Front Brake Pins

[oswaldters]

I'm sure the new tires will handle the rain well.  You know, those Cheng Shin's actually did really well in the wet so I'm expecting no issues with the Avon's.

[wordslinger]

..cheng shins seem good...till you get something better under your ass....


 

[oswaldters]

I've been itching to give them a real run - but after 2 months of no rain we've moved into ark building weather.

I'll still ride to work - but do so a little more gingerly.

[wordslinger]

..i know, my grass is dead, and the hoodie i wore home is still dripping....

[oswaldters]

So Rianna - making any progress with the brake issues?

[Rianna]

Hi, oswaldters, thanks for asking, but I'm still having some problems. I went to the store today (finally got that diet soda!) and all was well. 
On the way back, though, as soon as I started coming down the hill I started hearing some noise again. 

It's really weird and it will drive me crazy if I don't figure it out soon. I came home and and put the sodas in the fridge and decided to take a longer ride because the store I went to is only like a mile and a half away, maybe 2 miles at the most. It's close to an hour walk there and back. So I rode about 6 or 7 miles and I find that now it's kind of a bumpy ride along with the noise. 

I swear to you, I don't see nothing wrong with the tire! It's killing me because that's always the first thing I think of. Sure, I suppose it could be off balance or something.

I won't swear to it, but I think the brake problem is solved. Sure, that rotor could be off a bit and I just can't "see" it. Likewise that little gouge or nick or whatever it's called in the pads could cause a problem, but I just don't think that's it. I think there could be an additional problem just waiting to be diagnosed. 

Probably I shouldn't ride it when I don't know how safe (or unsafe) it is. But the only way to figure it out is to keep riding it until the problem becomes noticeable enough for me to be able to describe it. Anyway when driving it longer I noticed that the noise and bumpiness in the front end is not constant. When I stopped at a light I expected to hear it again when I started up, but I didn't. After I started through the turn from the light it started again. I pulled off into a parking lot and went behind the strip of stores where there's no cars and stopped, looking at that tire again. The problem is there somewhere. I give it throttle and ease ahead and hear the noise. The instant I hit the brake the noise stops, which makes me think the brake grabbing is correcting the problem rather than causing the problem, if that makes sense. I hit the throttle again, staring at that dang tire and listening to this weird noise and then I slam on the front brake hard enough to almost throw me off of the seat, lol, and this weird thing happens where the brake starts to grab but feels like it slips for a second then the front tire feels like it drops about a half an inch or so then the brake grabs hold with a lot more force than I expected. (I wish I could explain things better.) I give it some throttle and...noise gone. Hmm....I ride a little ways toward the end of the shopping center and damn if it doesn't start again when I'm turning around. Grr...I stop and push on the front of the bike and bounce it up and down a bit and...noise gone. Weight shifting and turns seem to come into play somehow. (Sigh)

I keep thinking...front end - brake, tire, shocks, steering. Reckon I ought to look at the steering or shocks next?

-Man, that little bit of time riding was feeling so good, too-

[art]

  Ha! i'm starting to think the posession part is real    I think you still have a piece of something stuck in there. You should still be able to ride but pay attention to it. It may correct it's self. Try to ride the brake a bit(front) and notice how it acts. Is there a pull or thumping,hopping if so the roter may be screwed. If minor ride it. But those scrates  I seen in the begining may have damaged it worse than it looks. The main danger here is premiture brake wear as long as the rest works try it out with cation.

[blue]

good to hear you had the scoot out and on the road.

[Rianna]

Thanks, art and blue. Hey, you ever hear of this trick? Will it work? I wish I could find the site where I read it again but I forgot to save it. It said it's the ball point pen test used to check the surface finish on a rotor.

Write your name on the rotor.
If the ink leaves a continuous line the surface is smooth enough.
If the ink line is broken up into dots the surface is too rough or coated with grease.

[art]

 It makes sense,but they usually squeek and squeel if real bad.(you will know) Like I said a little out, just brake wear,not optimal but rideable if on a budget 
 Something stuck in there you want to get it out asap.

[Rianna]

Okay, thanks art. 

[oswaldters]

the front tire feels like it drops about a half an inch or so then the brake grabs hold with a lot more force than I expected.

Sounds right to me - anytime you get on that front brake suddenly you'll get the 'nose dive' as the weight of the scoot shifts forward.  Doesn't take much to compress those front shocks and that front brake will grab hold more than you'd expect if you squeeze a little harder than you intended. 

Glad you got it out for a ride.  Should help you diagnose the problem.

[Rianna]

Mornin' oswaldters. I'm glad folks are understanding what I'm saying a little because it's difficult to explain. Laying on the brake heavy and compressing the shocks Stops the noise until the next time I shift my weight, make a turn, hit a bump in the road, etc.

Something is out of balance. Could be several things. The brake is (for the moment - Can't ride all over town with my hand on the front brake continuously) compensating enough to attempt to correct the problem. Even slight pressure on the brake at any speed stops the noise. And the disk is cool to the touch even after a longer ride now. Anyway, I'm looking for tricks or tests that will help to Rule Out a problem from the steering, brake, tire, etc. Anyone have any?

Thanks.

[oswaldters]

Hopefully someone will have some good ideas for you on this.  These noises can be really hard to pinpoint since they can come and go so quiclkly.

Having not heard the noise and not having the greatest mechanical aptitude here, if this was happening to me I would think the next thing I would look at is the front wheel assembly.  Could concievably be something a simple as the speedometer gear box or maybe the wheel bearing?

Not sure how you'd test this though...

[Rianna]

k, thanks,oswaldters! I checked this morning to see if there were any new leaks from the steering stem and didn't see any. The two bolts above the rider's right side shock were loose, one of them being very loose. If I can tighten it chances are it was way too loose. Perhaps the shock was changed or checked during service and not tightened well...dunno. If that makes the ride smoother and I hear less noise on my next test run I'll try to find someone in the neighborhood to tighten it better for me. (It's raining here again today. ) Still looking things over. Don't know much about the speedometer gear box, so it wouldn't have occurred to me...could give it a look, too, though, if I can find it in the manual and figure out how to take the handlebar covers off. Thanks.