| Author | Message | ||
     12x_infatuation |
After a spirited ride up & down the mountain yesterday & some experimenting with front & rear brakes i noticed the front to be a bit chunky feeling whilst on some smooth hotmix downhill sections. I havent noticed any irregularities closer to home as it is flatter & rougher. A fair amount of 'soot' from the brake pads was also found on the wheel that i hadnt noticed before. I have never bottomed the suspension or hit large potholes or wheelied my bike (not counting a few smallish ones under power clicking into 2nd)! When i rap the rotor with my knuckles it sort of makes a sound like it is loose but i checked the bolts with the tork driver & they were all fine. 4000 km on the odo, surely broken in? Any suggestions/comments? | ||
| Jlnance |
12x - I'm assuming that by chunky you mean they pulse? If so, it is a rather common problem. Deposits from the pads build up on the rotor in a non-uniform manner. This causes the pulses as the rotor rotates through the pads. The most popular fix is to switch to Lyndal brake pads. These pads have a different composition and will actually scrape the buildups of old pad material off your rotor. Both Dave and Al sell them. Lyndal probably makes more than 1 pad, but if you tell them you want the one to get rid of brake pulsing, they will know what to send you. | ||
| Scooter808484 |
Lyndall Pads are good stuff. Don't have any on the Uly yet but got about 40k on a set on the Road King. Good feel, much less dust. | ||
| 12x_infatuation |
Thanks for that, youve put my mind at ease somewhat (was dreading a warped rotor). It is kind of like a pulse. Ill make some local enquiries but will probably just live with it - i didnt even notice it until breaking on the dead smooth hotmix. Matt. | ||
| Bobbuell1961 |
had a severe pulse at about 9k,inital contact w/dealer they called and tolled it was not a warr issue,called cust service the buell expert called dealer back and warr rotor+pads. why spent $75 on pads when it's covered,rotor was well within spec,they know it's an issue | ||
| Oddsc |
Mine pulses too, I just like to pretend it's ABS | ||
| Chadhargis |
Mine does the same thing. It's pad compound for sure. If I brake normally, it's fine. If I brake hard, I can feel it pulse. As long as it's not damaging the rotor, I'm not going to worry about it. Pads are easy to replace, and I'll go with the Lyndalls when the time comes. | ||
| Stevenknapp |
Over the weekend a few folks commented that my rotors looked "heat checked"...I think I had noticed similar to what is being described here, some gunk on the rotor that wasn't even. Any idea if "heat checked" should be something I worry about? No pulsing that I've noticed. I *did* clean the rotor not too long ago. | ||
| Chadhargis |
I have that same odd bluing on my rotor. Brakes work fine though, just a pulse when stopping really hard. Still stops fine though. | ||
| Retired_cop |
Call customer service. There is a warranty fix for pulsing rotors. New rotors and pads from Buell. First chance you get, switch to the Lyndall pads. End of problem from then on. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
You might also want to check the head bearings as well. The loose head bearings will exaggerate the pulsing as well. I think the longer fork legs cause loose head bearings to have more of an effect. Mine felt like someone tapping the handle bars. You could also barely hear it. Good luck. | ||
| Chadhargis |
Do the stock pads actually damage the rotor? It seems true as I don't feel any pulsing during normal use, only under very aggressive braking. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Mine was just the opposite. I didn't feel anything under heavy braking, but it pulsed like a mofo under light braking. With mine, I think I had loose head bearings primarily with slight "hot spotting". When I braked hard, the compression of the front head kept if from vibrating. Under light braking, the head had less force on the bearings allowing the entire head assembly freedom to shake. | ||
| Daves |
Yep, check the neck bearings first, they tend to loosen up. The Lyndall pads seem to keep the rotor cleaner. I have them in stock for 53.95 The stock pads do not damage the rotor in my experience. Been running stock pads on every Buell I have ever had for a demo. 48 track days on them too. | ||
| 12x_infatuation |
Manouvering my bike around the garage this morning i noticed a scraping sound with light breaking whilst backing up.(engine off) Could this be the pads scraping the compound off the rotor? After wheeling the bike backwards, light break application for about 10 metres the scrape sound disappeared... Pulse less noticeable/gone as well during a short ride this afternoon. | ||
| Retired_cop |
As it was explained to me, and I could have misunderstood, the pad material builds up on the rotors (discoloration at spots) and the brakes feel grabby or pulse. This causes excessive heat and the rotors warp slightly. This occurs with stock pads/rotors. The Lyndall pads are supposed to not build up residue on the rotors, hence no problems. After a few thousand miles on mine I'll let you know. PS Daves, thanks for quick service on the pads. They went on easily and after break in/seating feel really strong. |
