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2015 Brakes Making Noise

18K views 64 replies 24 participants last post by  Kris 
#1 ·
I'm coming up on 400 miles on my new 2015 V 650 and the brakes occasionally make a groaning sound. That's the best I can describe it. It's like the rotors are rubbing against the pads when not in use. It's intermittent, though. It has done this since new and the dealer said it would go away once the brakes were worn in. Not so sure. Anyone else experiencing this?
 
#4 ·
Hello,

Try driving the bike for a little bit and toward the end of the ride avoid using the brake in question (if both are making noise then just use 1), once you park & dismount, give the brake rotor that you wern't using a touch...

If the rotor is hot to the touch, you've got problems... if its warm or cool, I wouldn't worry about it.

My 15' LT has a bit of a groan to it also, I really only hear it when decellerating for a light or something, figured it was a little resonence noise from the front sprocket area.
 
#5 ·
I thought it was coming from the front but when I applied rear braking - the sound disappeared. After using the rear brake a bit more than usual it disappeared until the 600 mile maintenance - it's back now (darn them for adjusting things back to spec!!). I noticed that after a few carefully applied firm rear brakings, it quieted down again.
 
#6 ·
It's perfectly normal. The piston in the caliper pushes the pads into the rotor, when you release the lever the fluid returns to the master cylinder and the piston retracts just a little bit, but there is no spring to make the pads and caliper return, so they drag on the rotor.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Rear brake caliper, caliper holder, pads, and rotor were changed for 2015... No such problems with 2007 to 2014 models. It is possible to retrograde. Problem does seem to be a warped rotor.

"The rear (brake) on my (2015) test bike made an intermittent annoying whiny squeak when applied, and occasionally when not. When my foot was on the pedal, I could feel an accompanying vibration through it (warped rotor). No doubt it's an issue with the particular bike I rode." :rolleyes:

http://www.visordown.com/road-tests...ki-versys-650-review/26203.html#ixzz3di0nYRk9

2014:



2015:

 
#15 ·
Did they remove the rotor from the wheel and put it on a flat plate of steel or glass? That will tell the story, any warp can be detected with feeler gauges.

I also wonder, from the sound on the video, if it is something on the rotor itself. Did you clean everything thoroughly with brake cleaner, wipe with a clean rag and repeat? I know the sound of a brake pad rubbing a disc, and it sure doesn't make that sound. Not convinced that the rotor is warped, but explore all possibilities.

I terms of brake performance, does the brake 'grab' or pulsate when applied?
 
#17 ·
to me it sounds like hard un-even rubbing... if you have an extra set of pads paint the contact surface put them in apply the brakes a few times then spin the tire thru its noisy spot over and over then remove pads and it will show you were its rubbing by the removal of the paint
 
#18 ·
I brought my 2015 650LT in for the same noise. I was told that the brakes were "not properly worn in" and that the pads were "glazed" and that's what was causing the noise. They said that they "cleaned the rotor and pads and properly wore them in". I will be the first to admit that I am mechanically challenged but, this sounds strange to me. What do you folks think?
 
#25 · (Edited by Moderator)
IAMRA

Thanks for passing on the brake rotor bobbins tip.

At 350 km +/-, I was intrigued by the rear disc dragging sound. This morning I decided to look at it more closely.

Runout on the rear disc goes from anywhere from .0000 in. to .0050 at one location. Most of it is between .0000 to .0003, with one location at .0050. This is within the acceptable standard, but close to the .0059 in. limit.



Many times, when I check a fastener on my Versys, it is either over torqued with permanent type lock-tite, or it is bone dry (i.e.: rear axle, etc.). I therefore had to check the rear caliper assembly.
It was immediately clear that the caliper holder bolt, and the rear caliper holder pin were bone dry.





I cleaned these up before applying Permatex Synthetic Ultra Disc Brake Caliper Lube to the above and to the dust boot & friction boot.



The pads didn’t show any evidence of wearing more on one side or the other. They are, after all, brand new.

I could very easily push back the piston into the caliper with my thumbs. I assume that it is functioning properly.

After reassembling the caliper assembly onto the wheel, I went around the block to see if the dragging disappeared. It did for about 100 feet. :(

Oh well, I’ll try a set of organic pads soon. It will be easier on the disc but am not 100% confident that this issue will go away. The disc is warped just enough to be within standard, but also just enough to drag and make intermittent noise.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Take it to Dealer

IAMRA

Thanks for passing on the brake rotor bobbins tip.

At 350 km +/-, I was intrigued by the rear disc dragging sound. This morning I decided to look at it more closely.

Runout on the rear disc goes from anywhere from .0000 in. to .0050 at one location. Most of it is between .0000 to .0003, with one location at .0050. This is within the acceptable standard, but close to the .0059 in. limit.



Many times, when I check a fastener on my Versys, it is either over torqued with permanent type lock-tite, or it is bone dry (i.e.: rear axle, etc.). I therefore had to check the rear caliper assembly.
It was immediately clear that the caliper holder bolt, and the rear caliper holder pin were bone dry.





