Front Rotor Freeplay Concern

Ok let me chime in. I actually had the very same front brake pulse and shudder when I would apply the front brake lever. The faster the road speed when brake was applied the front end would vibrate harshly like a warped disk, you could feel it through the brake lever s well. I then cleaned out all the disk buttons and spun them whilst flushing with brakleen to get rid of the dust and grit that had built up over the years which was causing the disk to run out and wabble, this action corrected about 90% of the problem. I then threw away the old brake pads that were about half worn and deglazed the disk with 600 wet and dry sand paper fitted new pads and went for a ride to bed in the pads and see if the fault was still apparent. The shudder and vibration was totally gone. The issue is the buttons when full of grit and dust they wont allow the disk to float thus causing the run out or wabble of the disk which in turn causes irregular glazing across the surface of the disk. Correcting the run out buy cleaning the buttons is only one part of the fix, you need to deglaze the both disks and the entire brake swept surface area on both faces. It worked for me 40,000km on still no problems.

By the way the buttons should be firm and you should never be able to rotate them with your fingers, but you should be able to push the disk with the the palm of your hand to feel some movement under tension when pushing the disk sideways. The disk is meant to float laterally not radially.
Hi, did you remove the disc buttons or did you clean them while still attached to the disc? Was the sand paper wet when you deglazed the disc?
 
Well guys, spring has come so early this year I actually got to take my Rocket out in March for a short ride. Took the opportunity to fasten a bolt/nut combo and spin each disc button one at a time, pushing the rotor a bit sideways each way and the pulse is now gone. The buttons are still almost impossible to rotate by hand but with a drill spinning the bolt/button they freed right up. Gave each a squirt of WD40 to remove any accumulations. Some crap actually came out. Pleased..
 
Well guys, spring has come so early this year I actually got to take my Rocket out in March for a short ride. Took the opportunity to fasten a bolt/nut combo and spin each disc button one at a time, pushing the rotor a bit sideways each way and the pulse is now gone. The buttons are still almost impossible to rotate by hand but with a drill spinning the bolt/button they freed right up. Gave each a squirt of WD40 to remove any accumulations. Some crap actually came out. Pleased..

i am sure u know this
but dont let that wd40 get on the brakes.
fork seals were leaking and the front brakes did not work well with oil on them:eek:
 
I found the easier, softer way. I forgot the size, but found a square type "easy out", that would go into the hole of the bobbin, and grab. Chucked up in my drill, and spun each one, while squirting with brake cleaner. Back and forth, both directions, and sorta work it around a little with the drill, while doing it. And you won;t believe all the cwap that comes out. Did both sides, now running "cool" :thumbsup:
 
Well guys, spring has come so early this year I actually got to take my Rocket out in March for a short ride. Took the opportunity to fasten a bolt/nut combo and spin each disc button one at a time, pushing the rotor a bit sideways each way and the pulse is now gone. The buttons are still almost impossible to rotate by hand but with a drill spinning the bolt/button they freed right up. Gave each a squirt of WD40 to remove any accumulations. Some crap actually came out. Pleased..
Saw that tip on U-tube so I tried this method when had bike down during winter. Very happy with the results, put bolts and nuts in pill bottle in tool box for next time.
 
Well guys, spring has come so early this year I actually got to take my Rocket out in March for a short ride. Took the opportunity to fasten a bolt/nut combo and spin each disc button one at a time, pushing the rotor a bit sideways each way and the pulse is now gone. The buttons are still almost impossible to rotate by hand but with a drill spinning the bolt/button they freed right up. Gave each a squirt of WD40 to remove any accumulations. Some crap actually came out. Pleased..
Yes I did the same thing and it got rid of the pulse as well. I used brake cleaner spray though and spun the disc against some wet and dry sandpaper before replacing the pads.
 
Saw that tip on U-tube so I tried this method when had bike down during winter. Very happy with the results, put bolts and nuts in pill bottle in tool box for next time.
Can you share a link to that video. I'm always looking for tips to make maintenance easier.
 
Any brake rotor button cleaning video will work. There are many. No oily stuff on the discs is advisable. Simple green, brake cleaner. Rinse well. You are doing this once year perhaps. Just check them one in a while to see if they are loose. The R3 discs develop a lot of play. I don't know how much is too much. While you are at it, take your pads off, calipers off, extrude the pistons and clean them with brake fluid. Rinse well. They accumulate dirt and lock up of just don't compress. I just changed the seals and super cleaned them.
 
Any brake rotor button cleaning video will work. There are many. No oily stuff on the discs is advisable. Simple green, brake cleaner. Rinse well. You are doing this once year perhaps. Just check them one in a while to see if they are loose. The R3 discs develop a lot of play. I don't know how much is too much. While you are at it, take your pads off, calipers off, extrude the pistons and clean them with brake fluid. Rinse well. They accumulate dirt and lock up of just don't compress. I just changed the seals and super cleaned them.
Might be a silly question but I'll ask anyway. After you extrude the pistons, does this mean that I'll need to bleed the brakes to get rid of air in the lines?
 
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