Warped Front Rotors?

[RKTNMYPKT]

Lupe been around your bike???
you might have harley rotors on it now...
Just kiddin' Jim,
Honestly, that sounds bogus to me.
The tech didn't mic em and said it "might be" the problem.
they'd have to get red hot to warp.
If you got brake pads left, they ain't been red hot.
I'd take it somewhere else.
You said you recently started having trouble with your front brakes.
What exactly?
not working, slipping when you apply pressure,
a metal on metal sound as the wheel goes round?
what exactly makes you think something is wrong,
could be something as simple as old bad fluid, or a bubble,
without some details it's kinda hard to tell,
but I'm saying the rotors "might NOT be" the problem.
I'm still blaming it on Lupe till we find out where he was when it started acting up...

The best way to describe the problem is a slight vibration when applying the brakes at speed, and when coming to a stop it doesnt do so smoothly, it actually does feel like something is warped, or has a high spot. and my first thought when I felt it was "I wonder if I have a bent rotor"
There is plenty of pad left
and there is not any grinding or metal on metal sounds. I always downshift when slowing, I've never even had an oh SH*T moment where I've had to grab a handful of front brake. Could it be in the Calipers, maybe grabbing and releasing
Since I first noticed the problem last week I cant actually blame Lupe, although he did drink all of our Lemonade!

 

[ruzzle]

Even glazed pads will "grab" a bit. Pull 'em out, rough 'em up. Give the rotors a good rub with wet & dry paper, maybe 180/360 grade, best to hold the paper on a cork block against the rotor & spin the wheel. Don't forget the in-side of the rotor.

Give the rotors a good drink of brake-clean spray.

See what happens then.... send me the thousand bucks if it works.....

 

[Kmutt]

The front rotors on the touring are full floating........they rest on pins that are attached to the rotor hub......if the pins are very dirty your rotor no longer floats......a very thourough cleaning of the front rotors and the little places in between may yield positive results....I would try this first as its free......then start diagnosing the vibration..........if the calipers drag then the constant heat could warp the rotors over time........and I would NOT buy anything from that dealer....their prices are highway robbery. Even breaking down the rotors and stripping it to make sure its clean might not be a bad idea.......its just nuts and bolts! Keep us posted

mutt

 

[RKTNMYPKT]

Anyone know if the bolts need to be torqued when reinstalling the rotors? or just tightened evenly?

 

[Kmutt]

Yeah.......you should torque them just for piece of mind........if your a good wrench then some things can go without torquing but if your capable but dont really do it alot, i would torque.....somethings can be easily broken if over torqued or fall out when under torqued

mutt

 

[CanberraR3]

The front rotors on the touring are full floating........they rest on pins that are attached to the rotor hub......if the pins are very dirty your rotor no longer floats......a very thourough cleaning of the front rotors and the little places in between may yield positive results....I would try this first as its free......then start diagnosing the vibration..........if the calipers drag then the constant heat could warp the rotors over time........and I would NOT buy anything from that dealer....their prices are highway robbery. Even breaking down the rotors and stripping it to make sure its clean might not be a bad idea.......its just nuts and bolts! Keep us posted

mutt

That was occurring to me too. You should be able to wiggle them a tiny bit.

 

[Kmutt]

That was occurring to me too. You should be able to wiggle them a tiny bit.

Yes you should........hey rktpkt.....check to see if the rotors wiggle. just grab them from the top and try to move them back and forth....they should wiggle! hehe that sounds funny!

mutt

 

[RKTNMYPKT]

Ok I went out to the garage, got a chair, sat down next to the bike, I poked, prodded, and looked around and even got my fingers dirty, came to the conclusion I didnt know what the hell I was doing and came back in the house and cracked a beer...........

My wife is still laughing





what the hell I'm looking at here?

What can I take apart and check and still be able to ride on Sunday

 

[mexican]

Ok I went out to the garage, got a chair, sat down next to the bike, I poked, prodded, and looked around and even got my fingers dirty, came to the conclusion I didnt know what the hell I was doing and came back in the house and cracked a beer...........

My wife is still laughing





what the hell I'm looking at here?

What can I take apart and check and still be able to ride on Sunday

Jim, i have a set of front brakes in my bag, lets put them on before the ride, lets see if that cures the problem, it will take only about 5 minutes to install them

 

[N2toys]

The front rotors on the touring are full floating........they rest on pins that are attached to the rotor hub......if the pins are very dirty your rotor no longer floats......a very thourough cleaning of the front rotors and the little places in between may yield positive results....I would try this first as its free......then start diagnosing the vibration..........if the calipers drag then the constant heat could warp the rotors over time........and I would NOT buy anything from that dealer....their prices are highway robbery. Even breaking down the rotors and stripping it to make sure its clean might not be a bad idea.......its just nuts and bolts! Keep us posted

mutt

Hey, my first post and I believe he is onto something here. I've done many more track days than road miles and think your buttons on the floating rotors may be locked up as said. Take some brake clean and spray them until they float back and forth. Have had to do this many times with good results. Cheap fix -hope it works. It's only brake dust.