R12GSA Noisy Brakes and Poor Fuel Consumption

[Bullfrog]

Howdy y'all and Merry Christmas!

I have been experiencing a horrible scrapping sound from the front brakes on my GSA (14K mi) ABS on or off makes no difference. I have looked at the pads and there is plenty of life left. There are no grooves present on the rotors. The noise occurs only just before the bike actually stops. I do not notice it while braking for turns, corners, etc. The rear brake is silent and works just fine. Any thoughts?

I have noticed that my normal commuting mileage of 40.2 mpg has dropped to 36.8 mpg. Could this be a fucntion of fuel formula seasonal change over? There also appears to be a bit of surging (gasp) under 3500 rpm in 3rd or lower gears. What suggestions or ideas are out there?

None of this is show stopping but......


Take care, y'all

Dave

[BMWRich58]

Howdy y'all and Merry Christmas!

I have been experiencing a horrible scrapping sound from the front brakes on my GSA (14K mi) ABS on or off makes no difference. I have looked at the pads and there is plenty of life left. There are no grooves present on the rotors. The noise occurs only just before the bike actually stops. I do not notice it while braking for turns, corners, etc. The rear brake is silent and works just fine. Any thoughts?

I have noticed that my normal commuting mileage of 40.2 mpg has dropped to 36.8 mpg. Could this be a fucntion of fuel formula seasonal change over? There also appears to be a bit of surging (gasp) under 3500 rpm in 3rd or lower gears. What suggestions or ideas are out there?

None of this is show stopping but......


Take care, y'all

Dave

Could be winter gas causing bad mileage,hard to say cuz here up north we do get the winter blends. Even cooler weather will effect mileage. Have maybe your riding habits changed?
Some times even calculating mileages can be off due to different level fillups,gas pump volume quanitys (registering)... could be off by a 1/10th or 2...?... even being off by 1/4 of a gallon will result with 2-3 miles per gallon difference.

When was the last time the bike was serviced? Could be over due...

[Bullfrog]

Rich,
I haven't changed my riding style, but, the different fill levels certainly could do some of it. It did just become noticeable so, additives also could be a contributor. I'm not sure if they change the additive mix here in Texas for winter, though.

I did have the 12k done at 12k so, I assume all is correct with the throttle bodies and valves. I have to trust my dealer in this regard as, unlike the R75, I do not have a maintenance manual handy for the '07 GSA.

Thanks for responding!
Dave

[meisco]

The air density at lower temps is greater than the air density at higher temps. Therefore, the wind resistance is greater at lower temps. Hence, lower gas mileage. It took a few years for me to figure that one out. I thought it was the winter gas also. My best mileage ever was a during a trip though the desert in the 110+F heat.

Pete

[Bullfrog]

That is interesting. I wonder if higher humidity would also have that effect. I believe that higher levels of moisture also makes the air more dense and these last few tanks have been run in 90% plus days.

I also found that my run through the Sonora Desert this past summer yielded around 48mpg.

Thanks for pointing me in that direction of thought. Hmmmmm.

Dave

[AntonLargiader]

On the brakes, are those the stock pads? If you have stock pads and stock rotors, and the brakes aren't being applied strangely (like one piston is sticking or something) there's just no reason for any noise. You might try removing the pads, cleaning them (maybe brush them lightly with a clean wire brush) and clean the rotor. That should at least put things to a relatively normal condition.

Or you could swap bikes with someone for a short ride and generate a few more opinions. Maybe it's normal.

[Bullfrog]

Thanks, Anton.

I had been considering the disassembly and cleaning bit while eating lunch just a few minutes ago! Are you a psychic tech guru?

I'll be heading to the Gutter Gang meeting here in Austin tonight and ask one of those fine folks to check it out and give their opinion/impression.

Thanks again!
Dave