I took my front end apart a few weeks ago to change the fork oil and grease my steering head bearings. Well after assembling I spun the front wheel while it was off the stand and noticed my brakes seemed to be dragging. So I inspected the pads and cleaned them up along with cleaning and greasing the brake slider pins and pad pin really well. I also made sure the forks were aligned. On the axle. Still seemed to be dragging some. Maybe not as bad but still more than I think it should so yesterday I bought new pad (ebc hh) and put them on and double checking everything. The rotors are not scored and are well within specs and don't seem to be warped in any way. The bike has never been down nor abused and when you turn the wheel the dragging is constant not like a bent or warped rotor were it drags more in one area. All I can think is maybe a piston is sticking or maybe that's how its suppose to bbe???? Any ideas or if anyone else has had this problem I would really appreciate some help. Oh it is a 98 vfr with about 25,000 miles. Thanks
Some light drag is normal......or you might need new seals, but you could try giving the pistons a good cleaning and lube with brake fluid. Remove pads, force both pistons out about 3/4 of their length, use toothbrush or scotchbrite to clean them and the nearby area, then lube well with brake fluid and use a C-clamp to push the pistons back. Do a couple of repeats of moving the pistons out, lubing with caliper held so that pistons are up, and pushing them back in, and if you notice that it's gotten easier to move them, your issue is probably resolved. Hold the calipers so that brake fluid seeps down into the bore of the caliper, and clean up any fluid before you replace pads. Be sure the proper springs are in place and that the pad retaining pin is free of any deep grooves. Also, after you've lubed the slider pins, move the caliper and carrier through the range of motion a few times to distribute the grease. This is all part of a periodic brake tune up, along with sanding the pad and rotor surface, one or two squeese bleeding operation, and wiping the rotor with acetone to remove road grease. Cost down after a ride and lightly touch your rotors to find any serious brake drag. Anything hot to the touch needs further attention. How many miles on your bike ?? Over about 35,000 miles your headset bearings may need replacement if they haven't already been done.
thanks a lot. I will try cleaning them like you said. I would assume by putting new pads in you are actually using the part of the piston that use to stick out some? Which the other pads were also fairly new they may have had 2000 miles on them and it could have been dragging some then as well. How much drag would be acceptable? Say a good push on the wheel may turn it a few times or ??? Thanks again
If your brake system is up to snuff - you dont really have to take a ride but if you want to, after a spirited ride jack the bike up under the zorst system and spin the wheel. It should spin freely with no more force than an octogenerian could generate. If not, you have one piston or more that is not re-tracting, which spells a tear down of your calipers and a good cleaning. What happens is after a number of years, and we are tawking decades here. Shit forms behind the seals and prevents the pistons from re-tracting after you apply the brakes. Brake fluid is nasty shit, that along with anti-freeze and battery acid are my favorite things to play with. NOT...anyway, if you do the service you will be breaking your arm patting yourself on your back at your new found brake prowess. Very satisfying...
