Warped brake discs -- common problem?

[Ride2wheels]

The front brake discs on my R1150RT (2004) are warped -- not terribly, but enough to cause an annoying shudder. The bike now has 19,000 miles on it; the problem has been there for several thousand miles. The dealer says this warpage is fairly common. The warranty expired a couple of weeks ago (figures!) but the dealer is working on getting BMW to cover at least some of the cost. But my question is, if this is common is it worth looking into after-market discs? These suckers aren't cheap and if it's likely to happen again it might be worth trying a different disc. Has anyone had a similar problem with BMW’s rotors (or experience with aftermarket discs)?

[PGlaves]

The front brake discs on my R1150RT (2004) are warped -- not terribly, but enough to cause an annoying shudder. The bike now has 19,000 miles on it; the problem has been there for several thousand miles. The dealer says this warpage is fairly common. The warranty expired a couple of weeks ago (figures!) but the dealer is working on getting BMW to cover at least some of the cost. But my question is, if this is common is it worth looking into after-market discs? These suckers aren't cheap and if it's likely to happen again it might be worth trying a different disc. Has anyone had a similar problem with BMW’s rotors (or experience with aftermarket discs)?

I don't think "warped" disks are as common as "bent" disks, caused by mishandling during tire changes.

[Ride2wheels]

Hmmm... how does one distinguish between a (slight) bend and a warp?

[Andy VH]

I have not heard of any warpped disc problems on any BMWs. I too would suspect improper handling of the wheels during a tire change. My 94 R1100RS has 115,000+ miles on it with no indication of disc warppage. Disc warp is more common on high mileage bikes as the disc gets thinner from wear, but that would take hundreds of thousands of miles to happen.

Paul and Voni Glaves both have well over 200,000 miles on their bikes, so if they have not experienced disc warppage then it is very unlikely you have either. If your discs measure the proper thickness, and if your brakes have not been dragging, and if the discs show no over-heating evidence (blue spots), then most likely they have been bent during a tire change.

A steel rule straight edge, laid across the face of the braking surface of the discs may indicate the condition. A bent disc will cause a shudder during braking and especially a pulsing feel as the bike slows down. But it really does not hamper the braking, until you get into real high effort braking.

[charleshickman]

I've been reading about brake disc issues on the R1200GS. Mine has 3,000 mi, original tires and I have not ridden that agressively. It was a demo with 700 miles on it when I bought it.

There is a significant shudder in the front brakes, which I have attributed to warped discs. It's a two day affair (one to take it, one to go get it) to take it to a dealer. Any ideas on a simple fix?

[BobsST]

There was a bad batch of rotors on '05 ST's and RT's. Mine were replaced without question at the 6,000 mile service. No problems since the replacement and 2,000 additional miles.

[HankPfister]

My '05 RT developed a shuddering while braking at about 4000 miles, still on original tires. The front discs were replaced under warrenty at the 6000 mi service. I read somewhere that replacement discs were thicker than the originals.

[GeneT]

My 2001 R1200C with 19k miles has just recently started to pulsate when stopping at low speed and light brake pressure. So far it has not presented any worry or problem.

I don't credit this to changing tires as the front tire has not been replaced recently.

By the way, how much are brake rotors???

:dance

[DSBMW1]

I had to replace mine at 75,000 miles. I bought it with 22,000 miles on it and have just abused it since. I had to replace both the pads and rotors. It is what it is.

[charleshickman]

I took my gs to Bogart's in Birmingham Alabama and they replaced the rotors under the warranty. I got good service from this dealer.

[RocksforBrains]

My 2005 R1200RT w/ 18000 miles had warped front rotors. My dealer (Big Twin in Boise) replaced them under warranty. The front brake lever would pulse pretty good when I grabbed a handful of brake, so they were pretty warped.

[bobh41]

Per the Clymer manual.

Test with a dial indicator

[charleshickman]

BMW has issued a TSB on the brake issue. #34 003 07 (034). It provides that the problem is the result of manufacturing tolerance on the brake discs, wheels and ABS sensor ring. The TSB provides that they should remount the brake discs in the position that results in the least runout. If the runout, after applying this fix, is greater than .13mm, the wheel should be replaced.

I had my bike in for service on thursday, 8/9. I told the dealer about the TSB . They pulled it and tried the fix. They had replaced the brake discs at about 5k miles. I rode to Alaska and the problem was back when I returned.

The dealer tried the remount solution. They got the brake disc runout down to .07mm. The threshold for a new wheel under the TSB is .13mm. Hence no new wheel. The service manager rode the bike and acknowledged that the 'juddering' problem had not been fixed, but they couldn't do anything.

I called into the BMW NA customer service. The rep there contacted the dealer, who is supposed to contact the regional service manager etc etc, and get back to me.

Oh, by the way, I read some info on the bike when they introduced it in South Africa back in '04 I believe. The writeups all reference floating front discs. What is mounted on my are solid discs. I'm wondering if they spec'd the solid rotors as a cost saving measure, after the manufacturing tolerances for the wheels had been determined, and created a problem.

