| Author | Message | ||
     Buelliedan |
I have no idea what a ballerina washer is. I only know about the wave washers.  | ||
| Jmartz |
Yes Ara. Spring washer, crooked washer, those in old VW's. They resemble a ballerina's skirt. j | ||
| Jmartz |
Great idea Buellidan, I'm gonna try it. Thanks, j | ||
| Ara |
Me too! Thanks!!!  | ||
| Reepicheep |
Jmartz... a warped rotor can also cause excessive travel on the brake lever (or at least mine did). To get a hard stop I had to pump a couple times to build up pressure without the lever hitting the grip. If you get a good firm braking with half or less of brake lever travel, I can't imagine it is a warped rotor. Bill | ||
| Andys |
A pulsating brake lever comes from only one thing; a warped rotor. Many years ago a friend of mine with a 900RR put Ferodo rotors on his bike and experienced the same thing. Question is; can you save it? Not sure. I'd start by loosening all the mounting bolts at the hub and then retighening them evenly using a torque wrench. Secondly, how much brake pad is left? If there is less than half left this could have been the cause also due to the pad's inability to absorb the heat which feeds the heat back into the rotor. Third, I assume you were using a set of Ferodo pads when you installed the rotor, right(although those specfic pads aren't a neccesity)? Fourth, call the shop where you bought the rotor and see if Ferodo is doing anything about warpage. Then call Ferodo directly. Fifth; I wish you luck in fixing the problem. | ||
| Steveb |
Andy, I may be wrong but I think another frequent cause of a pulsating brake lever is having your tires changed at your local ah, authorized Dunlop dealership. Bent works about the same as warped. | ||
| Jmartz |
Andy's Steveb: The brake lever does not pulsate. The problem is that while the brake is applied there is an oscillation as in "catch and let go". Weird...  | ||
| Jmartz |
Did use the ferodo pads, maybe ebc or even the factory pads may cure the problem. Don't really want to spend the money for a test though. | ||
| Jmartz |
By the way for those of you with PM wheels, the factory in CA will repolish your wheels for $50 each and will replace the bearing for $10 each. You will need a return autorization number so they can identify your wheels when they get in. Unfortunately turn around time is 2 to 3 weeks at the the factory plus 1 week and a day each way for ground UPS from GA and viceversa. All these times add up to nearly 6 weeks and I just can't be w/o the bike that long. Its a shame as all these parts are now off the bike and clean. A word of caution, my buddy had his PM's polished at a local shop and the intensity of the buffing wheel was such that it ate through the sharp edges in the "spokes" in the direction that it was moving. I am always reluctant to have work done "in the blind" as generally is when you send something away and essenially pay to send it, pay to do it and pay to get it back only to be dissappointed when you open the package. It is always best to see what you are getting even if the cost is higher. Ebay is another example. Jose | ||
| Jmartz |
It is probable that PM wheels are milled after polishing which would make sense considering that the buffing wheel would likely encounter less resistance and the process could possibly be automated. In this case there is little hope for the edges to survive in stock form. Also the polishing set up apparently requires that the hub be disassembled (PM hubs can be changed for different applications) which would add wear and tear to the wheels potentially making them look worse than when you sent them in. One never knows what one is getting in these matters and the risk is high. $1500 for a new set is the only guaranteed way to actually get wheels to look new, 'cause they are. Jose | ||
| Libnosis |
Thanks Jose and Dan! | ||
| Iggy |
i gotta buy new pads for the rear brake anyone got the part number/type for the ebc or ferodo pads that fit a 2k m2? thankx, the local stores don't seem to know buell | ||
| Buellzebub |
iggy, go to yer local jap bike store, they should be able to cross em over [ebc for a 98 s1 rear was a fa140] you could check on the web too, found mine at a local "universal cycle shop" way cheaper than stock hd | ||
| Iggy |
tried one place and they claimed to buell in the catalog. if i'm not mistaken, your 98 brakes are the same as mine, so i might just chance it. | ||
| Andys |
Jose, Here's the problem; since the rotor is warped that tells us there was a great deal of heat. This heat may have also overheated the pads to point where the compound won't work anymore. My personal belief is that brakes come first. Whether it's my car or my bikes, the first thing I like to do is "upgrade" the brakes. (Changing the muffler and jetting the carb-or replacing it in my case-is not "upgrading" for I feel we HAVE to do that just to make the bikes run right). I truly understand not wanting to blow money on pads to see "if" that fixes the problem, but we may not have a choice. What else can we do? Save up some money and then get a 2000 model rotor and a new set of aftermarket pads, then bed them in properly and see how it goes. While you're there, bleed the brakes also (remember--DOT 5) to make sure the overheated fluid is out of the system. Tell us how you make (no--with the bike!) | ||
