Front brake question

[Stephen ingham]

Hi all, just another quick question....
My bike recently went for its annual MOT (which it passed straight through) and the tester noticed that the front brakes seemed to be binding slightly although he didnt judge it as a problem.
So i took it home and took out off the caliper and removed the pads, i cleaned the pistons and ensured they werent sticking.
When i went to put the pads back in i found them to be a very very tight fit into the caliper.
Is this how its supposed to be or should they be a slightly looser fit.
I was thinking that this may be causing the pads and calipers to stick a little and cause drag on the discs, is this possibly true?
I was thinking that filing the contact edges on the pads may help with a slightly looser fit and them to move a little better within the calipers....

 

[greg]

I found the pads on mine had some corrosion which made them a bit bigger and very tight. They are supposed to be a tight fit though.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Hi all, just another quick question....
My bike recently went for its annual MOT (which it passed straight through) and the tester noticed that the front brakes seemed to be binding slightly although he didnt judge it as a problem.
So i took it home and took out off the caliper and removed the pads, i cleaned the pistons and ensured they werent sticking.
When i went to put the pads back in i found them to be a very very tight fit into the caliper.
Is this how its supposed to be or should they be a slightly looser fit.
I was thinking that this may be causing the pads and calipers to stick a little and cause drag on the discs, is this possibly true?
I was thinking that filing the contact edges on the pads may help with a slightly looser fit and them to move a little better within the calipers....

Not sure of your year bike, but Yamaha recommends new caliper seals every TWO YEARS. I've found 4-5 years more appropriate.

Several ways to check them;

Put the bike on the centerstand, jack under the header, the ft wheel up. Give it a good hard spin by hand. If it stops within 3/4 a turn or so, their due.

When I replaced the ft seals in my S2 (4 piston pots), "free spin" went from about 3/4 a rotation to 4.5 spins. That was about 2.5 years ago. Its still at about 4 spins.

You can also go for a 15-20 minute ride, (40-50 MPH) and stop with the REAR BRAKE ONLY. Carefully touch the front rotors. They should cool to cold to the touch. If their very warm/ hot, their dragging too much and need attention.

You can check the rear brake by this method as well. With chain drag, its a bit harder checking with "free spin"...

The S1 bikes have two pistons with a floating caliper as well. The hardware (like a cage), needs cleaning and brake specific grease too to allow them to float and center them selves. The S2, is hard mounted, the 4 pistons all come out (no hardware, sleeves to lube).

If you have access to an air compressor, a spriz of air every once in awhile around the calipers blows most of the brake dust out and helps keep things clean in there.. You'll be surprised how much dust will come out..

**BTW, I would NOT be filing or modifying any of the brake componants. If their clean/ brake specific grease lubed in the sppropriate spots, it should assemble fairly easily, by hand, (W/O any help with a hammer, etc). Make sure you have all the anti-rattle springs installed correctly. The upper, larger one will have an arrow imprinted on it which faces forward..

 

[Stephen ingham]

The pistons seem to move very freely when the brake lever is pressed and can fairly easily be pushed back by hand.
My thought really I guess is that when I try to put the pads into the caliper they cant be pushed in by hand, I had to give them a little tap to get them in and once in the are very very tight, this I thought could be the cause of the brakes dragging....

 

[Carlos840]

The pistons seem to move very freely when the brake lever is pressed and can fairly easily be pushed back by hand.
My thought really I guess is that when I try to put the pads into the caliper they cant be pushed in by hand, I had to give them a little tap to get them in and once in the are very very tight, this I thought could be the cause of the brakes dragging....

My stock pads and my replacement Carbone Lorraine pads both fit into the calipers without any effort, if anything they should be a loose fit.
The only thing keeping them against the disc should be the pistons, not some friction with the caliper itself.

Are you sure they are the correct pads?

 

[Stephen ingham]

As they were already in the bike when I got it I can only assume they are the correct ones...I am gunna get a set of replacements this week.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Not mentioned is the anti rattle spings. Make sure their installed properly. My S2's literally slide/ drop in with the securing pin removed.

If you can move the pistons pretty easily, back in by hand, your probably ok there. I would say, the new rubber seals (even thou the caliper currently seems to work ok) does make a difference..

