Burning Rubber smell + Poor free wheeling

I've noticed alot of threads concerning the burning rubber smell that certain SV gives off. Alot of other SV riders have reported this. I not totally sure but I think I might be narrowing it down to the 3rd largest block of rubber after the 2 tyres, the "rear wheel internal dampening".

I've always noticed that on certain occasions my SV is a right pig to reverse especially when in gear but with clutch fully depressed. Sometimes even when in nuetral it becomes hard to move backwards ?

Somehow I think these 2 are related, burning rubber smell & hard free wheeling ????

I've had problems with the poor quality of the rear brake caliper on my model and it binding at the sniff of a bit of poor weather. I think the binding rear brake and the associated heat is being transfered (conduction) to this internal rubber which is also expanding compounding further the friction on the static rear axel bolt. My last bike had a freely rotating rear bolt.

Recently as well, in a moment of stupidity, greased this rear axel bolt with copper grease ( doh !) and the burning rubber smell has been worse since. Will be cleaning this off over the holiday.

Also my commute is a 1 minute drop onto a fast road ("70ish officer "....) for 30 minutes and often when I park the bike up its still blistering.

It has also been bad over the last week with the freezing conditions, with heat you can get condensation possibly further binding the rear wheel to the axel.

Its all very strange, I think it could be model specific ?

When cold, you might find the bike hard to free-wheel in gear with the clutch in because of the clutch dragging a little (not quite completly lubricated plates). If its warm, it should be fine...unless your brakes are binding. Go for a ride, and afterwards check the disc's temp (just touch it). The discs should be reasonably cool, but you may find one is hotter than the other (if its the front brakes), which would indicate it is that caliper on that disc that is binding. Sometimes you can hear the pads dragging on the discs when you push it around aswell.

i get the burning smell i thought it was just the carp burning off the exhaust maybe if i cleaned the bike then try finding the smell i might get somewhere but its not in my nature to clean a bike.

Sunshine

Q1: Is your bike sometimes hard to manoeuvre into position before starting off in the morning, even in neutral, does the bike feel like its binding, hard to wheel around ?

Q2: What model is your bike ?

AlpineStarhero

A: The disc was warm but nothing excessive, and the caliper was only recently rebuilt, also its irratic binding on some days and not others. if it was a binding rear caliper I think it would be constant. The binding feels deeper somehow.

I'm sure its related to days with bad weather or maybe days where I have ridden hard & fast and then parked the bike up for the internal rubber in the rear wheel to be sealing itself possibly onto a hot rear axel pin.

Could it also be some sort of torsion stress type heating ?

Another thing about my bike is I think the previous numbtie fitted a stiffer after market rear suspension unit and I think has over extended it as the bike has a very stiff ride sometimes throwing you out on corners. I don't know that much about suspension but I know it could do with relaxing abit as the rear wheel picks up grit & stones much more than i've experienced on any previous bike i've owned.

Questions..... ?

A1) not hard to move in neutral but in gear its almost impossible because you still get the bit of v-twin engine/clutch drag.

A2) one of those far superior curveys

[yorkie_chris]

See if wheel spins freely.
what rubber inside caliper? Only thing is seals and to cook them caliper would be F'd and the disc probably blue.

[G]

I have seen so many time people with loose rear mud gaurd things on SV's... they rub on the tyre etc giving off a rubber smell... would also make it hard to push the bike backwards.

No i'm refering to the rubber block inserts in the hollow sections of the rear wheel itself, there to dampen out the rough torque of a v twin. See attached section diagram of rear wheel.

There is also the rubberised torsion plate which the rear cog bolts onto.

It wouldn't supprise me if this is an issue with our models (02' curvy's) and thats been redesigned in later models a bit like the essential modification from a single sparkplug to a double on later models.

[yorkie_chris]

Cush drive is not just a V-twin thing they are on vast majority of bikes. You would not be able to get rear disc so hot to cause those to smell.

You have a dragging wheel, it is either the caliper or the bearings. Lift the back of the bike and find out, it's not hard.


Also if you think twin spark plug is an essential modification you are on crack. It is mod to keep all ******s in EU happy nothing important.


P.S that is not an SV wheel, and what rubberised torsion plate? Rear sprocket wheel bolts directly onto the sprocket carrier.

Thats me told !

The strange thing about the burning rubber smell is that when I do smell its very early on in the ride.. when you would think the bike hadnt really heated up !

Anyway was really just trying to find some commonality with other riders that also experience this phenomenon.

Sunshine - all that we share to date is our lack cleaning. I think I spoiled myself with owning my previous Honda Revere which was a bit of a pony that you could totally abuse. It had twin sparks and ran alot smoother than my SV but not as quick, obvisously.