Asbestos, which parts are reasonable to replace?

[Janne]

Hi,
haynes Yamaha XT, TT & SR500 Owners workshop manual says that "Certain friction, insulating, sealing, and other products - such as brake linings, clutch linings, gaskets, etc - contain asbestos. Extreme care must be taken to avoid inhalation of dust from such products since it is hazardous to health. If in doubt, assume that they do contain asbestos."

Do you happen to know what parts in XT 500 1980 German model contain asbestos? Which of those parts may be reasonably replaced? Is there some special maintenance work in which you may be exposed to asbestos?

[Hiha]

Sorry, I don't know. But Asbestos is still everywhere. Every ft³ of fresh air outside my house contains a minimum of about 1000 particles of Asbestos...

Gruß
Hans

[motorang]

Hi
the brake pads were surely replaced by aftermarket parts in the last few years (?), so I would not worry too much there - and this is about the only occasion where asbestos would do harm - if you clean your brakes with compressed air.
The use of asbestos in brake pads is forbidden for quite a while now. Switzerland 1990, germany 1993. It is still allowed in the USA

So to be safe you would need to replace the brake pads and rinse the drums and base plate with a cleaning fluid (brake cleaner) and dispose of the fluid following your local laws.

Asbestos in clutch linings is no issue, as the fibres are in the engine oil in the end, which is disposed of seperately. I do not see any issues with seals - Asbestos is harmful when you breathe it in. No problems if you just touch the stuff.

Best regards
Andreas

[Janne]

Thanks Andreas for your answer!