| Jmartz |
Andy: My bike is in the process of being repaired from a broken belt, isolators etc. As soon as I get the tires from Tirexpress (its been 2.5 weeks now and they are supposed to deliver in two days) I will lift the front wheel and put an indiciator on the rotor. Don't know how well that will work since the floating design will likely induce some degree of side play that will confuse the issue at hand. Thickness measurements did not reveal thick or thin spots but those mesurements do not address the warp issue. You might be right about the pads. The problem may very well lie there. I have tried EBC and Ferodo pads in the rear with poor results. The sintered Ferodo pads I used in the rear damged the rotor and had to be replaced plus they sounded like a metal-to-metal grind. In addition to this aftermarket pads do NOT have the clips that hold them tight to the caliper causing them wear crooked and make noise at idle. I an sad but must report that my friend's '98 S1 with a stock brake stops better and has better feel than my Ferodo rotor/pads with a early '96 pump (master cylinder). | ||
| Iggy |
rear brake question: when the caliper is re-attached to the mount, should there be any play? IOW, will the caliper move while everything else stays in place? thanx iG | ||
| Jmartz |
iggy: since the rear disc is non floating, the caliper is allowed to move a bit due to its rubber mounts. the attachment to the axle bracket should be rigid though. | ||
| Xgecko |
Anyone here use Ferodo 911 pad's? How are they compared to their SS pads? (wear, feel etc) And compared to stock? I know my brakes will need new pads soon and Ferodos are half the cost of the Buell OEM's | ||
| Iggy |
thank you mr. martinez looks like i only need to bleed the bugger a bit then. ig | ||
| Buellzebub |
bleeding the rear brake is FUN, save yourself some frustration and find a buddy with a vacuum bleeder | ||
| Andys |
The rotors are not supposed to move axially, just radially, therefore simply putting a runout gauge on them won't deflect them and you'll be able to read the run out. But personally, I've never seen a pulsating brake lever that wasn't caused by a warped rotor. I had an 87 Ducati Paso that had solid mounted rotors and those just would not stay straight and constantly pulsed the lever. I'm truly unsure why these Buell rotors are warping. Theorectically(sp) they shouldn't, yet they do. All the best. | ||
| Jmartz |
Andys: My Ferodo rotor has .030 play in the trapping buttons. It can be moved sideways a bit but not along the plane of the rotor and it will not rotate on the carrier. My Early stock Buell unit would move side to side .060 and creep on the carrier .040. With only 2000 miles on this rotor I am just out of ideas as to what can be causing the pulsating brake. I must repeat that the lever is not doing that just the baking motion. Jose | ||
| Rick_A |
Isn't the new style brake rotor stainless steel? I'd rather keep the chatter and the iron. | ||
| Jmartz |
PROBLEM ALERT!!!! Something funny is going on with Tire Express and Cmpetition Accessories. I ordered a set of tires from TE.com in late April or early May. Its been 3 weeks and no sign of the tires. Their phones are permanently busy as in "off the hook". I have purchased several items over the years from CA and more recently tires from TE. These companies (they are related) have always shipped in 2 days w/o failure, till now... The SOB's charged my card and are no where to be found. | ||
| Mikej |
JMartz, If it's less than 30 days you can, or at least should be able to, call the card company, explain the situation, and have the charges reversed. If the tire seller went poof or chapter 11 or something then this will cover yourself. | ||
| Jmartz |
Mike: I searched for their non 800 phone and got through. They are still in business but something strange is taking place with their spin off company Tireesxpress.com. | ||
| Bigblock |
I've seen a couple front rotors that had what looked like a kink or perhaps a hairline crack in them. They produced a pulsating like feel under braking w/out giving much of that feel in the lever. It is kind of hard to spot, and you must inspect carefully to find it. It is not an out of round or warp problem, so a runout test probably won't find it. This problem was observed on stock rotors, so I don't know that ferrodo will exhibit the same problem...On a perhaps unrelated note, when replacing pads, you should extend the pistons some and carefully clean the crap off them. After reassembly, it is also a good idea to give the lever a half dozen full, HARD squeezes to make sure the calipers are full and seated, and this supposedly prevents a "lock-up" problem that some people have experienced on new brakes. Hope you guys figure it out! | ||
| Jmartz |
BB: Thanks for the input. I haven't yet gotten to deal with the brake issue yet as the bike is in quite a few pieces awaiting tires as well as reassembly of primay/clutch componenets. I've had a lot stuff crap out at more oe less the same time. |
