f-3 brakes

[Semper Fi]

I had posted this earlier under General Discussion but, I only had one person answer me. Then I thought it would have been better here, can anyone help?

The brakes on our F-3 S are squealing like mad. When I hit the brakes hard, it takes a dive to the right. I only have about 7200 miles on this this bike, do I need new brakes and a caliper? The Kenda tires don't even need replaced yet. What is going on? Where do I get the new brakes for the Spyder?

[ABQSpyder]

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He take care of you.

[Darren111]

I had posted this earlier under General Discussion but, I only had one person answer me. Then I thought it would have been better here, can anyone help?

The brakes on our F-3 S are squealing like mad. When I hit the brakes hard, it takes a dive to the right. I only have about 7200 miles on this this bike, do I need new brakes and a caliper? The Kenda tires don't even need replaced yet. What is going on? Where do I get the new brakes for the Spyder?

Semper Fi the same is happening with my F3-S. Take it to your local dealer and get them to have a look at your pads and discs. I did this and my dealer had to replace all break pads, rear pads were down to the metal, this explained why spyder was diving to the right when braking hard. I have to go back at some point because they said rear disc would need to be replaced due to it being scored. Since having new break pads the squealing is so bad. The mileage on my F3-S is 9500 and all three tyres are orginals from brand new. This is not the first time my F3-S sqeals this happened on old brake pads.

[Semper Fi]

Semper Fi the same is happening with my F3-S. Take it to your local dealer and get them to have a look at your pads and discs. I did this and my dealer had to replace all break pads, rear pads were down to the metal, this explained why spyder was diving to the right when braking hard. I have to go back at some point because they said rear disc would need to be replaced due to it being scored. Since having new break pads the squealing is so bad. The mileage on my F3-S is 9500 and all three tyres are orginals from brand new. This is not the first time my F3-S sqeals this happened on old brake pads.

Thanks. I will call the dealer and make an appointment. I am guessing that this was not covered by an warranty was it?

[Tazzel]

my F3-s brakes squeal slightly when applying brakes, always have. Dealer said was acceptable. But your problem sounds much worse.

[Darren111]

Thanks. I will call the dealer and make an appointment. I am guessing that this was not covered by an warranty was it?

Brake pads and discs are not covered by warranty (Knew this) because they are wear and tear items (knew this).

[Semper Fi]

Brake pads and discs are not covered by warranty (Knew this) because they are wear and tear items (knew this).

So replacing the pads and disc, it stopped the squealing and "diving to the right" on your Spyder? I would have thought it was caused by a caliper in the front of the Spyder.

[Semper Fi]

One person has said that, it has cost him $150 for the rear disc. That sounds like a lot of money for one disc!!

[monkeyboymorton]

One person has said that, it has cost him $150 for the rear disc. That sounds like a lot of money for one disc!!

That's about right for OEM, EBC do sell a rear replacement that's a bit cheaper here in the UK ~ £100. £80 for each of the fronts.

[Darren111]

So replacing the pads and disc, it stopped the squealing and "diving to the right" on your Spyder? I would have thought it was caused by a caliper in the front of the Spyder.

Rear disc has not been replaced yet, because at the time of visit (Saturday), dealer did not have one in stock. New rear brake pad has stopped Spyder diving to the right, but has not stopped brake squeal.

[Darren111]

One person has said that, it has cost him $150 for the rear disc. That sounds like a lot of money for one disc!!

A Can Am dealer in UK quoted £300.00 to replace rear disc.

[Darren111]

That's about right for OEM, EBC do sell a rear replacement that's a bit cheaper here in the UK ~ £100. £80 for each of the fronts.

Thanks for this info monkeyboymorton. Do I need to buy rear disc from EBC and get a Can Am dealer to fit it?
Or do I ask Can Am dealer to supply and fit rear disc from EBC?

[Bob Denman]

You can use a file to bevel the leading edge of the brake pads. (We used to do this on our dirtbikes).
That should kill the squealing!

[BajaRon]

Brake pads and discs are not covered by warranty (Knew this) because they are wear and tear items (knew this).

Generally this is true. However, if you have abnormal wear or damage to pads/rotors caused by defective calipers, malfunctioning VSS, etc., then these 'Wear' items should also be covered under warranty as collateral damage from covered parts.

I carry EBC pads and rotors. Both are superior to OEM products.

The full pad set is $103.85 delivered. (International destinations higher)
Front Rotors are $104.00 each.
Rear Rotor is $139.00.

This is for the 2013+ models only. International destinations are higher due to shipping. Surprisingly, I ship a fair number of these Internationally. The pads stop better, resist fade better and last longer. The rotors also increase stopping performance and resist warpage better than OEM.

[Darren111]

You can use a file to bevel the leading edge of the brake pads. (We used to do this on our dirtbikes).
That should kill the squealing!

Thanks for sharing this info Bob.

[monkeyboymorton]

Thanks for this info monkeyboymorton. Do I need to buy rear disc from EBC and get a Can Am dealer to fit it?
Or do I ask Can Am dealer to supply and fit rear disc from EBC?

Not sure of a dealer would fit non oem or not, but you can only ask? As I presume you're now out of warranty see if you can find a local bike specialist who could change it. Mine won't go to a dealer now unless it's something I or anyone else can't fix. Most jobs like brakes etc can be done anywhere and the rear disc can be done without removing rear wheel.

