| Author | Message | ||
     Buellny |
OK, it's been getting worse over time. When I tap the brakes (while moving) I feel this "cluck" in the front end somewhere. You can just be sitting on the bike and hold the brake and push forward on the bike and you'll feel, and kind of hear, a "cluck". I brought it to my dealer a while back and they said that I needed my steering bolt tightened to specs, which they did. It was still there, but not as bad. Now it's getting worse again. Anyone have any ideas? It's really annoying. I never had a bike do this. I have a 2003 XB9SL if that means anything. Thanks. | ||
| Darthane |
It is the most likely culprit yet again, though you may wish to go over your front wheel •••'y with a fine tooth comb. Bear in mind also that it is a floating rotor... | ||
| Bomber |
also, check that your sterring stem bearings are in good shape and tightened appropriately | ||
| Reepicheep |
Wheelies are really hard on the steering head bearings, which it sounds like you are describing a problem with. Dealers with really big wrenches can be really hard on steering head bearings as well  | ||
| Dj_rider |
i have the same problemo on my 04 12r...it sounds like its coming from the rotor...what i think is one of the bolts holding the rotor on, is ever so slightly rubbing on the brake caliper (i cant spell) every time it makes the rotation...ive told the service manager this, and he shook his head and said, i duno  so they tightened them and its not AS BAD, but i can still feel it every so often...who knows | ||
| Misato |
mine, you could feel and hear a little bit, but it was coming from the forks, one was moving inside each other. so if you are in front of the bike with the front wheel off the ground, you could grab it and move it front to back. slop inside the fork tubes, or bearings whatever it was. you can look at the forks and see it move, not alot but... dealer fixed under warranty. | ||
| Joojoo |
Its normal. XB's do it. Mine does too. Jack | ||
| Zip |
My 9S makes the clunk and I traced it to the floating disk rotor. | ||
| Buellny |
Yeah, I did think it was possibly the floating rotor, but I convinced myself that it's up higher like around the steering bearings or something. I've never done a wheelie on the XB....yeah yeah yeah, I know...the dealer looked at me funny too when I told I don't do wheelies. | ||
| Darthane |
There's nothing wrong with not doing wheelies. Christ. And it's NOT normal. The slight brake clicking noises that some XBs produce, while not harming anything, are also NOT normal. If it WAS normal ALL of them would do it. Personally, I would say that once again your steering head bearings are out of whack. They may just need to be tightened, they may need to be replaced. | ||
| M1combat |
I agree whole heartedly with Darth... Not normal. The ONLY noise I get from my front end is a buzzing sound from the cross drilled rotor. It gets audible just after a switch front pads and then goes mostly away as they wear in. It's only noticeable when I put VERY little pressure on the brakes and only below about 30 mph, but any clack, clank, cluck or clunk is probably NOT normal. Steering head torque, rotor mounting bolt torque... Check them. | ||
| Buellny |
Does anyone know the torque specs for the steering head bearings and the rotor mounting bolt? I don't have a owners manual....yet. | ||
| Darthane |
Anyone still have the link to Misato's server with the XB manual on it? Buellny, it's a process to tighten those, so don't go thinking you can just loosen the nut and retorque it. In fact, if that's all your dealer did it may explain why it's recurring again so soon. | ||
| Stonecoldbuellin |
Got any pics of the cross drilled rotor? | ||
| M1combat |
All of them are cross drilled I think... | ||
| Stonecoldbuellin |
DUH!! My bad, i was thinking slotted. | ||
| M1combat |
Gotcha  | ||
| Freyke |
follow this thread bad vibrations - not the Beach Boys... | ||
| Freyke |
follow this thread bad vibrations - not the Beach Boys... | ||
| Misato |
http://64.81.20.27/ebay/buell/ dont hog my bandwidth tonite, I gotta play farcry  | ||
| Stonecoldbuellin |
LOL then u PROBABLY shouldnt have put the paris hilton sex tape up there. | ||
| Starter |
Farcry.....the death of all other hobbies. As for the steering stem nut, jack up the front wheel, undo the upper and lower triples pinch bolts, then the steering pinch, then torque it to the required spec (I think its 50 something, very tight though). Alternately you can also apply a little locktite to the steering stem cap nut but don't take that sucker off if you've already loosened the triple pinches as you'll either drop the forks out or drop the bike down them. Very hard to get back together once you've done this and your alone. | ||
| Xbolt12 |
Mine does it too (xb12r). I did it from day one and has gotten a little better, not worse. It seems like it happens once per revolution and only occurs under hard braking just before coming to a stop. I am suspicious of the floating rotor making this noise due to play in the mounts. It may also be the caliper mounts. Or it could be the steering head bearings. I did notice this weekend while changing tires and setting the axle by compressing the fork, that I can hear a slight clunk and it is re-produceable. I am going to get someone else to sit on the bike, push it forward and hit the brakes while I feel for slop in the steering head and elsewhere. I will post my findings then. xbolt12 | ||
| Starter |
Jack up the front, grab the fork legs at the axle and give it a little shake. If there is movement, tighten the steering stem cap nut as described above to 42 ft-lb. Then shake it again and the problem should have gone away. If not go see the dealer and get them to shake the forks at the axle and diagnose it. Everything that is being described about the brakes/forks is exactly what mine did till it was properly tighten and locktited. It is my opinion that the thread pitch on the steering stem cap nut is too course for this application. A finer pitch thread and lock nut arrangement similar to japanese bikes seems to be a little more tolerant to the vibrations, but saying that is very ugly compared to the neat chromed cap the Buells have. My experience with bikes is that they regularly need servicing in this area to keep them true due to the forces on the steering bearing. | ||
| Tpoppa |
My xb9s has always had the front end click. Under soft to medium front breaking, at slow speeds, I could always feel it. Around 6000 miles it started getting worse. I followed the steps in the manual for torque-ing the steering cap nut and its all fixed! I wish I would have done this sooner. I mentioned this to my dealer at the 1000 mile maintenance, and was told it the floating front disc. It is not the brakes! Under front breaking, backward pressure is put on the steering head bearing--if its loose it will click. Good Tip!!! |
