2004 R1150gs Adv rear brake grinding

[plexiform]

I was all packed and dressed, got on the bike and headed out the drive way when i hit the foot brake and heard a grinding noise I hadn't heard before. I stopped took my helmet off to make i was hearing properly, and there it was again...grinding sound when applying the foot brake. I felt the rotor and it is not completely flat and smooth. Maybe they brake pad is completely gone and now its just metal on metal grinding? Any ideas would be appreciated. I just bought the bike used and it seemed to not make the sound...that was just 500miles ago. How much does it cost to have the pads changed? Is it an easy fix on my own or do I have to give it to a dealer?

[j-budimlya]

I was all packed and dressed, got on the bike and headed out the drive way when i hit the foot brake and heard a grinding noise I hadn't heard before. I stopped took my helmet off to make i was hearing properly, and there it was again...grinding sound when applying the foot brake. I felt the rotor and it is not completely flat and smooth. Maybe they brake pad is completely gone and now its just metal on metal grinding? Any ideas would be appreciated. I just bought the bike used and it seemed to not make the sound...that was just 500miles ago. How much does it cost to have the pads changed? Is it an easy fix on my own or do I have to give it to a dealer?

Replacing the rear pads is pretty easy....pads are pricy from the dealer...but if yo have never done this before....you should buy OEM from the dealer...

BUT, if you have done real damage to the disk.....by running through the pads into the steel backing.....and seriously gouging the disk...then the $$ cost grows somewhat and the job of replacing the disk is a bit tougher.....

One short coming of many disk brake setups is that if the caliper/pad is not maintained properly, the pad on one side, usually the inside on the rear, will "hang-up" and not release and therefore prematurely wear.....

If yo do the repair, its important to clean and lubricate the retaining pins....so this does not happen....here is a guide that will take you through it....

http://advwisdom.hogranch.com/Wisdom/BFDRear2.1.1.pdf

have fun....and if you want to know how to do the rest fo the fun stuff, just go here http://advwisdom.hogranch.com/Wisdom/

it should keep you busy for a couple of days.....

[plexiform]

thanks for the info. I got a set of pads from the local dealer for $69 after tax, and bought the accessories on the link you sent for another $28.... Before taking the caliper apart like the link said to do, I spoke with my local service man and he said to not take the caliper apart. He said that is the wrong thing to do and that it would ruin the caliper. He said these calipers were not meant to be taken apart and that if they are not working properly then you could try to repair it but the success rate is 50/50 and you usually have to just buy a new caliper. Is this at all true? I ended up just taking the caliper off and taking out the old pads and putting in the new pads......simple as that. Seems to be working fine now. No more grinding sounds and have good stopping power.

[BouncinBob]

Seems to be working fine now. No more grinding sounds and have good stopping power.

Sounds like you fixed it. You should check pad wear regularly, discs are expensive.

BMW sells caliper rebuild kits, I have had success with the rebuild, not sure why your tech would say 50-50, perhaps trying to drum up more billings or a low opinion of most DIY types?

[Andy VH]

Sounds (literally) like you fixed the noise issue with the replacement brake pads. I have installed two sets of rear brake pads on my 94 R1100RS in 125,000+ miles of riding. Yeah, the rear rotor does have a bit of surface variation, but after a bit the new pads wear in to match up.

I do lube the pad mount pins, but really only for rust prevention since the pad holes don't fit that tight on the pins anyway.

I do check for even pad wear, and if one is worn much more than the other I would examine the caliper pistons, seals and piston bores for any reason to cause the pads to drag. But I have not had to do any caliper disassembly to date. I do flush out the old brake fluid with new fluid every other season.

I recently had a customer come into Nick's BMW for a new rear tire on his K1200GT. While the tire was replaced I noticed the brake pads on the rear caliper were almost gone, in only 8600 miles on the bike! He claimed to not drag the rear brake and the caliper itself looked good. So I suspect he was a heavy rear brake only rider, even though he claimed to have been riding for over 30 years!

On my bike, in 125K+ miles, I have used three sets of pads on the front brakes and only two sets of pads on the rear brake. Hmmmm.