Rubber, as you know hardens over time(old tires, ets). Rubber seals will stick on the pistons and looses its flexibility to pull the pistons back in once hydralic pressure is released.. Its a very slow process, like wear on our tires. You don't realize how bacd they are until you replace with new tires.

for an S2, part #10 Yamaha Motorcycle Parts 2007 FZ6 - FZS6W FRONT BRAKE CALIPER Diagram

For an S1;

Yamaha Motorcycle Parts 2005 FZ6 - FZ6ST FRONT BRAKE CALIPER Diagram


**Just a suggestion, (that would be very helpful), can you post the year of your bike (or S1 or S2) maybe under your signature (as I have). It makes addressing certain issues MUCH easier for us**... I still don't know what brake system you have...

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

As they were already in the bike when I got it I can only assume they are the correct ones...I am gunna get a set of replacements this week.

IMO, I would stick with Genuine Yamaha OEM's. You know their not a chinese knock off and will fit as designed.

 

[Carlos840]

IMO, I would stick with Genuine Yamaha OEM's. You know their not a chinese knock off and will fit as designed.

IMO it can be worth going with "upgraded" pads, i installed some Carbone Lorraine XBK5 and the difference in braking power was huge.

Granted i did also upgrade the lines to SS at the same time, but the CL pads were really a great improvement.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

IMO it can be worth going with "upgraded" pads, i installed some Carbone Lorraine XBK5 and the difference in braking power was huge.

Granted i did also upgrade the lines to SS at the same time, but the CL pads were really a great improvement.

I'm not familiar with them, I gather the fitment was good (not sloppy Chinese knock offs)?

Also, are they harder on the rotors, or a softer compound (VS OEM)?

 

[2old2ride]

IMO it can be worth going with "upgraded" pads, i installed some Carbone Lorraine XBK5 and the difference in braking power was huge.

Granted i did also upgrade the lines to SS at the same time, but the CL pads were really a great improvement.

Yes, I went with the "organic" pads. Mainly because the brakes were so bad when I got it that anything would be an improvement. I had a spider and web in the left front piston (the bigger one). I would guess it hadn't worked in a while. So I thought it would be a good time to try the Kevlar/Carbon Fiber pads. So far, so good. See how they wear.

 

[Carlos840]

I'm not familiar with them, I gather the fitment was good (not sloppy Chinese knock offs)?

Also, are they harder on the rotors, or a softer compound (VS OEM)?

They are a french brand, but are available in most of the world.
They are pretty expensive but i think are worth it. The fit was equal to my stock yamaha ones, they don't seem to be hurting the discs at all.

They have a very progressive bite, but a lot more bite than the stock pads.
Like i said previously, i can lift the rear wheel with two fingers without trying very hard and usually brake with one finger.

They are still road pads though, they work at low temperature and in the wet just fine. But they work better and they never fade.

 

[2007Z6ALL-LED]

just chime in..the Yamaha OEM brake pads are lasting very long...my bike has 17000 miles and the original brake pad's worn just half ..I'mostly gliding through the suck traffic in Los Angeles 105/405 freeways so I think I don't need that stopping power like sintered brake pads which might wear faster than OEM ones.

if yours is 2007, I also found that replacing the brake pad's worn-out pin helped the brake pads movements, rid of squeaking sound..and my wheel now can turn 1.5 revolution compared before the pin brakepad change was only 1 revolution. That tells me pin brakepad was one of things need to be looked at.. (I got a good deal $15 for 2 pin..)

 

[FinalImpact]

On the topic of the OP issue - fitment. The pad next to the pistons must be able to move in and out with the pistons.
- On the S1 the inner pad is stationary while the outer (next to the pistons) must be able to move with the pistons. If it doesn't, this may create drag!

- Important, confirm the S1 caliper Freely slides on the guide pins. Clean out the old grease and VERIFY PIN is neither rattling loose or too tight in the caliper body. With grease and slide boot removed, fit caliper to fork and confirm fitment and movement. Once you know its OK to reuse, grease it and install the dust boot. Assemble pads, clips, caliper. Bleed brakes if the piston was pumped out for cleaning.

Also, bleeding and getting the air out helps the pistons retract. Be sure to do this yearly!

 

[Stephen ingham]

yes i will do all of that.
I just need to go get some pads then i can strip the calipers back off again.

Cheers

 

[Stephen ingham]

Quick update on this subject:

I sourced some new pads (EBC) from my local bike shop.
When i went to fit them i found they too were an extremely tight fit and the only way i could get them into the caliper was to tap them in, so i removed them again and lightly filed the contact surface on the edge of the pads, just enough to allow me to push them in by hand.

Once reassembled i am now able to spin the front wheel freely without any drag or binding and the brakes work great.