| Author | Message | ||
     Barker |
Got a Pitbull today lifted up the rear end and spun the wheel around. I noticed the rear caliper wobbles back and forth. Is the normal? Do I have a warped rear rotor? Bad wheel bearings? The caliper appears to be rubber mounted and kinda floats around the rotor. I dont notice and sounds and from just me looking at it it does not look like the whole wheel is wobbling. | ||
| Barker |
FYI 2003 XB9R 15k miles | ||
| Diablobrian |
The caliper floats on 2 pins. I'd say your rear rotor is probably bent. Use the swingarm as a reference point and check rotor that way instead. | ||
| Aeroe |
Mine rotor's bent too...is this a "common" problem? | ||
| Diablobrian |
Not that I'm aware of. It could get bent during a tire change. | ||
| Skyguy |
My rear rotor warped as well. I still have no idea how. It had been quite awhile since the last tire change. It got way hot o the freeay and discolored my rear brake mount.  | ||
| Ride365 |
My bike is bent to sh** and it still rides like a dream, WTF! Ya i know! It's a miracle! | ||
| Diablobrian |
Ride365, Buells have developed a remarkable reputation for being a rugged machine in regards to crashes. | ||
| Slaughter |
How much rear brake are you actually using? Also, warpage seems to occur mostly when stopping with a hot rotor and keeping the brake on. The rear brake should hardly be used compared to the front. | ||
| Diablobrian |
Slaughter is right on that | ||
| Aeroe |
The rear brake should hardly be used compared to the front. Per the MSF handbook, "Use both brakes every time you slow or stop." | ||
| Diablobrian |
Ahh, but the degree to which they are used on a sporting motorcycle is different than they can anticipate in a textbook for all types of riders. On a Buell in particular once the weight begins to transfer forward on a stop the rear brake is all but useless. There is almost no weight on the rear wheel. This is because of both the even weight balance, and the very short wheelbase. Nothing of the sort happens on the cruisers that are so popular these days. That's why many cruiser riders have a fear of the front brake and tout the safety of using the rear brake exclusively, while sport riders will tell you the exact opposite. To split the difference MSF says to use both. It's a nice compromise  | ||
| Eboos |
When I took my MSF course, the instructors seemed shocked by my M2's stopping ability while only using 2 fingers on the front brake (they wanted me to use 4). The course was at Sheldons HD, I guess they were used to cruiser types. | ||
| Buellfirebolt31 |
Hence the tremendous stoppies these crazy acrobatic stunt guys do....i on the other habd don't have the balls to try it..i also can ride a peg wheelie...uhmm | ||
| Slaughter |
I have a hard time believing the rear rotor is warping unless it's dragging or being used as a primary means of stopping. | ||
| New12r |
Mine was warped, and another buddies warped as well. My front rotor warped too, but that was from stoppies! | ||
| Barker |
Should it be replaced? Is it going to cause other problems failures? | ||
| Barker |
Now that I think about it. I do use alot of rear breaking when I decel. It seems to stop the bike better than using all front brake. Maybe I have warped it from heavy use. If yall suggest use all front and little/no rear then a warped rotor might not be that bad. Should I replace the rotor? | ||
| Dbird29 |
If it's warped it will push the caliper pistons away from the disc and cause poor/non-existent braking performance. When you really need the rear brake it might not be able to answer the calling. Just bite the bullet and replace it. |
