Something wrong with my bike?

[Rol]

Hi guys,

 

I'm riding a GSR400, abt 2.5 years old. Got two problems.

 

1. Noticed that whenever I ride, there'll be times that I'll hear a constant low pitched ringing sound that'll come on usually when I'm in low gear. Then when I pick up speed and shift up to 3rd/4th gear, it'll go off but not immediately. So sometimes when I'm not on the expressway and my speed stays at 40-50km/h, the sound will just be there until I stop and turn off my engine.

 

What can the problem be? Its not affecting my riding or speed...just that the sound is quite irritating and worrying.

 

2. My rear brake pedal will lock up sometimes...meaning I can step down but it'll get stuck halfway and there'll be no braking effect. Sometimes I gotta find a bus stop to stop and keep stepping down very hard to 'unstuck' it. Tried oiling the hinges but doesn't seem to help. It doesn't always happen also. I don't ride very frequently too.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[ezzyoiler]

get your bike brakes for a service...most likely this is the problem..

get this done as soon as possible..or it lead to a conplete replacement of calipers and disc..and it can be dangerous too..

lclean/ube and retension your chains..

sometimes wind noises created by bike physical structures/add ons....

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

First issue - it may just be a loose bolt or cosmetic part :3

 

Second issue - suspect issue with hydraulic system (rear brake master cylinder damaged or more likely brake system has no pressure at all) - as ezzyoiler says get it fixed asap

[Rol]

Thanks for the replies! Wow didn't know the brake thing could be a big problem. Sounds scary :-S

[ohayo]

Thanks for the replies! Wow didn't know the brake thing could be a big problem. Sounds scary :-S

 

Apart from tires, the brake is the NEXT important thing on the bike. Without its 100% full functionality, hitting the road flat is a time to come. Get it changed or service ASAP

[Aalex82]

Hi guys,

 

I'm riding a GSR400, abt 2.5 years old. Got two problems.

 

1. Noticed that whenever I ride, there'll be times that I'll hear a constant low pitched ringing sound that'll come on usually when I'm in low gear. Then when I pick up speed and shift up to 3rd/4th gear, it'll go off but not immediately. So sometimes when I'm not on the expressway and my speed stays at 40-50km/h, the sound will just be there until I stop and turn off my engine.

 

What can the problem be? Its not affecting my riding or speed...just that the sound is quite irritating and worrying.

 

2. My rear brake pedal will lock up sometimes...meaning I can step down but it'll get stuck halfway and there'll be no braking effect. Sometimes I gotta find a bus stop to stop and keep stepping down very hard to 'unstuck' it. Tried oiling the hinges but doesn't seem to help. It doesn't always happen also. I don't ride very frequently too.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

from wat u describe,

look like issue 1 and 2 is related..

have yr brake system check at a trusted bike shop..

[ezzyoiler]

please confirm if your disc has changed colour...

this is an indication..your brake system something terribly wrong..get it fixed soonest..

[Rol]

What does it mean by disc changing color? I only remember I just had the brake pads changed like 2 months ago. But can't rem if its the front or back pads that were changed.

 

Ya I agree that brakes breaking down is scary. There were times I had to ride w/o any rear braking when it suddenly got stuck halfway thru my trip.

[ezzyoiler]

when your brake pads unable to release the pressure on the disc..ie so called jam or stuck..

a lot of heat is being generated as u ride..

the temp is so high that it may change the disc colour to blue or worse purplish colour..

in the process the disc may start wearing out...causing ridges on a normal smooth and flat disc..

thus colour is the first sign...if you touch the disc...please be careful..it is so hot that u can feel the heat coming off the disc as u place your hand towards it..

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

If the brake is dragging (ie, brake cylinder jammed) then it should be very obvious when riding.

 

Roll down a slope and clutch in. There should be almost no resistance to your quite heavy hunk of metal and plastic rolling down. If your coasting is met with constant and unnatural resistance then it's a dragging brake. The same conclusion if your engine braking is somehow very powerful (immediate rapid slowing down once throttle is cut)

 

If the motorcycle is used at normal commuting speeds the brake disc sometimes shows little sign of overheating or wear. However the rolling resistance from the jammed brake is quite obvious.

[Rol]

Just to update. I finally brought my bike down for a check. Well, luckily (or unluckily), the rear brakes jammed again just as I rode out of the carpark. So with just my front brakes functioning, I rode to the shop to show the mechanic.

 

They rode my bike for awhile and stepped super hard on the rear brake pedal to "unstuck" it. And they checked, there was no leakage of brake fluid. So conclusion was there's probably some blockage in the system. And as my brakes are ABS, it is not easy to replace the brake fluid (they need some special equipment to drain the fluid). Well, the above is just my layman's understanding of the problem. Very cheem to me..haha

 

In the end, we decided to just bypass the ABS and re-do the entire brake system, i.e. change the brake hose and brake pump. Sigh...ABS seems more of a trouble than a good thing (when it gives problems I guess).

[blackant]

Just to update. I finally brought my bike down for a check. Well, luckily (or unluckily), the rear brakes jammed again just as I rode out of the carpark. So with just my front brakes functioning, I rode to the shop to show the mechanic.

