[Shopshirt Mofo]

Hey guys....this may be a dumb question....But sometimes when I'm riding at low speeds, idling through a neighborhood or something...I swear I hear a very faint scraping noise coming from the front end. Kind of like schiff...schiff...schiff... intermitantly and not all the time.

Any idea what that might be?

 

[knightslugger]

Probably your brakes dragging. nothing to worry about.

 

[Frog]

front disc ?

I hear mine when I'm moving the bike around with the engine off

Darn ! KS is faster ..

 

[Lacessit]

I have the same problem (front disc), when I mentioned it to the dealer they said it was normal to have them drag a bit for "instant on" brake application. Does that sound ridiculous to anyone else? Dragging the brakes just reduces the efficiency of the bike (lower fuel economy/higher rolling resistance) and I can't imagine it really increases the reaction times.

I just figured he was a moron, and that I should take my bike elsewhere until I gather the courage to start working on her myself.

 

[MrSciTrek]

Go through any unusual tar-gravel sand goo lately?

Mayby some dust or such is imbedded in the pad material or vent groove(s)... whatever the grooves in the brake pad material are called.

If the 500's brake calipers "float" on the slider bolts maybe rust or crud has built up & is keeping the caliper from free floating, so it keeps pressing one pad onto the disk. ??

 

[Shopshirt Mofo]

Sounds like it is sort of common. Could be just drag from new fresh off the dealer floor. I'm still gonna keep an eye...errrr...ear on it though ;D

 

[cstem]

All disc brakes drag- even the ones in your car. Why?- Because there is no spring return like on drums to pull them in. A disc relys on liquid vacuum for the pad return. Now if the bike is old and rarely cleaned, the piston can accumulate a layer of crud around the piston that will not allow it to retract at all and cause it to rub more, overheat a system or damage the piston seals casuing leakage.

 

[Pittsburgh Ninja]

front disc ?

I hear mine when I'm moving the bike around with the engine off

Darn ! KS is faster ..

good thing i found this thread, i have the same issue/problem. mine does it, sounds like the brakes rubbing against the rotors

 

[eXce!!eNt]

Same here. Only when I am walking the bike with the engine off do I hear this though.

 

[Shopshirt Mofo]

yeah I just chalked it up to brake drag.

 

[ommyt69]

I wouldn't worry about it ,even the disk on my bicycle drag a little ,it could even be that the rotor is a little off ,it shouldn't be enough that it actually slows the bike down , try jacking the front off the ground and spin the wheel by hand , it it doesn't spin freely then you have a problem

 

[Jsvob03]

yea. all disc brakes drag slightly. this is to heat the braking surfaces for optimum performance. don't believe me? try this (in your car..) when cold, take it for a quick drive, hit 35 mph. make a quick stop. note the distance required to stop. then, next time you are coming home or whatever, do it again. you'll notice the stopping distance much shorter. the brakes function better when 'warmed up' (dont ask me what temp, i dont know). too much heat is bad tho..

btw, mine make some slight noise too, but as was said, only when pushing it around.

 

[fog]

yea. all disc brakes drag slightly. this is to heat the braking surfaces for optimum performance. don't believe me? try this (in your car..) when cold, take it for a quick drive, hit 35 mph. make a quick stop. note the distance required to stop. then, next time you are coming home or whatever, do it again. you'll notice the stopping distance much shorter. the brakes function better when 'warmed up' (dont ask me what temp, i dont know). too much heat is bad tho..

btw, mine make some slight noise too, but as was said, only when pushing it around.

this is to heat the braking surfaces for optimum performance. don't believe me?

Ah ...No.

FOG

 

[MrSciTrek]

I wouldn't worry about it ,even the disk on my bicycle drag a little ,it could even be that the rotor is a little off ,it shouldn't be enough that it actually slows the bike down , try jacking the front off the ground and spin the wheel by hand , it it doesn't spin freely then you have a problem

Bicycle brakes shouldn't be dragging. Assuming you're talking road bike, see which side of the rim it's rubbing. My old Shimanos allow for loosening the center bolt & repositioning/centering the brake to give a bit more space to the dragging side. But there are some other ways depending on the design.
http://www.bikewebsite.com/bicycle-bra.htm

 

[Frog]

^ I think he is referring to his bicycle disc brakes, which are the same kind as the front brake of the 500, only smaller and way lighter.

 

[Independentfool]

good thing i found this thread, i have the same issue/problem. mine does it, sounds like the brakes rubbing against the rotors

X2 !! woohoo, i dont have to worry about fixing this!