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Good tip with the superglue ! I've used liquid metal or araldite in the past for the same effect. Re steel pistons, well its the fact that the auto industry is predisposed to use steel. It's strong & cheap. Strangely Aluminum is the worlds most abundant metal, its easily obtained, its easily processed & its easily worked. But because alloying was not really prevalent until the late twentieth century, industry used steel & is still a dinosaur using what it knows. R&D costs money after all. Besides, who's gonna buy my spare parts, if no rust & wear. Not to mention, people often think industry exists to make the perfect product, when reality is it exists purely to make profit & that means components designed down to a price point, that will survive the warranty period ! If it was not for reputation, most things would fail just after 1,2 or 3 year warranty period. Then you'd have to buy a replacement ! Alloy is a poor metal for brake caliper pistons due to its high thermal conductivity. Titanium is better, low heat conductivity, lighter than steel, high strength & no corrosion. But it would mean the pads run hotter, so may require different compounds. A Plastic or Polymer may be available that is suitable to cope with both the heat & pressure. But as disc surfaces can reach 500c, with much of that heat being absorbed through the pad & dissipated via the backing plate & the piston contact, then to the caliper body & brake fluid. Which is why brake fluid boils if the brakes are over worked ! YMMV

I'm finally off the fence--just booked at the Chief and registered. It's usually not clear to me how the summer will unfold until it gets closer. But then again, I have managed to make the last two SumSums (didn't have a VFR for the first one), so it would be a shame to break the streak. I'll most likely be tacking a week of vacation on to the end of the meet (as I have the last couple of times ...), so as before I'll have to slab it most of the way there. Intercepting the group headed south from Canada and the Pacific Northwest might still be possible for the last day or two. Now to get the bike in shape and start envisioning the ride with some of Maxswell's "wild anticipation." And thanks again to Tony for scouting and organizing!