I cleaned these up before applying Permatex Synthetic Ultra Disc Brake Caliper Lube to the above and to the dust boot & friction boot.



The pads didn’t show any evidence of wearing more on one side or the other. They are, after all, brand new.

I could very easily push back the piston into the caliper with my thumbs. I assume that it is functioning properly.

After reassembling the caliper assembly onto the wheel, I went around the block to see if the dragging disappeared. It did for about 100 feet. :(

Oh well, I’ll try a set of organic pads soon. It will be easier on the disc but am not 100% confident that this issue will go away. The disc is warped just enough to be within standard, but also just enough to drag and make intermittent noise.
Before I would do any more fixes and would take it to the dealer, I have done this before, explained it is within spec but just in spec, they want my business, and just replaced what was needed.

One other thought, since you say it is just one area, it could be the mounting bolts , like yourself I have found many of the bolts way over-torqued, some with permanent loctite, some dry, as you know dry and lubed torque are two different things.

It is possible that the wheel mounting is causing the distortion. I did a study years ago with SKF bearings, during the Vietnam War, I mention the time period because the bearings we were using were also used primarily in helicopters. Our application was a conveyor system moving porcelain using 5 HP vibrator motors . It was shown that a 2 inch thick spigot could be distorted and that distortion could transfer through to the bearing and cause early bearing failure, seeing was believing. FYI everything was finish ground by a machine shop to 0.0005". The distortion was caused by the motor frame where the end bell mounted, we had to hand fit each end bell, and file any high spots, initially used the blue dye to show the high spots.Very interesting time in my life, doing mechanical work, rebuilding gear boxes and variable speed drives, kind of miss the ability to machine my own parts--well that was 35 years ago.
:huh:
 
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#28 ·
Rode my '15 in POURING rain yesterday, and noticed an unusual sound JUST as I started to move the brake lever (BOTH front and rear) - just a very short squeek - then nothing. Brakes worked fine, and I wondered IF it might have been something to do w/ the ABS....
 
#31 ·
FWIW - the rear brake pads on my '15 650 were worn-out at about 12K miles, and replaced when I replaced the Shinko 705.

My '08 is STILL on its original rear pads, and my '09 was TOO, at 66K kms when the insurance 'wrote-it-off'.
 
#32 ·
FWIW - the rear brake pads on my '15 650 were worn-out at about 12K miles, and replaced when I replaced the Shinko 705.

My '08 is STILL on its original rear pads at 66K miles, and my '09 was TOO, at 66K kms. when the insurance 'wrote-it-off'.
 
#33 ·
Good stuff to look out for when I get mine. I'm reading this thread and this is the exact same thing the ZRX1100 was notorious for. Rear brake squeal until it warmed up, sometimes just random. Take the rotor off, re-attach to a reasonable torque and lube the slide plates. Done deal.
 
#35 ·
My 2015 Versys has 3000 miles and still does the same thing. The annoying sound is there. I took it to the dealer and they said my rear wheel was not installed properly when I had a flat tire fixed thus the sound. Then They cleaned it or whatever they did to it. The sound disappeared for about a week or two, then it was back.
 
#37 ·
Mine started doing this about a month after I got it (last December) and I read on this forum or another one to take a scotchbrite pad to the rotor and clean off the adhered brake pad material and rebed the brakes with a couple of vigorous stops. It worked and I haven't heard the noise since then. I have a pair of pit stands so spinning the wheel (by hand, fools) while holding the scotchbrite on the rotors was easy.

YMMV

PS> mine was really bad when backing out of the garage.
 
#38 ·
Okay I hit 380 miles yesterday, while I was in town it started doing it. Once I noticed when it would do it, I could make it sound off at will by applying light rear brake when almost to a stop, release the pedal and it would do it. The sound was identical to what I've heard before on other bikes. This morning I put it on the rear stand and would spin the wheel and operate the pedal by hand, bringing the wheel to a fast stop about 3 times then turn the wheel slowly watching and listening. I had one spot it would do it, same place. I could walk it back and forth on that area and barely touch the pedal and make it change pitch. I then grabbed the outboard pad and pulled it to get it released from the rotor all the way. I then repeated the cycle of turning and braking, pulled on the pad and it would not do it. The pad not backing off the rotor (caliper piston not returning completely) was causing it. After that I de-glazed the rotor with scotch brite and not as bad but still did it. I found a spring in my spare parts that looked like I could make do with for a test. I put it over the rear guide pin and backed it with a washer to put positive outward pressure on the pads when static. Tested it on the stand and it went away, also lubed the slide plates the pads run in. I went for a short ride doing light braking, hard braking, trail braking in corners and it felt normal with no noise. I'm now going to find a proper stainless spring to be a more permanent fix. The bikes I've heard this on before were cured with a similar fix of lubing the slide plates and de-glazing the rotor. Hope this info and picture helps anyone wanting to try this. It worked for mine, should work on all others as well. Once I get the right spring size I'll post that info.
 

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