Brakes Rubbing

[BLK]

From day one I have noticed that my front brakes rub, just the right side actually. They don't squeak or whine but rather "shhhhhh" is the noise they make - and its only noticeable when the bike is off and I am pushing it around, say the garage for example. I didn't really worry about it much until I replace the front tire and noticed just how much drag it's putting on the wheel.

Now I am wondering if I am being robbed of precious gas mileage.

Funny thing is that these are the original brake pads and I have about 12k miles on them, so you would think that if they really were rubbing that much that I would have worn through the pads faster and more unevenly, right?

Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?

blk

[pmackie]

I would suggest that you pull the pads (it's pretty easy) and look at them, making sure the wear is even. It's possible you have one piston sticking in it's caliper.

[BLK]

That's just the thing...I have had the pads off and they looked to be wearing evenly...unless you mean "even" by way of camparing the left set to the right set and not one pad versus the other within the one caliper. I will look into both comparisons tonight.

In the meantime, what if I do have a caliper sticking? How do I deduce that and how do I solve it?

Thanks,
BLK

[Red01]

In the meantime, what if I do have a caliper sticking? How do I deduce that and how do I solve it?

If one or more piston is sticking out more than others.
Solved by rebuilding the caliper or at least taking it apart and cleaning it up.

[pmackie]

Hey BLK

First off, what bike to you have? Some have sliding pin, 2 piston calipers (B6), some have opposed 6 piston (B12) and some have opposed 4 piston (W/C B12.5 & B6.5).

In addition to Red01's comment on rebuilding calipers, for the B6, you can also clean and lube the sliding pin assembly.

Either way, the rubber seal on the caliper piston should try to pull it back, away from the disc, when the brake pressure is released. If it's not, then the caliper needs a rebuild, or at least a dismantle and clean.

For any types, look for any slightly bent parts, or other damage.

[BLK]

I have and 03 Bandit 1200 naked. It has the 6 piston opposable caliper

I think I will give the cleaning/rebuild a shot. I pulled the pads off last night and inspected them and again they all look to be wearing even. Nor did I notice any out of place pistons.  I did notice that they do seem pretty beat up - small chunks taken out of the edges and tiny grooves on the surface. The rotors are fine though. No grooving at all. I did notice, also, that both calipers are now rubbing and making the same “shhhhhh” sound when the wheel spins.

To give you an idea of the extent of the rubbing; when I have the front wheel off the ground and give it a good spin I get maybe one full rotation before it stops.

BLk