Got new brakes..I now have a shudder when braking.

MR Felt

Registered
I had Galpher Green pads on the front and they were worn down. I replaced with EBC HH pads to give them a try. I now have front brake shudder some of the time depending on speed and braking force. I have put about 600 miles on the new pads. Now...are my rotors toast, change back to Galpher pads? Can I do some specific braking and clean up the shudder. The shudder is not bad but I can make them shudder at will. The rotors have 11k (the original) on them. I have not brought the bike down from high speed yet, I have been monitoring the new pads performance before I do that.
What do you think??
thanks
Joel
 
I was going to ask if you properly bedded them in.

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I am not completely sure what to do at this point. Hate to see you buy new pads again. You could always try to bed them on now as long as they aren't glazed. Can anyone else confirm?

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Check your tire pressure.

Other than that I can't offer advise. I suck @ brakes!

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Maybe it's just my luck, but honestly I have never did the bedding in procedure on any new brakes. I may go easy on them for the first few miles but after that it's whatever is needed is what they get. Got EBCHH pads on Gen 1 & 2 with Galfer rotors on 1 w/gen2 front end and stock gsxr1000 rotors on 2 paired with stainless lines and I can assure you they will both lock up the front even into triple digits. Neither have any hint of stuttering or wobble and have easy 1-2 finger braking from any speed.

But then again I have seen guys supposedly bed in new brakes according to recommendations and still end up warping new rotors or have mad stuttering. ??? My only suggestion would be pull brakes and check rotors(spin wheel while still on bike) with dial to check and see if you got any warping visible, if not sand pads and rotors to break any glazing that may have accumulated, reinstall and give her another shot. If rotors are warped only way to fix that is with new ones. But I check for warping and glazing first. Never know, sometimes when something isn't right you can take it apart and put it back together doing nothing (at least that you know of) differently and problem disappears.

Good Luck.
 
From my first hand experience with similar problem, here is what I would recommend doing.

First, inspect the rotors for any dirt and grease - even slightly noticeable. Get a paper towel and clean with alcohol, and avoid touching them with your hands or anything.

Second, make sure your pads did not glaze. Simply pull the pads out, and see if there are any silverish spots on them. In any event, get a sheet of 100 - 200 grit sand paper, put it on the flat surface, and then rub the pad on top of the sand paper with even pressure until the spots are gone and the surface seems uniformed.

Third, there is a chance your rotors are slightly warped, but still within the spec due to the stress. In order to release the stress, and mate the sanded pads with the rotors do the following. Go on the highway at normal highway speed - 60-80 mph. Slightly apply the front brake while keeping the gas on so the pads start dragging. You will notice that as you hold the lever with the same pressure the bike starts slowing down and the lever gets pushed back by itself and you need to apply a bit more gas to maintain the same speed. Do this for about 15 - 30 sec so long as you are comfortable. Then release the brake lever, and don't break for another minute or two so that the rotors/pads cool down naturally. Repeat this procedure the second time, and maybe the third time.

Report back.

Also, get this dial indicator to measure your rotor runout - you just need to lift the front off the ground - no need to take the wheel off.
 
i say as above remove pads and scuff the surface with good emery paper to remove any glaze.

have a read of this as its very informative and explains pad transfer which is often confused with warped discs. StopTech : Balanced Brake Upgrades

Very interesting read - thanks for the link. The procedure I mentioned above promotes even distribution of pad material on the disc surface.

As to the author saying he never saw a warped car brake disc, I would say I did have that. Until I could figure out my brake booster had a problem the brakes were often dragging. I had to drive around - so naturally the excessive heat damaged the discs and after years of no issues, the front started to vibrate under braking. Once the booster was replaced along with new brake discs, the vibration disappeared for good.
 
From my first hand experience with similar problem, here is what I would recommend doing.

First, inspect the rotors for any dirt and grease - even slightly noticeable. Get a paper towel and clean with alcohol, and avoid touching them with your hands or anything.

Second, make sure your pads did not glaze. Simply pull the pads out, and see if there are any silverish spots on them. In any event, get a sheet of 100 - 200 grit sand paper, put it on the flat surface, and then rub the pad on top of the sand paper with even pressure until the spots are gone and the surface seems uniformed.

Third, there is a chance your rotors are slightly warped, but still within the spec due to the stress. In order to release the stress, and mate the sanded pads with the rotors do the following. Go on the highway at normal highway speed - 60-80 mph. Slightly apply the front brake while keeping the gas on so the pads start dragging. You will notice that as you hold the lever with the same pressure the bike starts slowing down and the lever gets pushed back by itself and you need to apply a bit more gas to maintain the same speed. Do this for about 15 - 30 sec so long as you are comfortable. Then release the brake lever, and don't break for another minute or two so that the rotors/pads cool down naturally. Repeat this procedure the second time, and maybe the third time.

Report back.

Also, get this dial indicator to measure your rotor runout - you just need to lift the front off the ground - no need to take the wheel off.


Thanks IG, I talked to Melisa at cycle Brakes today and she said to do just as you have described. I took out the pads and used 220 emery cloth on a flat surface and sanded off the glaze. Then I wet sanded the discs. I just got back from a mild test drive with mild braking and the brakes are better. I work in a transmission shop and one of the guys should have a dial indicator. I will ride with light braking tomorrow and try your bedding method the next day ??
 
Great! Keep us posted. The sanding technique came straight from EBC. I spoke with them after I discovered that aggressive braking from 170 to 40 glazed my EBC HH pads (melted rotor material got transfered to the pad surface).
 
Maybe it's just my luck, but honestly I have never did the bedding in procedure on any new brakes. I may go easy on them for the first few miles but after that it's whatever is needed is what they get. Got EBCHH pads on Gen 1 & 2 with Galfer rotors on 1 w/gen2 front end and stock gsxr1000 rotors on 2 paired with stainless lines and I can assure you they will both lock up the front even into triple digits. Neither have any hint of stuttering or wobble and have easy 1-2 finger braking from any speed.
I'm with you, Rollin. Just use the brakes gently at first, giving them lots of opportunities to cool down between applications, then gradually working them harder. Never had a problem with this procedure, but the "new way" to bed in pads sure seems to be popular on the MC internet forums.
 
Great! Keep us posted. The sanding technique came straight from EBC. I spoke with them after I discovered that aggressive braking from 170 to 40 glazed my EBC HH pads (melted rotor material got transfered to the pad surface).


well you need to know they work dont you lol i like that approach
 
well you need to know they work dont you lol i like that approach

LOL Yes! There is this one place prior to one exit where the road is straight, traffic is almost non-existent, no cops, and perfect visibility. That's where I occasionally take my 10 sec fix. But now I know better to only drop it to a 100 and then slow down gradually. The amount of heat from 170 to 40 just melts the rotors (at least the stockers) - seems no way around it. ???
 
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