Noisy ABE front discs .

[mspenz]

Bought them from someone on here and they had only been used for a couple hundred miles at most so seemed to be a bargain at half price.
I fitted them along with new pads for a trip to Romania but I'm just back today after riding 4.5k miles and they are NOISY. the play is between 6 to 12 o'clock or 3 to 9 o'clock and so on if that makes sense? No real lateral play and I fitted new bobbins and wavy washers at the same time, I did notice that the alloy on the wheel where the disc rests against is getting pretty corroded and I think that I read somewhere previously that it was an option to fit 1mm thick stainless washers at this point, or is this just for cast wheels?
The movement on the discs seems to be way too excessive so I'm going to re-fit the originals as they didn't rattle at all and the only reason I swapped them was because they were measuring close to wear tolerance at 46k miles and the trip (2 up and loaded with camping / cooking kit) was going to be quite hard on brakes (Transfargarasan, Transalpina and some Austrian passes)... And they also judder like buggery now as well

Anyone else had any problems with ABE discs as I'd hoped to get more than just a few thousand miles out of them, or is it best to stick with EBC?

 

[beemer pimp]

Are you sure it's not pads make noise ? If cheap pads whiteout wire then they move when driving and make knocking noise

 

[Slipperyeel]

Mike. If there's that much play after new washers etc. Then maybe you need the stainless washers on the inside face, between the disc and mounting lugs. I did this to my old GS and when it was all assembled I was left with just a small amount of play, and only detectable if you pulled hard against the wave washers. It cured the pulsing brakes I was experiencing. Baggy discs could cause all manner of weird symptoms... I'd be surprised if the ABE discs were out enough to cause a problem?

Looks like your front wheel is gonna have to come off some time soon!





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[mspenz]

Are you sure it's not pads make noise ? If cheap pads whiteout wire then they move when driving and make knocking noise

The Ferodo Platinum pads were renewed at the same time and they don't move in the calipers, when I spin the wheel on the centre stand the discs 'drop' a couple of mm when they reach the vertical position and that's where the noise is coming from so it's as if the machined tolerance is slightly too much! There's also a tight spot on one or both of the discs as it won't spin freely so that would explain the buckled feel when breaking.
I'm going to swap back onto the old discs next weekend and see how it goes but something definitely isn't right..

 

[mspenz]

Mike. If there's that much play after new washers etc. Then maybe you need the stainless washers on the inside face, between the disc and mounting lugs. I did this to my old GS and when it was all assembled I was left with just a small amount of play, and only detectable if you pulled hard against the wave washers. It cured the pulsing brakes I was experiencing. Baggy discs could cause all manner of weird symptoms... I'd be surprised if the ABE discs were out enough to cause a problem?

Looks like your front wheel is gonna have to come off some time soon!




Those washers are 1mm by 8mm hole if I'm right, is there somewhere common everyone gets them or it just a case of Ebay?
At least it got us round eastern Europe without any problems so I don't mind spending time swapping things around now to get it right again

Cheers,

Mike.

 

[Slipperyeel]

Mike. If I remember correctly, they are actually a bmw part. A search might get it for you. I don't think they're a GS part, maybe an RT or something. But you'll need to take a look at the face of the lugs. Depending on their condition you may need to do a little remedial work before you fit the washers...



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[Grizzly]

BMW Part

Washers are available from BMW - Part Number is - 34 11 7 670 217 I think.

Any stainless steel plain washers 8mm I/D x 20mm O/D x 1mm thick would do the job - you only want them 1mm thick to minimise the disc offset and you need 20mm O/D to do the job of a rubbing face for the disc - instead of rubbing on the wheel hub bosses and damaging them. It's a BMW design fault, the alloy wheel hub bosses were never going to take the strain.

Cheers....................Grizzly

 

[mspenz]

That's brilliant, thanks guys
I have the EVO linked brake system which will be getting removed over the winter, it all works exactly as it should but I just can't live with the linked system any more! I'll probably just have to fit the washers to the RHS side as it looks like the ABS ring does the same job as a washer would on the LHS?
You are right Grizzly, those alloy wheel spigots have very little meat on them so it's definitely a case of when and not if..

Cheers,

Mike.

 

[Slipperyeel]

I'd like to think you're right about the ABS ring acting like a big washer. Have it off and check (let us know!). I wouldn't expect you to have any issues with fitting washers only to one side. I guess just make sure the pistons on the caliper are free to align themselves.

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[Karlread]

Silly question but are the discs on the right way round in relation to the venting holes drilled in the braking surface?
Had a symptom similar to warped discs and a lot of noise when I bought my r1100rs in February, the plank before me had fitted the discs the wrong way round. They made a horrible noise and the lever pulsed as if the discs were warped, just a thought.

 

[mspenz]

Silly question but are the discs on the right way round in relation to the venting holes drilled in the braking surface?
Had a symptom similar to warped discs and a lot of noise when I bought my r1100rs in February, the plank before me had fitted the discs the wrong way round. They made a horrible noise and the lever pulsed as if the discs were warped, just a thought.

You have me wondering now! The ABE discs are very basic vented so they are identical either way round, the problem didn't start until I'd done a couple of thousand 2up heavily loaded and after a week of 40c



Cheers.

 

[mspenz]

Twas the discs all along
Lying them on a pane of glass shows that they are buckled and with the old discs back on along with the new bobbins there's no movement or clattering ( just shaking the wheel had the ABE discs rattling around) but I still have to road test.
There doesn't seem any need to fit washers on the ABS side as the ring does the same job but when I remove the servo I can lose the ring at the same time

 

[Slipperyeel]

Good you've got to the bottom of it. If the faces of the lugs on the wheel hub looked flat and corrosion free then yes, don't bother with the washers.

As for the discs warping, do you think this happened during your trip? I'd let ABE know. Apart from them needing the feedback, they may put you straight with a replacement set? I'm unclear what kind of heat treatment they do to them but it suggests something wasn't done right?



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[mspenz]

Good you've got to the bottom of it. If the faces of the lugs on the wheel hub looked flat and corrosion free then yes, don't bother with the washers.

As for the discs warping, do you think this happened during your trip? I'd let ABE know. Apart from them needing the feedback, they may put you straight with a replacement set? I'm unclear what kind of heat treatment they do to them but it suggests something wasn't done right?



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Dunno, I bought them used with a couple of hundred miles on so other than feedback I don't expect much else. There was far too much sideways tolerance in the machined slots and that's what caused the movement and clattering
As for the warping it's difficult to say...low grade steel perhaps

What seems to be a bargain can often end up costing more in the long term, new EBC front discs before next summer it is then...

 

[Karlread]

Could get a set of Hekane ones from Sherlocks, reasonable price and have 2000 miles on mine with no probs. At least you found the problem...��

 

[mspenz]

Could get a set of Hekane ones from Sherlocks, reasonable price and have 2000 miles on mine with no probs. At least you found the problem...��

Ok , thanks for that, I'll have a look at these