Brake Pad Selection

[Chucksklrst]

Karl, did you have the front wheel off, If so are the two collars on the proper side. I know that on the ST1300 one can reverse the collars. and then the disks will drag.

Items 7 and 8 http://www.hdlparts.com/fiche_section_detail.asp?section=1329497&category=Motorcycles&make=Honda&year=2010&fveh=37360

 

[karl]

I did not remove the wheel since the last tire change before the ride to Main this fall. After the pad change I rode for about an hour with out a peep or gronch or any untoward noise. Then a minute of what the heck is that now that made me pull over and look at everything I could without pulling things apart. Quiet as you could want then all the way home. Chuck I will check the orientation of the collars with the shop manual the intermittent nature is what is making this so much fun. Sailariel, believe the bearings are sealed but will take a look.

Right now it will be a few beers and Nora Jones (Holiday) on Pandora and some more wood on the fire.

 

[ARKNT]

Wonder what the cam chains sound like when the tensioner fails...

I had a cam chain failure on an old CB350 twin. That was a manual tensioner. The engine had a pretty constant rattle from inside the engine. The chain broke before I got around to checking it. Wish I had done it sooner. Bent 2 valves when it broke.

The intermittant problems/sounds can be the hardest to find. Besides checking for wheel bearings as others have suggested I would also make sure the brake calipers are sliding smoothly on the pins and not hanging up. Just start with a good front end all around check.

Brad

 

[Herb]

Right now it will be a few beers and Nora Jones (Holiday) on Pandora and some more wood on the fire.

No help on the noise analysis, but a +1 on Nora Jones!

 

[Bear]

Have to agree with ARKNT--check the brake job thoroughly. My late father in law was an engineer, and he said that when anything goes awry, re-check what you did last.

 

[karl]

Have to agree with ARKNT--check the brake job thoroughly. My late father in law was an engineer, and he said that when anything goes awry, re-check what you did last.

What I did last is often the problem. I thought I had a delaminating pad they were fine. will take it apart later the last time I had the wheel off was before the last trip to Maine to change the tires. we will see.

 

[DirtFlier]

["...Wheel bearings are relatively inexpensive. Putting in a new set with a high quality bearing grease will work wonders...]

As someone else mentioned, the wheel bearings are sealed. Bearings with one or both sides open went out of fashion long ago. I agree that I'd look at the brakes first as the possible culprit.

 

[karl]

OK time to revisit an old nugget. Had the Plastic off to remove the prototype mount from RBIS that Larry Jensen so kindly loaned me for bringing him my bike to fabricate the prototype. Put the production model on and it looks great and want to ride to NY and drop it off but the bike does not want to play. Been hunting a source of the noise all winter and have found nothing. Had most of the tupperware off so did the service and lo and behold the bike is making no untoward noises and the weather is just insanely warm so off we go. one night to work and back no issues.

Load up the bike and head into town on an errand then for a ride... The noise starts again. Sounds like something caught in the hub slapping plastic along with a metal on metal cranching sound like a delaminated friction surface bouncing around. Pay my taxes in town and head home and put my lunch back in the refrigerator and decide to pull off the front fender, there has to be something there. Nada, Garnichts. spin the wheel no noise no marks no nothing. all the fasteners are tight no noise no-place. Put it back together again and ride off to work (yes i remembered my lunch if you knew me you would not ask that) Almost home again and "It's Back"

To my ears it seems to track road speed not engine speed. Pulled over walked the bike backward, no change. shut it off and restarted, no change. Seems to start after using the rear brake to slow speed front alone seems not to do it... pressure bleeding of noise goes away?

I need to find this and ride the dang bike. Cutting firewood with a healthy case of "tennis elbow" sounds like more fun than this. Almost ready to take it to a shop and be done with it...

Thanks for allowing me to vent, any suggestions ?

 

[seagrass]

If it starts after using the rear brake, could it be the third piston in the left side front caliper (the one operated by the rear brake pedal) sticking and then dragging the pad on the disk?

Seagrass

 

[karl]

The real problem is there is no consistency. It does it sometime, not every time and then just goes away.

 

[Phil Tarman]

That's the kind of thing that can drive a guy crazy, isn't it, Karl? I hope you can get it figured out soon.

 

[karl]

Pulled the wheel off again and today it was intuitively obvious to the casual observer that one of the wheel bearings was bad. What the bodywork adds to the noise you hear on the bike is a trip. Will follow up with how well this latest foray does to cure the problem...

 

[ARKNT]

Glad you have found (hopefully) the problem. Problems that come and go when they feel like it are difficult many times. Good thing you did not get stranded along the road or have the bearing cause you to lose control.

Brad

 

[Chucksklrst]

Might be wheel bearings. Might have to remove wheel and check the bearings. Wheel turns smoothly with no weight, Might be showing up when warm and with full bike weight on the wheel. A friend of mine had similar symptoms, turned out to be wheel bearings. Would come and go until they finally gave out completely

See thats what I thought. Glad you found it.
Get it fixed and GO RIDE.

 

[karl]

I had bought bearings and seals but they both felt and looked fine the last time I looked. There was no doubt this time. The left bearing (from the saddle) was falling apart. Rode down to the Bean and explored the road I passed up last time. Temp in the low 50's today last week all 70+ Glad to be back in the saddle again and very happy the bike did not put me on my nose when it failed.

Seems odd to have a wheel bearing go at less than 15K front end has a new tire, brake pads and wheel bearings. Bike is serviced and ready to go. Look forward to many smiles to the gallon.

 

[Phil Tarman]

When I was on the Concours Owners Group mail list, wheel bearing failure seemed to happen at surprising low mileages on rare occasions. I put 165,000 on two Connies -- 115K on #1, 50K on #2 -- and only replaced one set of wheel bearings. Some people with less than I had on either bike had replaced them more than once.