Rear Brake Noise 08-09 Touring

MyGlide

Thanks Glider for the servivce bulletin. I mentioned the rear brake noise on my 2008 Street Glide at 500 miles, to a local dealer. I was told it was dirt, and to use some brake clean. I now have 2000 miles on the bike and it's still squeeling like a pig. Are the dealers not aware of these bulletins?
I'm going back with bulletin in hand. Maybe they will fix it this time.

I'm new to this site, and love it already!

glider

There's a lot of dealers that just aren't on top of things looking the service bulletins over from time to time. It's their job, the least they could do is check into them once in a while.

w5sdc

After some trial and error I finally devised a solution.

I first tried CRC disc brake quiet. A reddish orange silicon type compound applied to the backing plate of each pad. It killed the squeal but only lasted 50 to 100 miles. Examination revealed that it was totally resistent to the heat but the pressure of each piston would squeeze it out and the squeal returned once the layer between the pad and piston became too thin.

Next I tried some black gorilla tape I had laying around the shop applied to the backing plate after reading some posts about people using tapes like duct tape, etc. It too completely eliminated the squeal; however, as expected after reading several expert opinions it was obvious that the tape's adhesive simply could not withstand the heat. I was concerned about the goo getting baked on to the caliper pistons so I removed it after observing that the outer edges were curling up.

Impressed with the heat resistance of the CRC and effectivness of the tape I decided to use the heat resistance of the CRC to insulate the adhesive of the tape from high heat.

I cleaned the backing plate of the pads reapplied a coat of the CRC disc quiet compound and baked the pads in a 250 deg oven for about 5 minutes after first letting the compound set at room temp for 10 min. I then applied the tape to the back of each disk pad and neatly trimmed the edges with a razor blade.

Some mileage and time will tell, but so far the tape has remained firmly in place and I haven't heard a peep from the brakes. It will be interesting to see if this combination will last the life of the pads. Seems that it is just as good a jury rig as taking it in for warranty and having HD service use the "paste" specified in the service bulletin. Besides, if your pad thickness is below 4mm like mine (3.73mm after 670 miles) Harley won't cover it anyway.

I don't intend on replacing the pads with HD pads because I don't trust the quality after this fiasco. Instead I will try Lyndall Z-plus pad on the next brake job. Apparently the Lyndall Gold racing pad is too hard for street use and some folks that have installed these have reported great braking with some squeal. Some have not.

Brake squeal is so irritating I don't plan on taking any more chances with metallic pads.

glider

The metallic pads are harder on the rotor than the composition pads. I think you'll also find that some auto parts stores carry brake squeal kits that are like metal plates so to speak. Some use an hi temp adhesive and others that are specific to certain pads have clip like fasteners at the edges that hold the pads in place during reassembly and work rather well in eliminating the squealing of the brakes which is actually a vibration of the pad that you hear. These pads tend to cancel out the vibrations through interaction with the pad itself.

mombo

I have a 2009 electa classic i have 1054 miles on it's 3 weeks old
have had rear break nois from the first mile dealer told me pads have to wear
a bit and that will go away it's still thier also I am doing my own 1k servise
after reading service manual cant see paying $300.00 FOR A OIL CHANGE
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS on this ?. thanks

glider

If you are capable of doing it yourself get some of the compositions to quiet disc brake squeal that get applied to the back of the pad and do it yourself.

That' about all the dealer will do for you.

Bud White

that usually doesnt work .. replacing the pads does though usually with a different make of pads

wildey

What I find interesting is that it states its not a warranty issue, but fill out the warranty form and it says it does not apply to a bike thats no longer under warranty.

So how can they say all that warranty info then say its considered normal wear and tear?? All on their service bulletin

scootertrash

Changing out to Lyndall Z-plus pads from the get go usually solves those barn yard sound problems (hog squealing, pun intended), and thus provides you with a much better break pad on the motorcycle. Most bikes bought new haven't been bled after arriving to the dealership, and most dealerships don't do a bleed on a new make ready before it goes out the door either.