Brakes...

[Grae_ST]

No... this is NOT another brake thread... (well.. ok it IS another brake thread... just not about squishy lever feel and the like... )

Collected the bike this morning after having the draglink replaced... on the way to delivering the bike last week for the draglink... i got my 1st ever punture on a motorcycle! (900,000mi without a flat! i'm pretty happy with that! lol)

As the tyres were not that far off needing replacing, decided to get a new pair fitted (michelin pilot road2... for those that take an interest in that kind of thing!)

Now, i can hear you all asking, what the hell has this to do with Brakes? Well... i'm glad you asked!

You see the service tech took the bike on a test run after changing the tyres and replacing the draglink... and noticed that the front lever was pulsing... so, back to the shop... off with the front wheel and measure the runout on the disks... Left disk runout .09 Right disk runout .08
Triumphs serviceable limit is .03

Guess who now needs new disks?

Better still, wanna guess how long the lever has pulsed?
Answer:- Since I picked the bike up from the shop, Brand New in '07!?!?!

Triumph list price in Oz for 2 new disks Aus$1190.00 + fitting
oh! & a set of brake pads too, if you don't mind (3rd set)

Bike has done 27500kms/17000mi and a Happy Christmas to me!

Anyone else had to replace disks this soon?
Believe me, IF i was hard on the brakes i could understand needing them this soon... but apart from practicing emergency stops 'off road' i have never had to brake really hard... I am starting to think this bike was built at 5mins to knock off time on a Friday....

Okies... enough rant... off to look online for some reasonably priced replacements... I see a nice set of contoured disks in my near future!!!

Cheers, G

[steve speed]

have a look at the new EBC rotors they use a new bobbin its sort of oval and the say they will never warp and they do them in wavy style

[Grae_ST]

G'day Steve,

Thanks for the info. EBC was who i had in mind!

I have just placed an online order for the required parts from:-

http://www.ebcbrakesdirect.com/default.asp

For those of you who may be interested here are the current part #'s (as of 24th Nov. 2009) for the brake components from EBC Brakes to suit 2005-2009 Sprint ST 1050:-

Brake pads (Non Asbestos - Organic Pads) Part # FA236
Brake Rotors (Contour) Part # MD669XC
Brake Rotors (Plain) Part # MD669X

I ordered the countoured/wave rotors and 2 sets of brake pads from the above website (i have no affiliation with the above website) i am simply providing the link as a potential parts source!

Total cost for all required parts from the above site, including shipping to Australia AUS$593.00

Thats a little better on the hip pocket than the AUS$1200 Triumph want for 2 disks!!!

I will update here after i recieve the items as to delivery times, correct parts etc.

Cheers, G.

[Berto]

Originally Posted by Grae_ST

G'day Steve,

Thanks for the info. EBC was who i had in mind!

I have just placed an online order for the required parts from:-

http://www.ebcbrakesdirect.com/default.asp

For those of you who may be interested here are the current part #'s (as of 24th Nov. 2009) for the brake components from EBC Brakes to suit 2005-2009 Sprint ST 1050:-

Brake pads (Non Asbestos - Organic Pads) Part # FA236
Brake Rotors (Contour) Part # MD669XC
Brake Rotors (Plain) Part # MD669X

I ordered the countoured/wave rotors and 2 sets of brake pads from the above website (i have no affiliation with the above website) i am simply providing the link as a potential parts source!

Total cost for all required parts from the above site, including shipping to Australia AUS$593.00

Thats a little better on the hip pocket than the AUS$1200 Triumph want for 2 disks!!!

I will update here after i recieve the items as to delivery times, correct parts etc.

Cheers, G.

I installed the EBCs on 04 Sprint in August. Very happy with them and I spent just about exactly what you did, allowing for the exchange rate. Very nicely made product. Don't forget matching EBC pads.

And this is where I once again squeak and opine that Triumph has a quality/design issue with front discs. The complaint of premature warpage seems to come up every few weeks.

--Paul

[KitNYC]

If you can still change the order, HH pads will stop you much better than organics.

Cheers,
-Kit

[oldndumb]

Originally Posted by Berto

.........
And this is where I once again squeak and opine that Triumph has a quality/design issue with front discs. The complaint of premature warpage seems to come up every few weeks.
--Paul

I agree that an aftermarket set of rotors will perform better than the stock ones.

But, to condemn the stock discs by saying that they suffer from a quality or design issue with no back up information or data is not justified. They are the same units used successfully on many other brand of bike.

Rotor warp is probably one of the least understood and most misdiagnosed problems on a bike. While lateral run out beyond limits and a pulsating levers are not difficult to detect, the root cause can be. Most of the time it is not a rotor defect.

While it may appear to be a frequent problem, consider that those with zero rotor problems are not posting. It would be safe to guess that there are twice as many STs that have never had a rotor problem as there are that have.

[Niltime]

Good to hear from you, Graeme!

Let me know what you think of the new rotors.

Cheers

[Beach]

I put EBC discs on my 99ST when the front rotors wore out.

Same deal on cost. $1100.00AUD for a genuine set from Triumph or $800.00 including a set of pads from EBC.

Funnily enough, the bike and I never knew the difference.

[sussurf]

This thread has twigged me to take my micrometer when checking out 2/h bikes to measure the rotor thickness.

This could be potentially a significant cost factor in considering used bikes.

Does anyone happen to know where I might find the specs for rotor thicknesses on the various year models?

A quick search using "disc rotor thickness" returned nothing of use.

Thanks,

Phil

[Berto]

Originally Posted by sussurf

This thread has twigged me to take my micrometer when checking out 2/h bikes to measure the rotor thickness.

This could be potentially a significant cost factor in considering used bikes.

Does anyone happen to know where I might find the specs for rotor thicknesses on the various year models?

A quick search using "disc rotor thickness" returned nothing of use.

Thanks,

Phil

It's not just thickness, Phil, it's runout, too. For the Sprint, the standard thickness is 4.0 mm, the service limit is 3.5. Runout standard is .1 mm and service limit is .3mm. (This is for the 955 ST, other may or may not be different.)

So, in my case, the warped discs were 3.8 mm, about. Fairly uniformly. I have a dial gauge but didn't measure the runout. I assume it was greater than .3mm.

So there would appear to be two mechanisms. If for whatever reason the disc thickness becomes very uneven due to wear or there's material deposition on the surface from the pads, pulsing might occur. In the case of warpage, if the thickness is within limits, then the disc itself is running out of true.

Or it could be a combination of both. If anyone has real data on this, I haven't seen it. So I am surmising that the above is correct. A couple of months ago, I dove into the subject looking for the sort of statistical data I am used to working with in aviation, but I don't think it exists.

The used Sprint I bought came with warped discs at 7300 miles. I replaced them with new EBCs and HH pads for about $550. And you're right, it can be a factor in the used price, but unless you test ride the bike or measure the discs, you wouldn't know about it.

I consider it an acceptable risk.

--Paul