 

They rode my bike for awhile and stepped super hard on the rear brake pedal to "unstuck" it. And they checked, there was no leakage of brake fluid. So conclusion was there's probably some blockage in the system. And as my brakes are ABS, it is not easy to replace the brake fluid (they need some special equipment to drain the fluid). Well, the above is just my layman's understanding of the problem. Very cheem to me..haha

 

In the end, we decided to just bypass the ABS and re-do the entire brake system, i.e. change the brake hose and brake pump. Sigh...ABS seems more of a trouble than a good thing (when it gives problems I guess).

 

So no more ABS now? Why don't send back to the agent to check the ABS?

[mfaisalby]

Hey... i'm also facing some braking problems. i'm riding an s4. just did both front caliper servicing. changed the o rings and even all the 8 caliper piston PLUS the brake pads as well. walau eh... cost me a bomb man! so i thought after servicing, brakes shld be more shiok to play with.. but mine's not the case leh. sometimes need to press in deeper then will get brake effect, but sometime just slight tap den got effect liao. sometimes when you press in, it is soft, sometimes it is hard. what's wrong ar? i already change the brake pump kit as well leh. i'm using the steel brake hose but not sure how long the hose has been in use. anyone encouter this problem before?

[crazydj]

Hey... i'm also facing some braking problems. i'm riding an s4. just did both front caliper servicing. changed the o rings and even all the 8 caliper piston PLUS the brake pads as well. walau eh... cost me a bomb man! so i thought after servicing, brakes shld be more shiok to play with.. but mine's not the case leh. sometimes need to press in deeper then will get brake effect, but sometime just slight tap den got effect liao. sometimes when you press in, it is soft, sometimes it is hard. what's wrong ar? i already change the brake pump kit as well leh. i'm using the steel brake hose but not sure how long the hose has been in use. anyone encouter this problem before?

 

Give it a week or two. Same thing for my bike when i changed my brake pads as well. Suddenly, the braking power was so crappy. Need the brake dust to accumulate a bit to season to the disc. Whenever a few months i will ask my mech to blow my calipers, but during that few days, my braking power is almost next to nothing. Really bad. Just need to wait a few days.

[flareon1982]

Hi guys,

 

I'm riding a GSR400, abt 2.5 years old. Got two problems.

 

1. Noticed that whenever I ride, there'll be times that I'll hear a constant low pitched ringing sound that'll come on usually when I'm in low gear. Then when I pick up speed and shift up to 3rd/4th gear, it'll go off but not immediately. So sometimes when I'm not on the expressway and my speed stays at 40-50km/h, the sound will just be there until I stop and turn off my engine.

 

What can the problem be? Its not affecting my riding or speed...just that the sound is quite irritating and worrying.

 

2. My rear brake pedal will lock up sometimes...meaning I can step down but it'll get stuck halfway and there'll be no braking effect. Sometimes I gotta find a bus stop to stop and keep stepping down very hard to 'unstuck' it. Tried oiling the hinges but doesn't seem to help. It doesn't always happen also. I don't ride very frequently too.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

Hey Rol,

 

Suzuki bike has this effect of having to press the brake hard to get the effect. I rode a GSR previously. Effect is the same. Its normal. The sound of the screeching is due to the building up of brake dust. Just use water to wash it down and it will be fine.

 

Missing my GSR already...

[flareon1982]

Just to update. I finally brought my bike down for a check. Well, luckily (or unluckily), the rear brakes jammed again just as I rode out of the carpark. So with just my front brakes functioning, I rode to the shop to show the mechanic.

 

They rode my bike for awhile and stepped super hard on the rear brake pedal to "unstuck" it. And they checked, there was no leakage of brake fluid. So conclusion was there's probably some blockage in the system. And as my brakes are ABS, it is not easy to replace the brake fluid (they need some special equipment to drain the fluid). Well, the above is just my layman's understanding of the problem. Very cheem to me..haha

 

In the end, we decided to just bypass the ABS and re-do the entire brake system, i.e. change the brake hose and brake pump. Sigh...ABS seems more of a trouble than a good thing (when it gives problems I guess).

 

Changing of brake fluid is the same for ABS and non ABS. The only diff is that it will take more time to drain due to the extra hoses going round the bike. My 2ct is that the shop do not want to do it and want to chop you. I changed my brake fluid before. Its do able. The Stucking of the rear brake is due to the maintenance of the caliper. Just take it out and grease it and it will be fine.

 

PM me if you need help with it.

[Rol]

Changing of brake fluid is the same for ABS and non ABS. The only diff is that it will take more time to drain due to the extra hoses going round the bike. My 2ct is that the shop do not want to do it and want to chop you. I changed my brake fluid before. Its do able. The Stucking of the rear brake is due to the maintenance of the caliper. Just take it out and grease it and it will be fine.

 

PM me if you need help with it.

 

What the mech told me was that they can change the brake fluid but he can't guarantee that the brakes will work 100%, meaning he can't guarantee that the ABS will work (cos the pump is special?). The danger, I was told, is that at high speeds when braking, the ABS might fail and there would be totally no braking. Logical? Tried reading how ABS works...damn cheem..haha

 

He helped me make some phone calls and said even the authorised agent also can change but also no guarantee.

