2005 ZX10R Front End Diagnosis | GTAMotorcycle.com

2005 ZX10R Front End Diagnosis

S

schmity

Member
Hey guys,

Been a while since I've posted. Need some communal help in trouble shooting my 2005 ZX10R. I love my Gen1s, owned 2 prior to this and never had this issue before.

Here's the issue:
Its got what seems like a bent rotor on braking. Wheel up on the front stand sounds causes the pads on the left side to click clack on every rotation.

Under braking I get pulsing under most situations. Occasionally riding quickly into turns I can load the front end in such a way that causes it to not pulse (weird). Straight ahead braking always causes it to pulse. No pulsing or vibrations under accleration.

When it appeared:
Shortly after installing aftermarket steel braided lines where I got more pressure to the calipers (2005 10Rs are known for weak braking systems). Bike was laid down at low speed (parking lot) when I bought it by the previous owner, but the damage looked stricly cosmetic on left side.

What's been done to rectify:
- 2 sets of brand new rotors with pads (1 x OEM 300mm and 1 set of 310mm 14r rotors)
- Brakes fully bled 3 times
- Upgraded to a set of 2012 ZX14R calipers (brake warble happened on stock rotors too)
- Rebuilt forks
- New bearings on all wheels and steering head (bike has 16,000kms - did this out of desperation to fix the issue), front bearings and steering head are stock

Possible remaining causes:
My last and only idea is that the rim rotor mount is somehow damaged.

Are there any very trusting riders in the Hamilton area who would be willing to stop by and let me use your front wheel for 15-20 minutes to see if the issue is rim or something else? I'll do an oil change on your bike as a thank you with some Motul (or similar brand) and filter.

I just don't want to replace my rim and have overlooked the actual issue. Rims ain't cheap.

Thanks,

Schmity.
 
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@Brian P knows a hell of a lot about that bike. Hopefully he has some wisdom.

I assume that the triples were loosened when the forks were rebuilt? If there was some tension in there, it could cause some issues.
 
Put an indicator on the rotors and see if there's any runout.
 
GreyGhost said:
@Brian P knows a hell of a lot about that bike. Hopefully he has some wisdom.

I assume that the triples were loosened when the forks were rebuilt? If there was some tension in there, it could cause some issues.
Click to expand...

There's a proper tightening sequence. Axle, bottom clamp, top clamp
 
- Forks removed from triples during service. **Front end has been fully disassembled by myself and a shop. They said it was possibly the rotors.
- Service was performed by Grand Valley Powersports (they did a grade A job, problem just wasn't what I requested they fix, as I was conviced it *HAD* to be the bearings).
- Rotors are brand new about 50-60kms on the breakin. Still just starting to wiggle. After putting everything back together it feels ok (almost muted). As everything losens over a few kms, the wiggling becomes more pronounced.
- Proper tightening sequence (following many examples from Dave Moss, etc) by myself and Grand River followed, many many times lol.

Weird eh?

I am genuinely confused now.
 
FullMotoJacket said:
Put an indicator on the rotors and see if there's any runout.
Click to expand...
Interesting the bike was dropped on the left side and it's the left front brake you're having issues with, in spite of changing out rotors and calipers. I'd also check the runout on the rim on the outside edge as well as where the rotor(s) mount.

When you did your fork rebuild did you check for tube straightness? Is it possible that the left tube is very slightly tweaked? If so then the left caliper is not in line with the rotor and you'd get pulsation. Also check axle for straightness.
 
schmity said:
- Forks removed from triples during service. **Front end has been fully disassembled by myself and a shop. They said it was possibly the rotors.
- Service was performed by Grand Valley Powersports (they did a grade A job, problem just wasn't what I requested they fix, as I was conviced it *HAD* to be the bearings).
- Rotors are brand new about 50-60kms on the breakin. Still just starting to wiggle. After putting everything back together it feels ok (almost muted). As everything losens over a few kms, the wiggling becomes more pronounced.
- Proper tightening sequence (following many examples from Dave Moss, etc) by myself and Grand River followed, many many times lol.

Weird eh?

I am genuinely confused now.
Click to expand...
for all thats been done - makes me think something is bent. fork tube, axle, triple tree, wheel...?
 
Could the brake disc mounting hub of the wheel be bent?
 
Wingboy said:
Could the brake disc mounting hub of the wheel be bent?
Click to expand...
That should be easy to measure. Has someone checked runout? Misalignment of something is harder to see and/or measure.

I've never tried it, but sharpie over the disc and then slow spin by hand with light brake pressure could give you an idea of contact. Second step would be same thing on pads but I dont love the idea of putting sharpie all over pads, maybe use a old set?
 
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New rim from Kawasaki is about $670++. Not good, but not terrible.

Don't see any visible irregularities with the current rim or the mounting of the rotor.
 
Agreed.

Comparing rotor wear, everything looks even.

Only thing that's cheap to replace is the brake pad spring. My last 2004 didn't have them in, pads would rattle but I don't recall any braking anomalies.

Worth grabbing these to see?

I have a spare 2012 ZX14R radial master cylinder I'm going to put on in the mean time. It's sitting on the shelf collecting dust....

Le sigh.
 

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While you would have to be careful and it isn't the best plan ever, you could figure out a temporary setup to allow you to run a single disc at a time. That could isolate the problem to a single side (or confirm both sides). I'll leave ways to do this up to you. Don't crash.
 
Alright, a little bit of handyman schmity today. Been busy with work and family, no time to bust out wrenches until today.

Got the 14R master cylinder mounted (so now both calipers and master are 14R) and they bite like a hardened pit bull. Insane combination with the steel braided lines.

On the ride I noticed after resetting the front:

If I transfer my weight, similar to a stoppie when braking, no wobble.

If I sit back in a more neutral upright position, get some wobbling from the front.

Coming to a stop below 20kph, slight pulsing.

Any chance I've got the suspension all kooky? I'll take pics of specs....

🤔
 
schmity said:
Alright, a little bit of handyman schmity today. Been busy with work and family, no time to bust out wrenches until today.

Got the 14R master cylinder mounted (so now both calipers and master are 14R) and they bite like a hardened pit bull. Insane combination with the steel braided lines.

On the ride I noticed after resetting the front:

If I transfer my weight, similar to a stoppie when braking, no wobble.

If I sit back in a more neutral upright position, get some wobbling from the front.

Coming to a stop below 20kph, slight pulsing.

🤔
Click to expand...
So it seems to be affected by suspension loading? That would lead me to look at forks/triples/bearings but you have already torn all those apart. What about tires? Have you changed the tire in all of this mess?
 
This problem with the wobbling appeared prior to any work on the forks.

6'5" 230lb rider.

Suspension:

Rebuilt front end, fresh oil and racetech 1kg springs. New bearings on wheel and head. Its been fully disassembled and reset, in the hopes of alleviating the wobble.

Preload: 6 open rings.
Damping: 9 clicks firm (out of 18) which gives me 1 inch off full compression under maximum braking.
Rebound: 3 clicks closed (from what I can understand keeping it open or close to wide open helps the forks feel more planted).

Zip ties have identical measurements of travel after riding.
 

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