Pulsing brakes | GTAMotorcycle.com

Pulsing brakes

J

jc100

Well-known member
Thinking about getting things ready for the season and last year I had a pulsing front brake problem. I swapped out the old pads for new ones and I’m fairly sure I bedded them in properly but I still had the issue. I’m trying to remember when it occurs but I’m fairly sure it’s more noticeable later on in the ride and when braking from high speeds. It “feels” like I imagine warped rotors might feel but I can’t see any evidence of warping when I spin the front wheel.

I've sanded the rotors with a coarse grit pad (on the bike) and that does seem to help a little for a bit but it may be my imagination too.

Before I splurge on front rotors (which are way pricier than I thought they would be) is there anything else to try? On the forums for my bike (KTM super adventure) there does seem to have been an issue with bad OEM rotors warping, but I’m out of OEM warranty and I doubt my aftermarket one would cover this as they are wear items.

If I have to go the replacement route....any particular brand to try or stay away from for rotors? I see I can get Brembo “Oro” ones from Europe for a little less than $200 CDN each. Galfer ones look like Unicorn horn prices. Motomaster look to be an alternative.
 
Are your wheel bearings perfect ? Brakes will suck if wheel bearings are not perfect.
 
I've never seen rotors warped enough I could see the warp (sometimes patchy buildup, but I can't see a warp). Dial indicator and a spin may tell you if you have something warped (are they floating?)
 
Trials said:
Are your wheel bearings perfect ? Brakes will suck if wheel bearings are not perfect.
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Pretty sure they are ok. I had issues with tires and rims way way back so the dealer paid a lot of attention to those to make them right. I don’t think I’ve done anything dumb since to crap them up.
 
GreyGhost said:
I've never seen rotors warped enough I could see the warp (sometimes patchy buildup, but I can't see a warp). Dial indicator and a spin may tell you if you have something warped (are they floating?)
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Yes floating. I started to clean the bobbins up in case there’s not enough play.
 
jc100 said:
Pretty sure they are ok. I had issues with tires and rims way way back so the dealer paid a lot of attention to those to make them right. I don’t think I’ve done anything dumb since to crap them up.
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Water. That's what destroys wheel bearings. If they are not full of grease or oil then they have room to have water in them.
Elevate the wheel and give it a serious wiggle in all directions to see if you can detect any play anywhere.

Ever use a pressure washer on your bike?
 
Trials said:
Water. That's what destroys wheel bearings. If they are not full of grease or oil then they have room to have water in them.
Elevate the wheel and give it a serious wiggle in all directions to see if you can detect any play anywhere.

Ever use a pressure washer on your bike?
Click to expand...
I went through a set of front bearings on the Ape in 20,000 km. Never near a pressure washer. They're heavy and take a beating.
 
Bent rotor will also cause more travel in the lever as it would tend to push the caliper piston back
 
Trials said:
Water. That's what destroys wheel bearings. If they are not full of grease or oil then they have room to have water in them.
Elevate the wheel and give it a serious wiggle in all directions to see if you can detect any play anywhere.

Ever use a pressure washer on your bike?
Click to expand...

I do but not near the bearings.
 
Its a warped disc/s.
 
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jc100 said:
If I have to go the replacement route....any particular brand to try or stay away from for rotors? I see I can get Brembo “Oro” ones from Europe for a little less than $200 CDN each. Galfer ones look like Unicorn horn prices. Motomaster look to be an alternative.
Click to expand...
I bought a set of Brembo Serie Oro discs for my track bike recently, as new OEM discs were insanely expensive. They're designed to be an OEM equivalent, whereas the Super Sport and T-Drive lines are designed for track use. Mine are fully floating, but I know some of the Serie Oro models aren't, typically matching the OEM layout.

The quality seems excellent, but I haven't actually used them yet. Just be cautious about ordering from eBay or unreputable sellers, as there are fake Brembo discs out there which could be quite dangerous. I got mine from Carpi Moto, though payment is a bit complicated as some credit cards don't work with their online system. Here's the only legit review I could find online:

Product review: Brembo Serie Oro Discs

The only brand I avoid is EBC, as I've heard too many horror stories about them wearing or warping quickly. The Galfer and Braking options were too expensive for what they offer beyond wacky petal or wave shapes, I think. If I wanted a better disc, I would have gone with the Brembo Super Sport first...
 
jc100 said:
Thinking about getting things ready for the season and last year I had a pulsing front brake problem. I swapped out the old pads for new ones and I’m fairly sure I bedded them in properly but I still had the issue. I’m trying to remember when it occurs but I’m fairly sure it’s more noticeable later on in the ride and when braking from high speeds. It “feels” like I imagine warped rotors might feel but I can’t see any evidence of warping when I spin the front wheel.

