front end confidence

[NiteW4tcher]

hi

i have absolutley no confidence in my front end.

i had my wheel straightened which i thought was the problem. its still there.

would warped brake discs cause any issues ..when not braking??

the front just seems so skittish and wanders wide in corners and around town it just feels like the front isnt going where the rest of the bike is.

if anything id say the head bearings r shot....but i just had them replaced :(

when i turn the wheel by hand i can feel it has tight spots where i really have to make a effort to move the wheel around to the next point where it is smooth (which to me suggests something is bent) but if i take calipers off the wheel is free to move all the way.

the forks are due a re-build (as with most of the bike lol)

i have had the tyre checked by local firm who says its wearing fine and see's no signs of damadge or defect

help please guys its doing my nut in >:( :(


Dan

[newnut]

you say when you take the calipers off it goes away, what about when you try one off at a time? havent pulled away with a disc lock on recently have you?
take a look at ya pads, are they wearing evenly? maybe one side is sticking?

[470four]

Spin the front wheel and see if the pads are binding on the discs, any doubt drop the wheel out & remove the discs, checking each one for flatness by holding then against a suitably flat level surface (window...) any discrepancy will show as gaps / ablity to "roll" the disc - if they are bent / warped it would cause the above problems, seized calipers would cause the brake to stick on regardless of position.

The bikes engine will push the bike along even with severe binding, this will of course cause overheating / pad glazing & go towards boiling your brake fluid - not recommended... ;)

[NiteW4tcher]

i have not tried with one off and one on i will do that.....no dont have a disc lock.

i cleaned up my pistons and calipers the other day and they operate fine...pads r pretty crap i must admit....discs ahve done @ least 13k

[470four]

& DONT pull the front brake lever if one or more caliper's is not on the disc (we've all done it... :D)

At best you will have to push your pistons & pads back in, repeat offending will pump the piston out completely pushing brake fluid all over your disc / pads / foot and you to swear like a ******* ***** ****

Oh yes.

[NiteW4tcher]

if it is a brake issue.....would this cause lack of grip....or what feels lack of grip??

[470four]

if it is a brake issue.....would this cause lack of grip....or what feels lack of grip??

Wouldnt help... when you brake the bike usually tries to right itself, a half-on brake would make the front push over any bad road surface (gravel, wet covers/lines etc)

Any contamination on the tyre? Has somebody had a play with the suspension settings that you know of?

(Tyre pressure?) ;)

Terrible vagueness with the Ducati when I got it, just didnt feel planted? One new tyre later and it is SWEET. 8-)

[NiteW4tcher]

i have considered changign the tyre but funs mean i cant......the suspension hasnt been played with but the forks are way over due a fluid change

[470four]

Is this a recent problem or has it been this way for a while / got worse?

Kind greasy out yesterday which didnt help - back wheel slides can be fun, front wheel slides can be painful...

Got my new front tyre on eBay for £22. :)

[NiteW4tcher]

22 quid?? will a
have to search about well it was there for about 2 months then i realised my front wheel was buckled.....assumed that was the problem got it back

but it just doesnt feel planted at all. i may replace pads/discs and see where that takes me......but dnt have the cash atm :(

[470four]

Do you know if somebody else with an identical bike you could swap front wheels with for 20 minutes??

[newnut]

good advise using glass to check your discs there by 470four, although use a mirror as these are perfectly flat, windows arnt always, trust me im a window fitter. when the wheel was straightened were the discs mounted correctly? clean contact areas before reinstalling them after the mirror flatness test. the fact the wheel turns freely without the calipers would suggest it is your disc or discs mate. how badly was the wheel hit, maybe the hub is out of line now.

