First ride of the season today... Front brake pulling left and right

[geetarhero]

Took 'er out for the first time since november thanks to another beautiful calgary chinook.

However, my front brake has become very scary to use. Everytime I used it it seemed to pull the bike hard to the left (always started with the left) then hard to the right and so on until i stopped. I thought maybe it was just dust or other buildup but it continued on for the entire ride, even after an 80kph-0 stop, so I have ruled that out.

the rotors look straight and it has been parked in a heated parkade (18*C) all winter. I did take all the fairings off and painted it white this winter but none of that touched any braking components. Tire pressure hadnt budged for the entire year last year but I havent checked it yet, although the bike handled and drove perfect.

any idea what else I can look into? at this point ill be taking it to the dealer once the season officially starts to get them to look at it if the tire pressure is normal.

 

[Motogiro]

Yes. First thing I'd check is the tire pressure. Check the head bearing for play.
A few folks have found that the OEM head bearings lacked in the area of lube and suffer premature failure. Swing arm pivot would also be suspect. Put it up on the side stand an see if you can detect side play.
Check the wheel bearings for side play.
Prolly just air pressure. How old are the tires?

 

[Gilo-FZ6]

are your fork seals intact.. your not losing any fork oil??

 

[geetarhero]

tires were bought in August last year, very new. Bike itself was only bought last April, fork seals are good. ill have to check the steering bearing, although i live in a pretty dry climate and mostfailures look to be caused by rustyness.
swing arm pivot is good as well.

keep em comin, tire pressure gauge is at the shop, wont be able to grab it till monday

 

[mstewar1]

Maybe a front brake bleed is in order? Nothing got spilled on the front brake (pads in particular) while it was in storage did it?

 

[von_trippenhopf]

I don't think brakes will make it pull to one side or the other, after all there have been plenty of bikes with one disc up front and they stop straight.
I had some handling issues a while back and at first blamed them on a faulty tyre (which was crap and I replaced!), but I also found that the steering head bearings were way too tight, causing low speed wobbles & a reluctance to turn in. Get the front wheel off the ground & give the bars a turn, lock to lock, and see if they turn freely.
Good luck! :thumbup:

 

[deeptekkie]

Yes. First thing I'd check is the tire pressure. Check the head bearing for play.
A few folks have found that the OEM head bearings lacked in the area of lube and suffer premature failure. Swing arm pivot would also be suspect. Put it up on the side stand an see if you can detect side play.
Check the wheel bearings for side play.
Prolly just air pressure. How old are the tires?

Everything nccoder said, even in that order. (Sorry, but I'm afraid it's either steering head bearings or swingarm bearings, in that order) Good luck!

 

[geetarhero]

great, thanks guys.

 

[RJ2112]

Took 'er out for the first time since november thanks to another beautiful calgary chinook.

However, my front brake has become very scary to use. Everytime I used it it seemed to pull the bike hard to the left (always started with the left) then hard to the right and so on until i stopped. I thought maybe it was just dust or other buildup but it continued on for the entire ride, even after an 80kph-0 stop, so I have ruled that out.

the rotors look straight and it has been parked in a heated parkade (18*C) all winter. I did take all the fairings off and painted it white this winter but none of that touched any braking components. Tire pressure hadnt budged for the entire year last year but I havent checked it yet, although the bike handled and drove perfect.

any idea what else I can look into? at this point ill be taking it to the dealer once the season officially starts to get them to look at it if the tire pressure is normal.

If the only thing that changed over the course of the winter was disassembly for painting..... I'd be looking at what was taken apart and put back together with a fine toothed comb. After the tire pressure check.

What exactly was taken apart?

What happens when you apply the rear brake? Does it behave, or does it pull to one side or the other?

If it's grabbing hard when you hit the brakes, but tracks straight and rides normally at all other times, my first look would be at the calipers. (That's just me.)

Is there any sort of burnt on stuff on the rotors? Is there any evidence of fluid leakage around the calipers?

Did you remove the front wheel when you did your painting?

Did you remove the fork legs?

Is the suspension altered in any way from OEM?

Has there been any significant weight change on the bike?

 

[geetarhero]

If the only thing that changed over the course of the winter was disassembly for painting..... I'd be looking at what was taken apart and put back together with a fine toothed comb. After the tire pressure check.

What exactly was taken apart?

What happens when you apply the rear brake? Does it behave, or does it pull to one side or the other?

If it's grabbing hard when you hit the brakes, but tracks straight and rides normally at all other times, my first look would be at the calipers. (That's just me.)

Is there any sort of burnt on stuff on the rotors? Is there any evidence of fluid leakage around the calipers?

Did you remove the front wheel when you did your painting?

Did you remove the fork legs?

Is the suspension altered in any way from OEM?

Has there been any significant weight change on the bike?

this is why im so weirded out, nothing has changed since putting it away other than the color. fairings and gas tank came off and had absolutely nothing in common with any mechanical parts. especially in the front end.

rear brake and the bike behaves perfectly normal

Best way to describe it is it feels like the left and right calipers are grabbing at different times instead of in unison.
pads are good, rotors look to be in perfect condition. nothing on them, and are straight.
Nothing has ever been altered on the wheels, suspension or weight of the bike.

just checked fork play and there is zero movement in any direction and turn-in is silky smooth.
Will do a quick brake bleeding and see if that does anything.
Im really hoping this is all in bane and my tire pressure dropped...

 

[RJ2112]

When you grab a fist full of front brake with the bike standing still and 'pump' the front suspension..... does it behave itself?

Weight off the front wheel (someone holding the back of the bike down on the center stand) does it rotate freely, and silently? Are there any clicking, or scraping noises? Is there any drag on the rotors?

Did you by chance ride the bike hands free at any point in this ride? (checking to see if it tracks correctly without the rider's input)

Has the bike ever been crashed?

 

[Motogiro]

this is why im so weirded out, nothing has changed since putting it away other than the color. fairings and gas tank came off and had absolutely nothing in common with any mechanical parts. especially in the front end.

rear brake and the bike behaves perfectly normal

Best way to describe it is it feels like the left and right calipers are grabbing at different times instead of in unison.
pads are good, rotors look to be in perfect condition. nothing on them, and are straight.
Nothing has ever been altered on the wheels, suspension or weight of the bike.

just checked fork play and there is zero movement in any direction and turn-in is silky smooth.
Will do a quick brake bleeding and see if that does anything.
Im really hoping this is all in bane and my tire pressure dropped...

The wrong tire pressure can make it squirrely.