Fly By Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 Is it normal for the brakes to rub on the Bird? I can hear the back brake clearly rubbing at about 10 mph. Can this be adjusted? I didn't see anything in the manual, but then again, I might have missed something. Any advice would be appreciated? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkxx Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 I can hear my rear brake rubbing as I push it into the garage but not ridding it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 Okay, I'll ask the obvious question: are your brakes new? I used to hear my front brakes rubbing while riding, but my bike was brand new then. The sound eventually went away after they got worn in. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrdxx Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 I think what you are hearing is normal for disc brakes. The pads "float" against the rotor even when no brake pressure is being applied. There is the possibility that a piece of grit may be embedded in one of the pads. For piece of mind you could pull the pads, clean and lightly scuff the pads and rotor, and reinstall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 Be careful. I have a GSXR750 and the front brake was doing that for a while. I took it to a dealer and they said not to worry about it because it has a floating rotor and will move a bit. After about 500 miles, I could feel a pulsing in my front brake when used. Took it to a different dealer (a Honda dealer) and turns out my rotors were warped. No idea how. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fly By Posted July 28, 2003 Author Share Posted July 28, 2003 Thanks for the feedback. 4500 miles, original brakes. I've always noticed it a little, but lately it has been really bothering me. Good idea on pulling the brake pads and checking for grit. I'll definitely give that a try. When done, I guess I could also put some WD-40 on the pad so it glides smoother. I hear it works wonders. :shock: Thanks, Fly By Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fly By Posted July 29, 2003 Author Share Posted July 29, 2003 I checked all 3 sets of brake pads and the back and front-right need to be replaced! :shock: The inner pads were worse and worn past the grooves. What is really confusing is the the front-right inner brake was worn away at such an angle that one end still showed the groove. So much for my brakes just rubbing slightly. Looking at others posts, stock brakes are supposed to last 10 - 12 K miles, if not more. My assumption is that when you apply pressure to the brake, it pressurizes the hydraulic braking system which clamps down the brake pads on the rotors. When you release the pressure, the system should retract the pads, but what device controls that retraction? There has got to be something that can be adjusted. Could a pinched brake line do this? Anyone have this problem before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fly By Posted July 29, 2003 Author Share Posted July 29, 2003 Thanks Rock. The oddball break was the front-right when looking from the front of the bike. Front-left when looking from the cockpit. Hopefully we're talking about the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBird Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 The pads are supposed to retract???? I thought this kind system was usesless and to a point dangerous on bikes. If such a system existed, it would need to be VERY quick... and very precices. I would not like having to pump my brake lever every time I would want to stop. Because the system retracted the pads a few mm too far back. I've read about this somewhere... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fly By Posted July 29, 2003 Author Share Posted July 29, 2003 At least I got the back and front part right. Thanks for the help. If I can't find a pinched brake line though, is there anything else you can think of that might cause this problem? Edited: BigBird ... Whether the brakes are supposed to retract or not was just speculation on my part. You can probably tell already that I have no idea what I'm talking about. Just looking for some advice on why my brakes have to be replaced at 1/2 their life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fly By Posted July 29, 2003 Author Share Posted July 29, 2003 Thanks for the explanation. A far more efficient design from what I was originally thinking and makes sense. The brakes wore in the same way you described. Front-left was the worse, then the back, and the front-right was the best. Hopefully this is normal wear for the city riding I do. Pads will be ordered today. Round 2. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBird Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 Thanks for the explanation Joe. Fly By.. I'm also an idiot (well.. I'm not saying YOUR an idiot, I'm just saying you... haaaaa whatever... you get my point) Joe.. where do you get all of this information. Are you a natural born mechanic ? Where you feed with a NASA spec spoon at the age of 1? That would not explain anything... but It would still be cool! I degress.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fly By Posted July 29, 2003 Author Share Posted July 29, 2003 See. Joe reads and understands the manual. Me, I just look at the pretty pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBird Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 Well... actually I've been looking for an Idol for quite a few years. :wink: It was a toss up between you and Nik. But since he is too heavy.. I opted for you. Now.. I'm not so sure. :cry: I'll have to find something or someone else :cool: Anyone up to the challenge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fly By Posted July 30, 2003 Author Share Posted July 30, 2003 I got to the store and bought 3 sets of the EBC HH pads for both fronts and the rear. (After reading the other posts, they sound what I've been looking for.) I installed the back w/o the shim with no problems. Easy.(Couldn't fit them in with the shims installed.) I then try to install them in the front and they won't fit in either side. I can't get either of the front calipers far enough apart to get the new pads in. And this is without the shims. After reviewing other posts, no others listed problems of getting the new pads in, so I think I found my main problem, but I'm not sure of the solution. Do I: a.) Bleed the brakes. (Though I don't know how this would help.) b.) Bang harder on the calipers to get them farther apart. (Rubber mallet-don't really want to do) c.) Replace calipers. (God I hope not!) d.) Hookers (Always good, but still have the brake problem.) I opened the front master cylinder just to see what I could see. Brake fluid is clean and has a good level. Please just tell me I forgot to do something simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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