Front brake squeak at left turn

[alex-wilson]

Hello,

I just changed the brake pads on the front brakes. Now the brakes squeak when i brake, but also when i do left turns?

I am not so worried about the squeak while i brake, as the rotors are very worn, so i expect that that is the cause.

My question is, why on earth do the brakes squeak when i do a left turn?

[Martin]

Did you apply a light smear of Copperkote grease to the back of the pad when you installed them. I also put a very light smear on the pins and spring to stop corrosion. And it is also a good idea to clean the discs when you replace the pads. You can use a proprietary cleaner but  don't get it on your paintwork, and if you do wash it off immediately. I use gloves and spray the cleaner on to clean rags and wipe the discs, changing the rags until they show clean when wiping the disc. hopefully this will stop the squealing.
Regards Martin.

[alex-wilson]

Did you apply a light smear of Copperkote grease to the back of the pad when you installed them. I also put a very light smear on the pins and spring to stop corrosion. And it is also a good idea to clean the discs when you replace the pads. You can use a proprietary cleaner but  don't get it on your paintwork, and if you do wash it off immediately. I use gloves and spray the cleaner on to clean rags and wipe the discs, changing the rags until they show clean when wiping the disc. hopefully this will stop the squealing.
Regards Martin.

Hi Martin,
Thank you for your reply.
I applied Würth brake paste to the back of the pads. I did not put any on the pins and spring.
I cleaned everything with spray brake cleaner.

[Martin]

It will be the worn discs, which might stop squealing when they bed in. Failing that if they are really worn might be better to bite the bullet and swap an arm and a leg or two for new discs.
Regards Martin.

[alex-wilson]

It will be the worn discs, which might stop squealing when they bed in. Failing that if they are really worn might be better to bite the bullet and swap an arm and a leg or two for new discs.
Regards Martin.

That was what i feared, but i kind of knew i had to buy new ones. Its gonna be hard to ride the bike with only one arm and no legs though :falldown:
But that still doesn't explain why they squeak when i turn left  :dunno2:

[Martin]

Pads could be rubbing try grabbing the bottom and the top of the wheel with the bike on the centre stand and see if you have any movement. Best to do this with some one sitting on the bike pillion seat to lift the front wheel and stabilize the bike.
Regards Martin.

[alex-wilson]

Pads could be rubbing try grabbing the bottom and the top of the wheel with the bike on the centre stand and see if you have any movement. Best to do this with some one sitting on the bike pillion seat to lift the front wheel and stabilize the bike.
Regards Martin.

I'll give that i try tomorrow, thank you! :-)

[Laitch]

When was the last time you changed your brake fluid/bled the front brakes?

[alex-wilson]

When was the last time you changed your brake fluid/bled the front brakes?

I bought the bike 1 month ago, so i have been doing a few maintenance things, but not yet bleed the brake fluid.
I will try that as well.

[Laitch]

I bought the bike 1 month ago, so i have been doing a few maintenance things, but not yet bleed the brake fluid.
I will try that as well.

Replace the fluid with fresh DOT4 soon and measure the rotors in several places to determine if they have uniform wear that has not exceeded the minimum. Doing this is just good procedure on a newly acquired bike. There could be several different causes, among them are: one or more brake pistons failing to retract fully (fresh fluid and bleeding might fix that), retaining springs not seated correctly, a random particle stuck to a pad that might be dislodged by backing the bike and lightly applying the brakes, worn wheel bearings

[alex-wilson]

Replace the fluid with fresh DOT4 soon and measure the rotors in several places to determine if they have uniform wear that has not exceeded the minimum. Doing this is just good procedure on a newly acquired bike. There could be several different causes, among them are: one or more brake pistons failing to retract fully (fresh fluid and bleeding might fix that), retaining springs not seated correctly, a random particle stuck to a pad that might be dislodged by backing the bike and lightly applying the brakes, worn wheel bearings

I will definitely be giving that a try! Thank you very much :-)