Front end noise

[LustyLew]

Evening folks,

I've had a loud noise coming from the front end of my Vstrom for a couple of months.

Dropped it off at my local garage, they changed the brake pads as they were very worn, but this made no change.

I have changed the wheel bearings, but the noise remains. The wheel spins, but there is a bit of rubbing.

Next steps are a full caliper rebuild as the smaller piston on both sides are quite stiff. If this does nothing, I'm thinking a warped disc, though I don't feel the often documented "pulsing" through the brake lever.

Without taking the disc off, how else can I check for a warped disc?
Any other things to be taking a close look at?

Cheers, folks!

[Easy-X]

If you hitch up the front end and spin the wheel it should keep on spinning for ages. If not, at least it might help you discern where the rubbing sound is coming from.
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[stinkwheel]

Have you checked the speedo drive as a potential source of your funny noises? I've had bikes sounding like the front end was going to fly off into space when all they needed was the speedo drive oiling.

If you can find a way of attaching it (eg a bolt through the calliper mounts), you can mount a dial-guage indicator on the fork leg.

A dirty way of doing this is to mount a piece of threaded bar in one of the calliper lugs using two nuts and adjust it so it is JUST standing off the surface of the disc. Then watch the gap to see if it runs wider and narrower. You can take it one step further and mark the point where the end of the bar is closest to the disc. Adjust it so the bar is barely touching the disc at this point then turn the wheel so you are at the largest gap. You can then measure the maximum runout with a feeler guage.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Nobby the Bastard]

I'd start with pushing the pads away from the discs on both sides and then spinning the wheel. That will at least discount either the brakes or the bearing/axle/speedo drive.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[MCN]

The pads 'should' drag slightly. So the wheel won't spin really freely.
Unless you push the pads into the f
Callipers.
The seals around the pistons as designed to flex back slightly when brake pressure is released. That provides almost instantaneous brake pad application when brake pressure is applied. (To reduce stopping times/distance.)
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[Robby]

If it does look like the disc is warped, it's quite likely not.

I this on a CB500 years ago. The aluminium alloy wheel had corroded a bit where the disc bolts to it, and the corrosion was uneven across the bolts. The corrosion was pushing the disc up a bit on some place, making it appear warped.

Removing the disc and sanding the contact points on the wheel back to clean metal did the job.

Caliper rebuild first though.

[LustyLew]

Thanks folks.

It looks like the discs are ok. Looks like a caliper rebuild for the Easter weekend. How exciting!