Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech pulsating front brakes

I have an 07 sm. I only have about 1300or so miles on it and I've only had it about 3 weeks. I'm getting an annoying pulse in the front end when braking. hard brake, light brake, any brake.

The router shouldn't be warped this soon!!!! anyone else have this happen to them? bad pads, silly adjustment or something like that??????

any insight would be appreciated.

yup! and YES your rotor could very WELL be warped that soon...If you trust your dealer go right there and have them look at it...if NOT then Call Shelly at Second wind she KNOWS this happens (I'm on my SECOND Triumph Rotor under warantee)

There is another active thread. Back to the Triumph factory re front rotors.
Im a bit shocked it is a problem with the 07 bikes.

Check out the writing to Mr Triumph post. I need info from everybody on this.

I squeezed down pretty hard on my fronts and slightly warped 'em many miles ago. I had no idea warranty may cover them. I figured I'd hear a "It's your fault" song & dance, Canton Cycles style. Then there's the - Can I trust the dealer to put them back on in a correct manner horror stories I've read in here, and figured to heck with it. When I wear them out, someone will hopefully have a reasonably priced correct pair.

First, I'm a relative newby here, and I know many of you have more experience with these bikes than I do, but what you're describing may not be warpage. Over the years I've been subjected to the front end wobble of various vehicles, so I've tried to pay attention to any information that might help explain what causes this and how to avoid it.

The best explanation I've come across is that the pulsation is caused not by a deformation, but rather by the uneven transfer of material from the pad to the rotor. This is usually caused by one or more high speed or prolonged braking events. After the calipers, pads, and rotors get really hot, we often bring the vehicle to a complete stop and hold the brake. This effectively means the hot pad is compressed against the rotor which causes a transfer of material. From that point on, when you apply the brake, the rotor no longer has a consistent, smooth surface. What you have is a rotor that is clean in some places, but has various layers of pad material that is 'baked' onto the surface. This varies the friction against the pads and is what causes the uneven pulsation most of us refer to as a warped rotor.

So what to do? Again, I'm no expert, but the first requirement is to get a clean, even rotor surface. 'Turning' the rotors certainly is an option, but there are also surfacing wheels that can be used with a drill to clean them up somewhat and may be sufficient. Once the surface is in shape, try a different pad and most importantly, change your braking habit. Get in the habit of not coming to a complete stop right away if you can avoid it. Try to slow almost to a stop a couple of vehicle lengths before you reach the point you intend to actually stop. Allow the vehicle to slowly move forward for that last few feet, and you've given the brakes a chance to cool down by distributing the heat around the entire surface of the rotor. Once stopped, don't squeeze the brake any harder than necessary to hold the vehicle in place. Traffic conditions won't always allow you to follow this routine, but I've found it somewhat easier on the bike than in my cars because the automatic transmissions require you hold the brake, whereas the bikes don't really require any more brake pressure than what is needed to keep the brake light switch activated. I've pretty much made this gradual stopping process a matter of habit, and I've not experienced a pulsing brake pedal on any of my vehicles in many years.

Again, I claim no particular expertise, and this explanation didn't originate with me. Just trying to pass along something that seemed like a logical argument when I first read it and my experience tells me this is a better explanation for brake pulsation than 'warped' rotors.

Gary

I'm not trying to argue with you, and braking habits is a fine thing, until Bambi tries to fling herself to the duty of fender ornament, which is what caused mine to go south. 10,000 miles later, the fronts still wobble a bit during brake cycles. I'm waiting until the pads need changing to turn or replace the rotors. The wobble is slight and livable as is.

SpeedyKiwi, You point us to a different thread with no link. LOL

RobBA05, I spoke with carlo at riverside.....he's already had 4 bikes with the same trouble...."you need new discs" he said.

This is a know problem, but they are having problems sorting out the cause. They have had a number of members bikes in the factory for study. They tried a thicker rotor, but it doesn't seem to have completely cured the problem. It doesn't seem to happen on all bikes, but that could just be the riding habits of the owners. For example, mine has been just fine for nearly 4 years now, but I was used to riding an old Ironhead sportster, so I ride as if I don't have any useful brakes.
If your dealer is worth their pay, they will replace the warped rotor free. Otherwise, you would do well to get this kit. http://www.newspeedmaster.com/html/ebc_brakes.html

UPDATE:

I got the 2 front discs replaced under warantee and all is good now.

Gary has a very interesting theory about this. He may just be right. Also, I have had my TBA for 5 years and have not had any brake pulsating problems, but I brake conservatively as well. I am well aware of not wanting hot brakes or fading.