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front wheel sound

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weldbead

Member
when i am walking my bike out of her shed, i can hear a rubbing sound in the front wheel . the brake doesnt seem to be the cause because i hear the sound with or without applying front brake..im thinking wheel bearings?
any suggestions would be appreciated. the noise is not bad, but iwonder should it be there at all
thanks,
 
If you lightly apply the brakes does the noise stop? It could be the brake pads are not retracting all the way. They cause a swishing noise. A good cleaning of the calipers pistons will surely cure it. Bearings would be more of a crunching, grinding noise.
 
Does it seem to have a little drag on it, brake shoe sticking against rotor? Look a the caliper and see if the pad is rubbing, take the caliper off and check to see if the pad is stuck, may need to just lubricate the slide or the piston could be stuck.
A possibility of bearings? You could raise the wheel up and see if there is any side to side movement, if so I would think the bearings are worn and need replacement.

Bodeen was posting as I was, check what he said.
 
i'vr got almost 5000 miles on since her i got her last june and the pads it came with still look thick enough..they could definitely be resting on the caliper based on what im hearing.
its a quiet rubbing,swishing sound. definitely not a grind. i will look through the service manual and see if it tells me how to clean up the caliper. but right now its 70 degrees and im goin out to ride.
thanks all, be safe
 
weldbead said:
many thanks.seems the service manual does not address anything beyond pad changes.
Click to expand...

i have discovered that the above statement is incorrect. if you look up brakes or brake pads in the index,you are referred to the (minimal) info given in the maintenance section 1 . thumbing through the manual in section 2 Chassis t here is a lot more detailed info which would permit the cleaning that hopefully resolves the sticky piston .
Another question..the lever generates pressure through the master cylinder which pushes the piston and pads to the rotor. What makes the piston move back when you release the lever?
 
weldbead said:
i have discovered that the above statement is incorrect. if you look up brakes or brake pads in the index,you are referred to the (minimal) info given in the maintenance section 1 . thumbing through the manual in section 2 Chassis t here is a lot more detailed info which would permit the cleaning that hopefully resolves the sticky piston .
Another question..the lever generates pressure through the master cylinder which pushes the piston and pads to the rotor. What makes the piston move back when you release the lever?
Click to expand...

Simply put lack of fluid pressure. When you release the pressure on your brake the piston retracts slightly.
 
Which is why when the pistons have dirt build up, it wont allow them to retract that little bit too make the sound stop.
 
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