diferg
Dan & Ingrid
not a chemist but about 14 years as cryogenics technician making liquid nitrogen and oxygen for Uncle Sam.
Vibration while coasting
- Thread starter Minivanman
- Start date
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Is the rotor bobbin the piece that connects the brake rotor to the wheel? Those little round pieces? Are you saying I should spin those?We have a winner! (Jethro)
Get a large flange bolt & nut, snug them down on the bobbins on your rotors, and spin them (air ratchet or battery operated impact) while spraying brake cleaner on them.
You'll be amazed at all the brake dust and rust that will flow out.
I bet this will fix your vibration.
A Day At The OCD Spa | ST1300-Brakes
Now,, in the 4th photo down,,, is that a setup for loosening and lubricating the what-cha-ma-call-it's that allow the rotors to properly float ?? Yes. Tighten the buttons on the rotor between a bolt of the largest diameter that will fit in and a nut. Tighten it just enough so that the button...
The seven little silver spools holding the brake rotor around its hub. They allow the rotor to float so it can expand and contract while minimizing warping.
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Mr. Adamson's 7th grade general science for me.
As a cryogenics tech have you done any work (on the clock or off) in cryogenics hardening of metal? As in brake rotors? Not that you could or would do unsanctioned/unauthorized side work on Uncle Sam's dime. Just asking... For a friend.
I remember a short time years ago when there was a company or two that advertised using cryo to de-stress various metal bits. One company had a pic of a whole bunch of random parts from individuals that went through the de-stressing process. I think car brake rotors were among those parts.
Always wondered if there were any real world benefits to applications used by "normal" people and not some guy building a home made custom fusion dragster or something.
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Countless motorcycles and almost every automobile or truck have the brake rotors bolted solidly to the wheel. Two of the 3 motorcycles I own do not have floating rotors and warping or vibration are never a problem to as much as 192,000 miles on the original rotors.The seven little silver spools holding the brake rotor around its hub. They allow the rotor to float so it can expand and contract while minimizing warping.
I’ve pondered why some are designed this way and some aren’t. If the rotor was especially thin to save unsprung weight I could see solidly mounting as a way to use the wheel or rotor carrier as a heat sink to absorb heat from the rotor and save weight but the ST’s are not especially light and historically ST rotors are bulletproof and last more than a quarter million miles. Solid rotors are certainly cheaper to build but some premium brands doesn’t use them.
here's some information on the topic
Buyers Guide: Fixed vs. Floating Rotors - Galfer USA
What does fixed and floating mean? What are their benefits? What one is right for you and your ride?
galferusa.com
diferg
Dan & Ingrid
I've never had any luck with Dunlops on my ST1300 or my Goldwing. Bridgestones have worked the best for me on both bikes. Have also run the Pilot Road 5's and Metzlers on the ST but went back to Bridgestones every time.
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2006
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- 9,689
- Location
- Jacksonville
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- GL1800 R1200RT NC700
- 2024 Miles
- 010688
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- 6651
Yes, we all can understand the design advantages of the two types but still doesn't address the question I had in post #28. Many high performance cars and motorcycles have solid rotors even in 2023. Unless a ST1300 with solid rotors would have truly abysmal braking and would constantly have problems with warping it doesn't see any practical advantage from having semi floating rotors. In class of sport touring bikes the ST1300 has the longest stopping distances of Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and BMW and it's not a bike that sees the track outside of a novelty track day. It's wheels and brakes aren't especially light in weight. It's the same for many bikes sporting floating rotors. Unless it's a marketing thing the average rider wouldn't know the difference even in aggressive street riding. The last video guy hasn't apparently seen how Buell did solid rotors, how BMW does it and even how Honda does it with the budget NC700/750X. These rotors don't have the heavy center section and don't require a heavy meaty wheel hub to mount the disk carriers. Their open center disk design actually saves material and unsprung weight. None have history of warping rotors from heat or loss of braking power from pad alignment. They don't vibrate in use. BMW uses solid rotors on every line of motorcycle they produce in in 2023.
Your last line on post #28 says it all.
Solid rotors are certainly cheaper to build but some premium brands doesn’t (?) use them? I'm guessing you meant to say Don't use them
I would just change that to most, if not all, premium brands don't use them, and for good reason, semi floating rotors are better.
Premium bikes choose to use quality rotors, not ones that are cheaper to make etc.
I've got a handful of warped ST rotors in my scrap pile in the garage, due to heat damage.
With the way the market is now a days, everyone is cutting corners, and lowering production costs by using cheaper parts.
I just attached the video because you were ponding the question of their design, and why etc.
Solid rotors are certainly cheaper to build but some premium brands doesn’t (?) use them? I'm guessing you meant to say Don't use them
I would just change that to most, if not all, premium brands don't use them, and for good reason, semi floating rotors are better.