[pgods]

Some say to clean your rotors - even a light sanding might be required. Also, I've read that if you have servo assist, don't keep a grip on the front brake at a stand still. Perhaps it leaves a residue at a specific point on the rotor?
Rely on tha rear brake.

[PAGoldsby]

Are these rotors that are being diagnosed as "warped" actually so? It is my understanding that the symptom commonly described as "warped rotors" is mostly caused by uneven deposits of brake pad material on the rotor surface, which is itself generally due to uneven heat distribution around the rotor, or physical degradation of the pad material due to heat stress.

[BobsST]

Update - I'm in for the 12,000 mile service and once again getting new rotors and also a new wheel. They followed the service bulletin to the letter. - put new rotors on the old wheel, checked runout, didn't meet spec so they ordered a new wheel. Hope this fixes the problem this time.

[henzilla]

I set up an appointment to have the '05 RT checked, been riding the GS so much that when I rode the RT Saturday, it was terrible. I guess I just accepted the pulsing I was feeling as normal until I rode normal. The tech pulled the servive bulletin , so we will see in a few weeks when my appointment comes up. It really pulsed on quick decelleration, made me alter braking style rest of day. 42000 miles, but has done it since I got it with 15K, just thought it was somehow the linked/servo pump doing it's thing. Hope I get a Happy Ending!

[Wallowa]

I set up an appointment to have the '05 RT checked, been riding the GS so much that when I rode the RT Saturday, it was terrible. I guess I just accepted the pulsing I was feeling as normal until I rode normal. The tech pulled the servive bulletin , so we will see in a few weeks when my appointment comes up. It really pulsed on quick decelleration, made me alter braking style rest of day. 42000 miles, but has done it since I got it with 15K, just thought it was somehow the linked/servo pump doing it's thing. Hope I get a Happy Ending!


On another forum...rotors are said to have inclusions of soft metal and when they wear down to or through them the brakes will pulse...according to one owner his appointment to have rotor replaced was cancelled due to impending recall notice from BMW...can anyone can confirm this?

[charleshickman]

When I posted about this problem back in August, I had just been to Bogart's in Birmingham, who sent me out the door with the 'juddering brakes'. After two months, weekly calls to Bogart's and some to BMW NA, and threats of litigation under the Alabama lemon law, they replaced my wheel, discs for the second time and the brake pads.

The service manager at Bogarts was telling me that the hold up was the southeast US BMW regional rep. While I was having the repair done, the service writer told me that they had a loaner out for 3 weeks on a repair of a bike that wouldn't run, waiting on this same BMW regional rep to make a call.

The overall impression I got during this experience was that juddering brakes on a $15K motorcycle was really not that bad and I should stop making a nuisance of myself.

I love my bike, but BMW has used up all of its good grace with me.

[henzilla]

A twist to the service bulletin on the front rotors...

My '05 RT is at the dealer with the brakes shuddering at any speed It makes the front end shimmy and feel the pulsing at the front lever. Never noticed it being that bad until I started riding the GS and noticed how smooth they should be.

I got a call yesterday the front rotors are within spec, however the rear rotor is warped. They are calling BMW NA this morning to see what can be done. I have 44K on ther clock so am hoping something will come back positive.
Will post the news.
Just thought it was strange to feel it in the front end and to be diagnosed in the rear:dunno

[wmubrown]

The front brake discs on my R1150RT (2004) are warped -- not terribly, but enough to cause an annoying shudder. The bike now has 19,000 miles on it; the problem has been there for several thousand miles. The dealer says this warpage is fairly common. The warranty expired a couple of weeks ago (figures!) but the dealer is working on getting BMW to cover at least some of the cost. But my question is, if this is common is it worth looking into after-market discs? These suckers aren't cheap and if it's likely to happen again it might be worth trying a different disc. Has anyone had a similar problem with BMW’s rotors (or experience with aftermarket discs)?

Lots of comments on this one... but no one has mentioned the bobbins, which are known to wear. Can you move the rotors side-to-side at all by hand? This is a real quick and dirty test, and a good place to start because if they ARE loose, they need to be replaced anyway and could solve your problem. They are MUCH less than a rotor ($35 per rotor via http://www.motobins.co.uk). Loose bobbins usually cause a 'clakkking' noise when you apply the breaks, which goes away when you release them, in addition to a shudder. They might possibly account for warpage measured with a dial indicator.

[roburnmc]

I have a '06 R1200GS that was manufactured in the first quarter of 2006 and I started to notice a shudder from the front brakes at around 5,000 miles. At 6,000 miles the dealer said the front brakes were within specs. and cleaned the rotors and it seemed better for a little while. By 9,500 miles it was a terrible shudder to put it mildly. They replaced the two front rotors under warranty. They told me it was some kind of uneven disk metal wear. It was smooth as glass after the new rotors. I'm now at 12,100 miles and I don't know if I'm sensitive to this pulsing now, but I think I'm feeling a slight shudder again. I've read in other forums about folks who have had 3 and 4 sets of new rotors put on to fix this shudder problem. Does anyone have the official BMW service bulletin on this problem and the potential causes?

