ChickenIsMe Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 Hi All, Got my service booked in tomorrow for 50k. But since 30k - this bike shop has told me the front rotors are slightly warped and saying it wouldn't pass a road worthy. When I questioned the service rep, he said the brakes are pulsating. I have ridden bikes for almost 30 years and never have I had this before. I have had bike up to 170k on the clock and never a problem mentioned for front rotors warped. My riding style and places to ride have not changed since my last 3 or so bikes (including the one I did 170k on, and my last bike was 120k). 30k seems way to low to have a rotor warp issue. I ride mostly highway, rarely touching the brake until I am in town. Its the only thing I can think of is the rotor gets cold and then hot in town. But I am not braking hard - so to me, this is either a flaw in the tracer generally (disc not quite up to the usage) or the bike shop is leading me on. I personally do not feel any pulsating in the brakes and it slows down evenly to me while feathering the brake. Looked at the price of the rotors, not that cheap to replace (if I am not getting good info from the bike shop). Wondering peoples opinion here as I am sure they are going to mention it yet again this service. Pretty sure it is just one mech at this place that works on the yamahas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilo3 Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 Throw a dial in there and measure the runout? Doesn't hurt to verify yourself. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Wolf Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 (edited) 55 minutes ago, ChickenIsMe said: When I questioned the service rep, he said the brakes are pulsating. 30k seems way to low to have a rotor warp issue. Do you notice a pulse? Do you believe the mechanic? Pulsing is not always caused by warped rotor. if someone does hard braking and comes to a complete stop - it can deposit some pad material on the disc that feels like a pulsing (especially if that was done on new brakes that were not bed in properly). Possible floating rotor bobbin issue? EDIT - I missed where you said this: "I personally do not feel any pulsating in the brakes and it slows down evenly to me while feathering the brake." You know your bike better than a stranger. I am calling BS on the need for repair. Edited March 13 by Lone Wolf 2 1980 Yamaha 850 Triple (sold). Too many bikes to list, FJ-09 is next on my list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted March 13 Supporting Member Share Posted March 13 34 minutes ago, ChickenIsMe said: Got my service booked in tomorrow for 50k. But since 30k - this bike shop has told me the front rotors are slightly warped and saying it wouldn't pass a road worthy. When I questioned the service rep, he said the brakes are pulsating. I personally do not feel any pulsating in the brakes and it slows down evenly to me while feathering the brake. Wondering peoples opinion here as I am sure they are going to mention it yet again this service. Pretty sure it is just one mech at this place that works on the yamahas. Honest question, have you ridden a bike with a warped rotor before to know what pulsating brakes feel like? I have ridden a few bikes with pulsating brakes and it is immediately evident, If you say you don't feel ANYTHING abnormal then I would personally talk with the mechanic and have him show you what he is finding wrong. ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChickenIsMe Posted March 13 Author Share Posted March 13 dont have a dial, not sure if there is a way to check without very specific tools? (have many tools for bikes and the like but not a dial). I dont notice a pulsating at all, and have tried stopping very gently to try and notice if the brake grabs and releases at points - doesnt seem to. I reckon the mech might be over-sensitive on looking for issues. Have known a few commercial employed car mechs before that get bonuses / places for being at the top of the list of extra work at the end of the month. These shops have quite a few mechs at them. Didnt really know of the bobbin issue - just researched. going to look into that as it looks the disc are quite flexible from what I found. If the bobbin is stuck would flex the disc - could cause what the mech is mentioning. Just checking - the bobbins are meant to turn right? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChickenIsMe Posted March 13 Author Share Posted March 13 14 minutes ago, betoney said: Honest question, have you ridden a bike with a warped rotor before to know what pulsating brakes feel like? I have ridden a few bikes with pulsating brakes and it is immediately evident, If you say you don't feel ANYTHING abnormal then I would personally talk with the mechanic and have him show you what he is finding wrong. I have ridden bikes with warped rotors before and severe pulsating. Used to pickup bikes on the cheap with mates, repair and on-sell. So have had quite a few bikes with different brake behaviors. Just know they would raise again so thought I would see others experiences, especially for Tracer. Since I have never had issues with this low km's/miles (for what I usually get out of a bike). 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilo3 Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 37 minutes ago, ChickenIsMe said: dont have a dial, not sure if there is a way to check without very specific tools? You bet, get that front wheel off the ground with your choice of ballast holding it in the air while on the center stand. Tape a pencil to your forks and get it a hair away from the rotor, then spin. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChickenIsMe Posted March 13 Author Share Posted March 13 6 minutes ago, kilo3 said: You bet, get that front wheel off the ground with your choice of ballast holding it in the air while on the center stand. Tape a pencil to your forks and get it a hair away from the rotor, then spin. Nice and simple idea - thankyou 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Wolf Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 48 minutes ago, ChickenIsMe said: Didnt really know of the bobbin issue It's not a common issue with the Tracer. There is a thread with more info, there have been occasions where it helped but honestly you have no real symptoms. 1 1980 Yamaha 850 Triple (sold). Too many bikes to list, FJ-09 is next on my list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member texscottyd Posted March 13 Supporting Member Share Posted March 13 May I ask where you’re located @ChickenIsMe? I’m wondering, as I’m genuinely not aware of any place in the U.S. where an annual state safety inspection would flag you for that. Regardless, if you’re not feeling that speed-dependent pulsing in the brakes while slowing down, I’m highly skeptical that you have a significant warp to a rotor. A small amount of runout is normal, but not enough to be noticeable at the lever. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChickenIsMe Posted March 13 Author Share Posted March 13 I researched the bobbins a bit more, I dont want to start a discussion around them per se. Considering I started this thread and was of the opinion from basic research they should rotate. I thought I should post a correction on my opinion. I now believe bobbins dont have to rotate. - While not mentioned by the garage guy mentioned below - I do think they should be cleaned of brake dust and foreign matter inside them (and maybe some rotating of them can help the cleaning process). I will probably try either cleaning and/or slight rotating - if the test kilo3 mentioned shows a slight warping. Research Dirty garage guy for floating brakes and bobbins if interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChickenIsMe Posted March 13 Author Share Posted March 13 5 minutes ago, texscottyd said: May I ask where you’re located @ChickenIsMe? I’m wondering, as I’m genuinely not aware of any place in the U.S. where an annual state safety inspection would flag you for that. Regardless, if you’re not feeling that speed-dependent pulsing in the brakes while slowing down, I’m highly skeptical that you have a significant warp to a rotor. A small amount of runout is normal, but not enough to be noticeable at the lever. Located in Australia, I too have never had anything like this flagged on a safety certificate - which in my state is only needed when selling. Kind of adds to the suspicion they are trying for a money grab. Bike is out of warranty now, and they probably dont realise I tend to do all major bike works myself once out of warranty outside of a general service. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChickenIsMe Posted March 13 Author Share Posted March 13 Just mounted digital calipers to the forks and slowly rotated the wheel (and thus discs), no runout what so ever. Seems they are trying to take me for a ride (pun intended :)) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilo3 Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 4 hours ago, ChickenIsMe said: Just mounted digital calipers to the forks and slowly rotated the wheel (and thus discs), no runout what so ever. Seems they are trying to take me for a ride (pun intended Disheartening to hear, difficult to get that trust back. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin R Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 Coming in late to this thread but I may be able to offer some input. I was noticing a pulsating feel on my brakes after riding the bike a few years. It was worse at higher speeds and harder braking. I'm generally a light braker and still have the OEM pads after 30k miles. Ultimately I decided to clean and lubricate the caliper mounting pins and cleaned the pistons. This made a very noticeable improvement - no more pulsating. :-) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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