I've sanded the rotors with a coarse grit pad (on the bike) and that does seem to help a little for a bit but it may be my imagination too.

Before I splurge on front rotors (which are way pricier than I thought they would be) is there anything else to try? On the forums for my bike (KTM super adventure) there does seem to have been an issue with bad OEM rotors warping, but I’m out of OEM warranty and I doubt my aftermarket one would cover this as they are wear items.

If I have to go the replacement route....any particular brand to try or stay away from for rotors? I see I can get Brembo “Oro” ones from Europe for a little less than $200 CDN each. Galfer ones look like Unicorn horn prices. Motomaster look to be an alternative.
Click to expand...
Sorry, no advice to offer. I have 5 bikes with dual/triple disks from ‘75 to ‘16. Never had that problem.

I guess the Japanese figured that out in the 60s.
 
Priller said:
I bought a set of Brembo Serie Oro discs for my track bike recently, as new OEM discs were insanely expensive. They're designed to be an OEM equivalent, whereas the Super Sport and T-Drive lines are designed for track use. Mine are fully floating, but I know some of the Serie Oro models aren't, typically matching the OEM layout.

The quality seems excellent, but I haven't actually used them yet. Just be cautious about ordering from eBay or unreputable sellers, as there are fake Brembo discs out there which could be quite dangerous. I got mine from Carpi Moto, though payment is a bit complicated as some credit cards don't work with their online system. Here's the only legit review I could find online:

Product review: Brembo Serie Oro Discs

The only brand I avoid is EBC, as I've heard too many horror stories about them wearing or warping quickly. The Galfer and Braking options were too expensive for what they offer beyond wacky petal or wave shapes, I think. If I wanted a better disc, I would have gone with the Brembo Super Sport first...
Click to expand...

Carpimoto was where I was looking too. 183 euros I think they were for one. I’ve bought from them before a long time ago so no issues with this vendor. My OEM rotors are Brembo (brakes are brembo too) so that’s the only reason why I’m hesitant.
 
Mad Mike said:
Sorry, no advice to offer. I have 5 bikes with dual/triple disks from ‘75 to ‘16. Never had that problem.

I guess the Japanese figured that out in the 60s.
Click to expand...

Me neither...this is new to me but then again none of my other bikes were 1300cc 150hp behemoths.

There is one bad habit I have that I will change that was mentioned to me in a PM. Holding the bike on the brake just after using them when they may be a bit hot...I’d read about “imprinting” on the rotors and I may be doing a bit of that.
 
jc100 said:
Me neither...this is new to me but then again none of my other bikes were 1300cc 150hp behemoths.

There is one bad habit I have that I will change that was mentioned to me in a PM. Holding the bike on the brake just after using them when they may be a bit hot...I’d read about “imprinting” on the rotors and I may be doing a bit of that.
Click to expand...
The good thing is that one is reasonably easy to train yourself out of. In any vehicle I drive/ride, after a hard stop I let it roll forward a bit to avoid trapping heat in one section of the rotor.
 
jc100 said:
Me neither...this is new to me but then again none of my other bikes were 1300cc 150hp behemoths.

There is one bad habit I have that I will change that was mentioned to me in a PM. Holding the bike on the brake just after using them when they may be a bit hot...I’d read about “imprinting” on the rotors and I may be doing a bit of that.
Click to expand...
Brakes have more to do with bike mass and riding style. My bikes are 400-650 lbs plus fat me and gear. My 75 Honda has fat undrilled OE rotors that are true as day one. My FJR and Busa did their fair share of red hot braking and they too are true.

As with most things Euro designed, dependability engineering falls lower on the priority list.

You signed up for the higher maint cost, just bite the bullet and fork out a days pay to get things right.
 
jc100 said:
Carpimoto was where I was looking too.
Click to expand...
If you go with them and none of your credit cards work with their payment system (mine didn't), TransferWise works for payment. I was nervous about plugging my bank info into an app previously unknown to me, but it's what they suggested and worked fine. Just quadruple check all the account numbers...
 
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