Brakes rubbing/grinding
Brakes rubbing/grinding
Just went out for a nice evening stress-reducing ride. On the way back up the driveway I heard the rear break grinding. Got off and the pads are rubbing the rotor. Not even a pubic hair of clearance. On inpspection of the front it seems to be the same story.
I just bought this '05 a few weeks ago so my trust level is not 100% yet.
Safe to ride? Tow to dealer for repair? Paranoid?
I just bought this '05 a few weeks ago so my trust level is not 100% yet.
Safe to ride? Tow to dealer for repair? Paranoid?
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 754
Likes: 24
From: Southern Maine
The brake pads always rub the rotors, that's what keeps them clean. Thy just don't apply pressure until you activate the brakes. As far a grinding noises, how much pad do you have left? It usually makes a grinding noise when the friction material is gone and it makes metal to metal contact with the pad backing plate and the rotor.
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 193
Likes: 2
From: Not too far up the BC border
Chances are that your brake pistons are dirty and sticking, mine were and made a awful grinding noise all the time it drove me nutz. Search clean brake caliper pistons in this forum and you will come across a bootlace, brake cleaner and hour of your time.. I did mine and the scraping totally went away.
The fronts were easy but the back tire required more to remove the tire and caliper. You might have to drop the exhaust to remove the rear axle but hope someone else did it for you on a tire change that was done and flipped the axle around to the other side.
The fronts were easy but the back tire required more to remove the tire and caliper. You might have to drop the exhaust to remove the rear axle but hope someone else did it for you on a tire change that was done and flipped the axle around to the other side.
The brake pads always rub the rotors, that's what keeps them clean. Thy just don't apply pressure until you activate the brakes. As far a grinding noises, how much pad do you have left? It usually makes a grinding noise when the friction material is gone and it makes metal to metal contact with the pad backing plate and the rotor.
I have almost full pad. The bike only has 4650 miles on it.
Chances are that your brake pistons are dirty and sticking, mine were and made a awful grinding noise all the time it drove me nutz. Search clean brake caliper pistons in this forum and you will come across a bootlace, brake cleaner and hour of your time.. I did mine and the scraping totally went away.
The fronts were easy but the back tire required more to remove the tire and caliper. You might have to drop the exhaust to remove the rear axle but hope someone else did it for you on a tire change that was done and flipped the axle around to the other side.
The fronts were easy but the back tire required more to remove the tire and caliper. You might have to drop the exhaust to remove the rear axle but hope someone else did it for you on a tire change that was done and flipped the axle around to the other side.
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 193
Likes: 2
From: Not too far up the BC border
I had to buy the 12 point sockets you need to remove the pins and caliper.
Here is a link to the forum post where the bootlace trick is explained a little better with a link to a internet site that shows you how to do it.
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/softa...-question.html
Here is a link to the forum post where the bootlace trick is explained a little better with a link to a internet site that shows you how to do it.
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/softa...-question.html
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I had to buy the 12 point sockets you need to remove the pins and caliper.
Here is a link to the forum post where the bootlace trick is explained a little better with a link to a internet site that shows you how to do it.
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/softa...-question.html
Here is a link to the forum post where the bootlace trick is explained a little better with a link to a internet site that shows you how to do it.
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/softa...-question.html
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 3,908
Likes: 19
From: Dayton
I've got to look into this myself. Front break acts like the pistons are hanging a bit since I had to reposition the caliper with the new wheel. Even get a front pad smell from time to time when cruising.
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 193
Likes: 2
From: Not too far up the BC border
The brake pads always rub the rotors, that's what keeps them clean. Thy just don't apply pressure until you activate the brakes. As far a grinding noises, how much pad do you have left? It usually makes a grinding noise when the friction material is gone and it makes metal to metal contact with the pad backing plate and the rotor.
Now I have to wonder how much I damaged the pads with it scraping for that long? Got to get a lift before I go after trying to remove the rear wheel again to change the pads
So reading that the brakes scraping is normal is wrong and IMO the pistons being dirty and binding is the cause and a very easy fix to solve.