Triumphrat

01-02-2006

This problem relates to an earlier posting that a number of members kindly helped me out with.
The story begins like this...........
I aquired the bike, after spending most of my life with faired sports bikes. I wanted something I could work on myself so sought a lovely naked speed triple. I joined evening workshop classes and everything whent well. So on the Christmas / New year break I decided to do some winter work - oil & filter change, coolant, battery etc. All went well except that I noticed the bike was difficult to push - almost like the brakes were binding ? The pads looked okay, but I noticed the front master cylinder fluid level was near the lower mark, and I decided to top-up. I looked at the rear master cylinder and found the fluid level was below the lower level. Could this cause the binding feeling ? :???:

01-03-2006

I don't know about fluid levels, but I can tell you a couple of simple things to check that might help pinpoint your problem...

Put the bike on the centerstand. (Does a '96 Speed Triple have one? It will be a lot less simple if it doesn't.)

With the bike on the centerstand, start it up. In neutral, the rear wheel should still turn, fairly slowly, when the motor is running. If it doesn't turn, your rear caliper is probably binding. Bleeding it might help, but a caliper rebuild is more likely to help in that situation. If the rear wheel does turn freely, let the motor warm up. Turn it off & see if you can push it more easily. If it's easy to push after it's warm, then that means your clutch plates are just sticking from sitting & you've already fixed it by warming it up.

If the rear wheel turns freely on the centerstand, but it's still hard to push, then it's time to look at the front calipers.

I'm sure there are a bunch of other things it could be, I've only been wrenching for a year & a half, but this should be a good starting point.

HTH,
-Kit

01-03-2006

The rear breaks tend to drag on Triumphs (or at least Trophys) Any way, it seems to be a fairly common problem I belive the rebuild kit for the rear caliper is a honda kit and pretty inexpensive.

dazco · 01-03-2006

My dual front has dragged since new. Not so much i'd worry tho. And at this point (4k miles) it may have gone, as i don't recall hearing it lately when pushing it.

01-03-2006

Hi there.

Thanks for the help. The bike seems to be more difficult to move when pushing it backwards (but that may just be me).
I have noticed that the bike seems easier to move when warm so maybe it is the clutch plates ?

Cheers

:hammer:

Slinky · 01-03-2006

Clutch plates would have no effect on pushing the bike if the box is in neutral.

It does seem like you have some binding going on somewhere. By grasping each caliper in turn you should be able to rock it slightly with your hand. If a caliper does not move, try giving it a tap with a rubber mallet.

It may be something as simple as a build up of crud between the caliper bores and pistions, usually caused by someone replacing the pads without cleaning the pistons.

Another long shot, but worth checking is that the chain might be too tight.

bigern2300 · 01-10-2006

Hopefully some wannabe bike mechanic didn't tighten the axles with the force of a gorilla. You might want to remove the brake calipers and chain, then try spinning the wheels.
Could be overtight axles and/ or damaged wheel bearings.
I have also seen the floating rotors get "stuck" requiring some tapping back and forth with a coated mallet.

[ This message was edited by: bigern2300 on 2006-01-10 14:04 ]

Gohm · 01-12-2006

If the bike has sat for a bit the clutch plates can push out the oil between them causing it to feel lke the bike could almost be in gear or the bike to lurch when started in neutral. How long was it since the last brake fluid check? If it was checked recently and the levels were much higher than that could be an issue.

SpitfireTriple · 01-15-2006

From how you've described the problem, I lean towards brake pads rather than clutch plates - I'm assuming you're pushing the bike in neutral. I understand the problem is fairly common on the twin-piston rear-caliper on 1st-generation Triumphs, and is worst when you first wheel the bike out but improves a little if you do a few miles. Not enough to ignore it though, it won't go away on its own. If you do ignore it you'll suffer high fuel consumption, reduced speed, and your pads will quickly wear out so you'll have to do the job anyway, with the extra cost of new pads..

I've had to strip and clean the rear calipers on my 1995 D900 (twin-piston rear calipers like the Speed Triple I believe) a few times when I've used the bike in salty winter conditions. It's a chore, but easy enough if you follow the manual, have the right tools and take your time.

[ This message was edited by: SpitfireTriple on 2006-01-15 08:03 ]

01-15-2006

My front pads on my Daytona 600 seem to bind up also I dnt know why .its like the pads are seezing to the rotor??

Josh