[henzilla]

Lots of comments on this one... but no one has mentioned the bobbins, which are known to wear. Can you move the rotors side-to-side at all by hand? This is a real quick and dirty test, and a good place to start because if they ARE loose, they need to be replaced anyway and could solve your problem. They are MUCH less than a rotor ($35 per rotor via http://www.motobins.co.uk). Loose bobbins usually cause a 'clakkking' noise when you apply the breaks, which goes away when you release them, in addition to a shudder. They might possibly account for warpage measured with a dial indicator.

The 1200's do not have the bobbins, the disc is solid mounted to the wheel flange. I went back to re-post and noticed this was in Oilheads, maybe it needs to be in HEX's also?

[Burnszilla]

Check this report out...
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml

[henzilla]

update on shuddering brakesA twist to the service bulletin on the front rotors...

My '05 RT is at the dealer with the brakes shuddering at any speed It makes the front end shimmy and feel the pulsing at the front lever. Never noticed it being that bad until I started riding the GS and noticed how smooth they should be.

I got a call yesterday the front rotors are within spec, however the rear rotor is warped. They are calling BMW NA this morning to see what can be done. I have 40K on ther clock so am hoping something will come back positive.
Will post the news.
Just thought it was strange to feel it in the front end and to be diagnosed in the rear:dunno

The latest... and it needs to be moved to Hexheads please

just got my '05 RT back from dealer and before I go Postal on BMWNA, wanted to share this story.

The bike has had a front end shudder when braking hard . At 40K miles dealer said rear rotor was warped and got BMWNA to pay for labor & parts...cool . I guess the linked brakes made the system pulse and I felt it in the front. It did not seem as bad, but I still felt it I recall. They said rear rotor and replaced it and I got the bike back. Was not riding it with new GS and others being parked closer to door , so it sat parked for a month at least.

Fast forward a few months and it started being noticeable, especially after riding other Hexheads and not feeling the same shudder. Helen rode it and noticed on the first squeeze.
Back to dealer at 45K and they re-checked front and rear discs and said they needed to look further. Got a call that the rear carrier had casting flaws and a crack "but it is NOT a structual problem per BMWNA". They told dealer to file area to get rotor to seat squarely...then check run out until within tolerances. Then I was told another delay while they still had issues and BMWNA told them to make the rear rotor " float" with spacers to alleviate the fixed position and I assume the misaligned disc that must still be there.
Picked bike up last week and rode it for about 100 miles...brakes seem fine. Start looking closely at rotor mounts and see the hairline crack in one mounting hole, then rolled wheel to see a 1/16" gap parallel with the threads. Called dealer and lead mechanic said yes, that was what they had dealt with and it was fine. He said BMW requires a special press to install a new carrier onto the FD and they did not have one...so this was the repair they settled on. He said they did another RT just like this a few weeks back.If you are that person,please contact me.

My gut says not acceptable, and if I ever sold this bike, would feel obligated to point that out...I personally would not buy it with that staring me in the face.
I start the letter writing today and see where this goes...Do not want to start a panic, but check the mounting flange on your '05 Hexhead! This picture is taken looking thru wheel at backside of the FD. The rotor flange mounting point is what you are looking at

[Hoorenga]

This was for my airhead but it should still be relevant. I also have an oilhead.... My front end was doing the shimmy during braking also. When I went to BMW to order new rotors I about had a heart attack. They wanted $450 each side. I then found a place that would resurface them but luckily I nixed that idea as one side was worn beyond tolerance. I then found a place in our magazine that sold rotors for half of what BMW wanted. I was about to pull the trigger when eBay came through with a new set mounted on the brackets for $125 for the pair. They work great.

[roburnmc]

Hello All,
Does anyone have any news on this subject. I have an "06 R12GS and the shudder is back at 13,800 miles. BMW says the run out is with in specs. and not willing to do anything about it.

[sbouchet]

I am reading these posts and feeling like I would never by a bmw again. It is appauling to hear that such a serious problem is not being taken car of by BMWNA. BMW is counting on costomers remaining loyal because of the the name but this goes to far over the line. What happend to these bike haveing the best brakes in the industry and why are repairs not being complete with the proper tools. For that you can get your bike serviced by anyone. The new Kawasaki Concours is looking better every day. I have been lucky my 2000 r11rt 54,000miles, 2002 r15rt 47000miles, and k100rs 19000miles all have factory installed rotors. No probles to date but had an 8 month battle with BMWNA in 03 after catastrophic failure of tranmision output splines on the 02 rt. Sorry I have not offerd any tech knowledge just some venting
Stephen