Probaly not necessary but I bought the black caliper aerosol paint as it's heat resistant

I second that Ted👍. I think I baked mine after painting to achieve the heat resistance. It dried a satin black colour. Finish was great and never chipped.

[Oddjob]

Or get it ceramic coated, resistant to heat and brake fluid. Not expensive either, possibly as cheap as buying a tin of aerosol and no stinking up the kitchen curing it.

[davidcumbria]

Had mind powder coated. Tough, shiny and resistant to brake fluid.

[Oddjob]

The problem with powder coat is how thick it is, on some parts this is a bonus, on others it's a drawback. I've had powder coated calipers and they do last, given a choice in that location I'd go with ceramic, matches the original paintwork better, which TBH wasn't so much paint as an alloy stain. Like how the handlebar switchgear is done and the splitter under the headlight.

Frames, definitely powder.

[Matt_Harrington]

I've recently restored a few Brembo calipers for one of my other bikes. I was recommended some corrosion resistant epoxy primer (to quote the guy "...stick like etc etc.." after which some decent satin black was applied. Seems to be working well at the moment. The caliper on the 400 i'm working on was cerakoted. The advantage is that the paint has longevity.....(I hope!)