Premium bikes choose to use quality rotors, not ones that are cheaper to make etc.
I've got a handful of warped ST rotors in my scrap pile in the garage, due to heat damage.
With the way the market is now a days, everyone is cutting corners, and lowering production costs by using cheaper parts.
I just attached the video because you were ponding the question of their design, and why etc.
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OP
OP
Here's an update on the original issue of a vibration in the back of the bike. I rode with a passenger the other day and after that I could feel a vibration in my right foot peg and some noise. So I feel like it's not tires, it's in the drivetrain. One key symptom is when I'm giving it some gas it's smooth as glass and when I'm off the gas it's also smooth. So when something is loaded, it's not binding. But when it's free, it is clunking around or catching or something. So someone mentioned a flange bearing potentially failing. Does that seem more likely than u-joint? A U joint that's in an enclosed and more or less contamination free environment seems very unlikely to fail to me. I'm uninclined to take this apart myself because I can imagine getting stuck in a spot where I don't have a tool that I need. So I made an appointment at the dealer. But I would love to have some idea what's happening if I can, before that happens. Plus that's not for a month.
It's not helping that when this dealer put my tires on, they inflated them to 32 lb. I did not check them when I drove home but the bike didn't handle well. Want to check them the next day, they were both low so I took the bike back and said there must be a leak. They looked for a leak for quite a while but found none. Then they said they were supposed to be a 32 because that's what a goldwing tire pressure is set at. After that conversation I didn't have have a lot of faith in the shop. They're the only Honda shop near me so another reason to not feel great about taking my bike in there for mystery problem.
For the moment I'm ruling out the brake bobbins, tires and headset because the symptoms just don't seem to line up with that.
It's not helping that when this dealer put my tires on, they inflated them to 32 lb. I did not check them when I drove home but the bike didn't handle well. Want to check them the next day, they were both low so I took the bike back and said there must be a leak. They looked for a leak for quite a while but found none. Then they said they were supposed to be a 32 because that's what a goldwing tire pressure is set at. After that conversation I didn't have have a lot of faith in the shop. They're the only Honda shop near me so another reason to not feel great about taking my bike in there for mystery problem.
For the moment I'm ruling out the brake bobbins, tires and headset because the symptoms just don't seem to line up with that.
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Thats an interesting video. Perhaps that's my issue. The shop said they thought it was a clutch basket issue but i'm skeptical for reasons already stated. I'm not interested in their $1300 quote to replace the clutch and basket since I'm not sure that's even the issue. What was involved in your replacement of the Ujoint?
Thanks for posting that too!
Here's a great article... it looks worse than it is..
Article [13] - ST1300 - U-Joint Removal and Replacement | ST1300 Articles
U-Joint Removal and Replacement First let me say that there is lots of information on the site for this job. I read all that I could find as well as the manual before I attempted this. I decided in advance to try to take photos to document the process for any that might want to try this...
OP
OP
Winner!Here's a great article... it looks worse than it is..
Article [13] - ST1300 - U-Joint Removal and Replacement | ST1300 Articles
U-Joint Removal and Replacement First let me say that there is lots of information on the site for this job. I read all that I could find as well as the manual before I attempted this. I decided in advance to try to take photos to document the process for any that might want to try this...www.st-owners.com
I found an independent shop, Phoenix Cycles, here in Maine and one of the two owners rides an ST. He rode mine less than a mile and came back and opened up the back end. Said the U joint was the worst one he's seen. So after all the questions and rabbit holes, I've got my answer. This bike has 62K on it and it's toast. For sake of the readers, it too could be felt in the footpeg. And it went from a minor vibration, to pretty darn toast in a non-linear fashion. It was subtle for a few hundred miles, then showed up in the footpeg, but really only when warmed up (not sure why), for maybe a hundred miles. To then pretty significant in the last 20 when I decided I couldn't risk riding it until we found out what it was. That said, in true Honda style, it gave plenty of warning as it was failing. Thanks Honda.
So while he's in there, he is replacing wheel bearings, brake pads, brake fluid. And since I absolutely despise my Dunlop Roadsmart tires, after 2500 miles and with about half their life left, I'm going back to Michelins. It seems all tires will cup on this bike but the Dunlops wander in a way that's just not ok. I did learn that when dealing with a wandering front tire, it would do it less when I dropped the windscreen.
All said and done, I'll be in it for around $1900 in repairs. However, considering most of that is wear items anyway (Michelins aint cheap!) I'm just happy to have her back , hopefully by mid season. And considering the Honda dealer misdiagnosed it as a clutch issue, I feel like I really dodged a bullet by not going down that road. I've got a new shop now too.