[wiggy]

22 quid?? will a
have to search about well it was there for about 2 months then i realised my front wheel was buckled.....assumed that was the problem got it back

but it just doesnt feel planted at all. i may replace pads/discs and see where that takes me......but dnt have the cash atm :(
Ask Jaydee if he has anything your size in the dunlop i have is fantastic .£30 fitted cant go wrong .supa sticky to . ;)

[wiggy]

Sounds mostly like warped disks to me ,and the on off on off drag you feel would upset the suspention to a degree and give you an odd feeling at the bars , personly is bin the front wheel and disks and buy a differnt one from ebay , and run that , not sure id want to risk a repaired cast wheel , not like rim and spokes .hope you get it fixed . >:(

[NiteW4tcher]

unfortunatlety im not in a situation to just bin the wheel and buy a new one :(

and as for not trusting a straightened wheel....i dont belive a company as large as motoliner who deals with racers would do something that isnt safe. i will ask JD about a tyre though and ill check the discs for warping

[newnut]

if it spins freely without the calipers, how's it the tire?

[NiteW4tcher]

this is true.......im going down the brake disc route i think...

[Scotty]

It's blindingly obvious that if it binds intermittently with the brake calipers and pads fitted, you have a bent brake disc - did it get a whack when the wheel got bent? Normally with a warped disc you'll feel the lever pulsing when you pull on it. This sounds more than slightly warped though if it binds that much.

[NiteW4tcher]

when i brake especially at low speeds ie coming up to junctions...the bike becomes very unsettled and rather than coming to a nice controlled stop the bars go all wobbly and i have to put both feet down sharpish :o

[470four]

when i brake especially at low speeds ie coming up to junctions...the bike becomes very unsettled and rather than coming to a nice controlled stop the bars go all wobbly and i have to put both feet down sharpish :o

Errrm

You need to do something about this sharpish... wobbly bars may also indicate slack head bearings / wheel bearings??

[NiteW4tcher]

yeah i know mate................head bearings are knoew but i will check for tightness.

wheel bearings did spring to mind. for the cost of them i will replace them anyhow

[Jon_W]

Have you checked your headstock since the bearings were replaced. What you are describing sounds like a loose headstock. The bearings may have settled and need a bit of tightening.

[470four]

Have you checked your headstock since the bearings were replaced. What you are describing sounds like a loose headstock. The bearings may have settled and need a bit of tightening.

+1

After a while the new bearings will settle, meaning another nipup is needed...

Put your front brake on at standstill & push the bars hard back & forth - any major play will show up as "clack" in the headset... or get a ratchet strap around the headstock & a garage roof beam & raise the front end up.

[simongpz]

It's blindingly obvious that if it binds intermittently with the brake calipers and pads fitted, you have a bent brake disc - did it get a whack when the wheel got bent? Normally with a warped disc you'll feel the lever pulsing when you pull on it. This sounds more than slightly warped though if it binds that much.
Id agree with that defenatly brake disc knakered

[jonnydangerous]

yeah, ask JD, he may have something nice and sticky :-)
whats on there at the mo? is it "triangled" off???....

when you buckled the wheel, was there a MAJOR impact? i have known another GSXR thats broken a fork spring before through a front smack, handled like a sick pig... :-(

it does sound like you have a buckled disk tho, ride up the road and really gently apply the brakes, can you feel it pumping back to the lever? or grabbing and letting go of the disk?..

[NiteW4tcher]

there is something i ahve noticed..............sometimes (not everytime) when i am on the brakes i get a click....but then sometimes i think the click was when i turned the bars...i cant determine where it comes from because it only happens every so often. im pretty skint atm so new discs are off agenda......so the bike is just sitting there because i aint gonna ride it.

[NiteW4tcher]

oh and the front tyre is a maxxis sport mate..........never liked it tbh but if there is another problem i cannot outright blame the tyre

[jonnydangerous]

click noise could be the pads moving just a weee bit in the caliper when they contact the disk, or it could be a broken spring.....
very very uncommon to break a spring tho....

[jonnydangerous]

was it the same tyre that you buckled the wheel with???...if so it needs changing VERY sharpish!....
some times you cant even see the damage to the tyre...

pop on over, il have something that you can have cheap...