 

And it seems reasonable that the problem is a block in the system/valve problem?

[flareon1982]

ABS is a computer that calculate the rotation of the wheels to prevent skidding. Brake fluid is jus the liquid in the tubes. Meaning is that if you cannot brake or whatsoever. It will not be due to the ABS system. Coz it is just a computer system. A faulty ABS will not result in no braking. It will only result in no intermitence braking. (The vibration you feel when u brake too hard)

 

What i got from your discription is that the brake pad is filled with brake dust therefore the difficulty in the brake caliper from moving. Basic take out brake capiler and wipe with WD40 and water will solve the prob. Dun forget to grease it since it taken out too. If you still feel unsafe, go to a motorshop to ask them to "bleed" the hose. (They will drain out the old oil along with whatever is stuck in there and replace with new oil)

 

Remember ABS is just a system. It will not cause the bike to have no brake. Braking system is a mechanical device. It will not fail because of a computer chip.

 

http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/motorcycle-anti-lock-braking-system-abs/37/ - For you reading pleasure

[flareon1982]

And it seems reasonable that the problem is a block in the system/valve problem?

 

Manual check if the tubes are bend or something. (Unlikely unless you had a fall recently)

[IvikaRazI]

Uncle Flareon hero...heheh Ya hav to agree with him. ABS is not a safety feature which a lot of people thinks. It is to assist in braking. If not, people in the racing industry like F1, MotoGP, etc would have use them. With or without, you should be able to stop. The only disadvantage that I can think of ABS is if you decide to change to aftermarket brake hose.......pocket will have a very big hole.

 

It is important to go to a mech that you trust. If not, later they chop chop you like carrot.

 

Hey... i'm also facing some braking problems. i'm riding an s4. just did both front caliper servicing. changed the o rings and even all the 8 caliper piston PLUS the brake pads as well. walau eh... cost me a bomb man! so i thought after servicing, brakes shld be more shiok to play with.. but mine's not the case leh. sometimes need to press in deeper then will get brake effect, but sometime just slight tap den got effect liao. sometimes when you press in, it is soft, sometimes it is hard. what's wrong ar? i already change the brake pump kit as well leh. i'm using the steel brake hose but not sure how long the hose has been in use. anyone encouter this problem before?

 

It sounds more like the brake discs warp. Best to get it check. I can understand for no much braking power for new pads....but it will not take that long for the pads to 'warm up' (seasoned) to the bike. Else bikes used in MotoGP or Superbike need to wait a few days for the pads to have grip...too long leh heheh.

 

Give it a week or two. Same thing for my bike when i changed my brake pads as well. Suddenly, the braking power was so crappy. Need the brake dust to accumulate a bit to season to the disc. Whenever a few months i will ask my mech to blow my calipers, but during that few days, my braking power is almost next to nothing. Really bad. Just need to wait a few days.

 

Brake dust is actually bad. Anyway the material used in the pads are important. Try not to compromise safety for money. Coz Money != Safety. I tried EBC, and it works very well in wet and dry conditions. Now on SBS (not the bus company), still prefer EBC though.

Edited October 26, 2010 by IvikaRazI

[mfaisalby]

It sounds more like the brake discs warp. Best to get it check. I can understand for no much braking power for new pads....but it will not take that long for the pads to 'warm up' (seasoned) to the bike. Else bikes used in MotoGP or Superbike need to wait a few days for the pads to have grip...too long leh heheh.

 

Hmm... maybe you're right bro. Cuz both of my front disc eaten up already. Can feel the uneven surface. Alamak.. if like that $$$ come out again leh... haizZzzz... Money money money......

[flareon1982]

I have a feeling that Rol's bike is my previous bike. The buyer of my GSR is call Roland. Age of bike now should be 2.5 years also. Comes with ABS.

 

Is it maroon in colour and comes with speedohealer???

[flareon1982]

Uncle Flareon hero...heheh Ya hav to agree with him. ABS is not a safety feature which a lot of people thinks. It is to assist in braking. If not, people in the racing industry like F1, MotoGP, etc would have use them. With or without, you should be able to stop. The only disadvantage that I can think of ABS is if you decide to change to aftermarket brake hose.......pocket will have a very big hole.

 

Uncle Razi, Long time no hear from you. Wise words from a guru. Correction, ABS IS a safety feature as it will prevent you from skidding in the time of emergency. ABS supportor here. haha.

[IvikaRazI]

Uncle Razi, Long time no hear from you. Wise words from a guru. Correction, ABS IS a safety feature as it will prevent you from skidding in the time of emergency. ABS supportor here. haha.

 

Hahahha ya ya.....dun tell your secrets....Lets all learn how to brake properly. Anyway awareness of your surroundings, proper use of engine braking and a safe following distance does safe brake pads, brake discs and life.

 

Ohh ya forgot to mention.......Plan your journey....This includes ample time to reach the place....So you dun rush, in turn means you will enjoy the ride more.