Sorry, more funny noises - caliper this time.

[Dirty Baz]

Some may remember that last month I cleaned up my brake calipers and had pretty poor brakes for a while. Once I bought some proper brake cleaner and cleaned up the pads and discs, this sorted itself out after a 100 miles and the brakes are back to normal.

Normally when I'm braking to a stop a lights or in traffic, I'd ease off the front brake just before I come to a gental stop, to stop the bike jerking forward (like you do in the car). However, when the barrier suddenly started coming down infront of me as I was leaving work the other day (idiot security guards!! :roll: ) I had to grab the brakes for a sudden stop. Just as I stopped there was an unpleasent noise which seemed to be coming from the righthand caliper (when sat on the bike). I can only describe this as a creaking noise. I've tried replicating the situation several times and it happens every the time I come to a sudden hault.

The brakes have good feel and the bike is easy to push so what would be your diagnosis??? I was thinking the right caplier bolts might be to blame, either too tight or too lose? I don't have a torque wrench yet - birthday soon.

Cheers

[weegaz22]

do you have copper grease on the backs of the pads?

[Dirty Baz]

Haven't heard from you in a while Gaz.

Yes, I greased the backs of the pads with copper 2 in 1.

[BillyC]

Are you absolutely sure it was the caliper, and not perhaps the fork springs?

If it feels alright, then it probably is alright, and the noise was coming from somewhere else.

Find a quiet car-park, take your lid off, and have a good listen.

[Dirty Baz]

Bill, I thought about the forks but it doesn't happen when I hit the ruts and pot-holes near my house (and there are alot of them). Sometimes these cause my forks to bottom out and I can hear to normal thudding noise which I think is common on the SV cause of it's soggy frontend. It's strange that it suddenly started to happen after I removed and reattached the calipers?

Thanks for the tip though, I'll hae a proper listen with my lid off tonight.

[northwind]

Did it happen pretty much as you stopped? If so, I get that too at the moment, it's just the pad shifting backwards as the bike's weight moves back off the front wheel... More copper grease!

If not, then you need a whole new bike, you've got Brakeitis.

[Dirty Baz]

So more copper grease then Andy?? Will try that tonight. Hope the hips getting better??

Brakeitis eh?? Sounds like a good excuse to get a GSXR.........

[northwind]

I reckon so... If it's happening like I said that is. If it's happening while you're still going forwards, not so sure, but it can't hurt...

Hip's doing pretty well thanks! Just went and saw the physio for the first time since i was discharged, and she's pretty surprised... "Are you still finding the scissor lift hard?" "Well, I did 250 last night before I went to bed..." Just waiting for the bone to catch up now.

[Carsick]

Sounds pretty much like a noise my front end developed after I, uhh, was forced to dive under the bike into a mud bank.
Was a bit squeaky for a while, almost like metal on metal but no marks on discs or signs of problems so I just decided it was the pad moving about.
It's stopped now.