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Brake question

Hello everyone!...I've been away for a spell, and can now sit for awhile without to much discomfort....? on brake pads...How thick is a new rotor pad(for touring)?...I've looked at my front pads(still on bike) and they seem to be around 1/8"...I'm thinking, it's time for brakes...A buddy comes by on his '08 Roadking and we start looking at his front rotor pads and they look maybe to be 3/16" at most,not that much more anyway than mine...He's put 14,000 miles on his and I have just around 12,000 on mine('04)...They are original OEM...Should I need new binders?..
 
Bluesugar said:
Hello everyone!...I've been away for a spell, and can now sit for awhile without to much discomfort....? on brake pads...How thick is a new rotor pad(for touring)?...I've looked at my front pads(still on bike) and they seem to be around 1/8"...I'm thinking, it's time for brakes...A buddy comes by on his '08 Roadking and we start looking at his front rotor pads and they look maybe to be 3/16" at most,not that much more anyway than mine...He's put 14,000 miles on his and I have just around 12,000 on mine('04)...They are original OEM...Should I need new binders?..
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If I see them about 1/16'' I replace them, they wear will be uneven,they wear faster in some spots then others, look at the whole pad, if they've been on a long it's cheap insurance to change them.

From the 04 service manual:
If brake pad friction material is worn to 0.04 inch (1.02 mm) or
less, replace the entire set of pads.
WARNING
For correct and safe brake operation, brake pads must
be replaced in sets at the same time. Mismatched brake
pads could lead to an accident resulting in death or serious
injury.
 
Don't know if all models start out with the same amount of pad material but on my Dyna with right at 5K miles on the clock I have .170" remaining on the front pads and .155 " remaining on the rear. Wow, I never realized how hard I am on brakes. Your at .125" now and I see the service manual says the wear limit is .040". Boy, that is not much.. Like Chopper said, cheap insurance to do it sooner.

Chopper, would you happen to know what a new pad comes in at? I am guessing something like .225" (maybe)?
 
Hoople said:
Don't know if all models start out with the same amount of pad material but on my Dyna with right at 5K miles on the clock I have .170" remaining on the front pads and .155 " remaining on the rear. Wow, I never realized how hard I am on brakes. Your at .125" now and I see the service manual says the wear limit is .040". Boy, that is not much.. Like Chopper said, cheap insurance to do it sooner.

Chopper, would you happen to know what a new pad comes in at? I am guessing something like .225" (maybe)?
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Hoople I don't have any spec's on new pads, you would have to measure a set, but seems like the newer pads are thinner then the older ones were out of the box.
 
There is definately some "Swish"ing going on when I move my bike, I can also hear it distinctly when making a tight turn at a slow speed. Seems to be just the front disk though.

I was wondering about this until I read this thread.. Now I am just confused that there is no real answer, so I guess I'll just take my noise to be the norm, and check for changes to that. Next time I'll visit the shop, I'll ask them as well.

Thanks again for a great topic ! This forum rules.
 
Safehavan while the swishing noise is common, it's also to what degree is it. If a brake rotor gets hot and warps the noise can be louder. One simple check for that is to pull the brake lever and note how much travel it has, then roll the bike 10 feet with out touching the brake, now pull the brake lever, does it have anymore travel then it did the first time?
If it does your brake rotor is warped, it pushes the brake piston in farther at the warp point which requires more lever travel.
 
Disc brakes run with 0 clearance, they all seem to make a bit of noise, I notice it more when I push my bike in the garage after a hard ride
 
Zap427, I agree with TQ on the MC. If the compensating port has crud in it, it would effect both calipers. Put a hose on the sticking caliper bleeder screw,(other end of hose in jar) and see if pressure is released. If it does release you, may have a flapper in your brake line. Just something to check cuz I imagine your getting pretty frustrated by now. Good luck with that.

Take care and ride safe eh!!:D
 
Chopper said:
Safehavan while the swishing noise is common, it's also to what degree is it. If a brake rotor gets hot and warps the noise can be louder. One simple check for that is to pull the brake lever and note how much travel it has, then roll the bike 10 feet with out touching the brake, now pull the brake lever, does it have anymore travel then it did the first time?
If it does your brake rotor is warped, it pushes the brake piston in farther at the warp point which requires more lever travel.
Click to expand...

Hey Chopper,

Thanks for the heads up on how to test for wrapped rotors. I'll check this tonight.

One more question, does the fact that I'm having a floating rotor on my front brake change anything? As I see it, the fact that the actual brake disk can move laterally to the rotor (a bit) would mean it might influence this test..

More info tomorrow.

Take care,
 
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