Ebay.co.uk has suppliers of the EBC pads and discs:

Semi sintered Pads £27 - search for FA631V
Fully sintered £43 - search for FA631HH
Disc £95.88 - search for F3 Rear Disc EBC

All free shipping.

So you're looking at £123 for the parts and then it's just labour. So if you can find a local bike shop who will charge less than £180 to do it (can't see it being more than £100) your quids in

[monkeyboymorton]

Rear disc has not been replaced yet, because at the time of visit (Saturday), dealer did not have one in stock. New rear brake pad has stopped Spyder diving to the right, but has not stopped brake squeal.

You certainly seem to have been unlucky with the brakes. Mine has over 11K miles on now and it's never squealed. Front pads will need doing soon but discs look fine all round.

[Semper Fi]

I am taking my F-3 S Spyder to the dealer on Tuesday. After talking with him for awhile, he said there must be something wrong with the bike, a malfunction, that is causing the brakes to act the way they are. I will let you guys know as soon as I know.

[Roadster Renovations]

We run the EBC brake pads. Work very well.

[monkeyboymorton]

While we're on the subject of brakes - has anyone tried the Vesrah fully sintered pads?

Read good things about their pads on-line and wondered if anyone had tried them on a Spyder?

[Buckeye Bleau]

I had posted this earlier under General Discussion but, I only had one person answer me. Then I thought it would have been better here, can anyone help?

The brakes on our F-3 S are squealing like mad. When I hit the brakes hard, it takes a dive to the right. I only have about 7200 miles on this this bike, do I need new brakes and a caliper? The Kenda tires don't even need replaced yet. What is going on? Where do I get the new brakes for the Spyder?

I am reverting back to this original post #1 as stated above.

the Spyder brakes pads have a LOT of dust, it seems almost ridiculous. When mine start squeaking I get out wheel cleaner, (Whenwheels are COOLED OFF) spray wheels and dis, wait about 5 minutes and rinse with a garden hose. No more squeezing for a few thousand miles.

It it is just that simple, change to other parts,ok by me, I just wash the dust off, it makes the wheels look bad anyway.

Joe

[bushrat]

As my new F-3 is only 3 days old, I can't yet add any related experience about Spyders; however, I can speak from similar horrific experiences re auto brakes - specifically on a Grand Cherokee Jeep - involving rotors, pads and particularly calipers.

Some years ago, on a 1-year old and still under warranty Jeep, it was necessary to replace brake pads and rotors while still at relatively low mileage. This happened twice in quick succession, just a couple of months apart. I was experiencing abnormal wear, especially since I wasn't abusing the machine and normally drove paved highways only, except for a 4 km (2.5 mi) stretch of gravel road leading to my cottage home. During springtime it could get muddy; in summers it could be dusty.

After the first unexpected need to change pads/rotors with low mileage, I expressed my disappointment to the dealer, and I paid the bill because these were 'wear and tear' items. To then have to do so again within weeks was outrageous - same 'wear and tear' response, but the dealer was a good fellow who shared my concerns and accepted some responsibility. Then came a complete surprise!!! My girlfriend picked up the Jeep immediately following this second round of new pads/rotors, and headed home. She hadn't gone 6 miles when she was suddenly pulled over by Police who told her the front end was on fire. It was. The front disc brakes had completely seized. Flames were shooting out from red hot wheels. The blaze was extinguished by Police and the Jeep was trucked back to the garage. Luckily most of the damage was contained, but a lot of equipment at the front end was replaced - by the manufacturer and the dealer. They finally accepted responsibility and agreed that it was not my driving but rather their workmanship that had been the cause. It could hardly be otherwise since the vehicle had gone only 6 miles after leaving the service bay. And that was in the middle of Toronto, miles away from my cottage road.

The interesting answer was this: when mechanics see that it's time to replace brake pads/rotors, or grind and re-surface, most simply do that part and put pieces back together. Calipers are barely given a nod. It is simply assumed that the calipers are working - as long as there are good pads and flat, clean rotors, the brakes should work just fine. So most believe. Well, turns out in my case it was failure of those calipers that was causing excessive brake wear and eventual failure. And it was failure of mechanical check procedures - failure to fully inspect functioning of calipers - that resulted in a catastrophic event, thankfully no worse than it was.

My dealership/manufacturer made things right in the end. Everything was replaced under warranty. And garage policy was immediately changed. Instructions went out to all mechanic staff that henceforth on EVERY brake pad/rotor job, CALIPERS were to be fully inspected as well - just part of a thorough review. It was agreed that my calipers had become stuck and likely failed to function properly because of possible mud and dust build-up from the gravel cottage road. I had never been 'off-road', and normally washed my vehicle every few weeks, including spray cleaning wheels, discs, etc., as best I could. Still the calipers were sticking, and several mechanics had failed to take note through successive servicing of the brakes. Brake servicing policy, up to that point, simply assumed that calipers by and large would function and only pads/rotors needed much attention. Following my incident, the garage decided that it was far better policy to offer a thorough check of ALL parts of the braking system, not just pads and rotors. Probably wise from a liability standpoint too.

So, maybe worthwhile checking caliper function too.

I throw that out there for what its worth. Now I'll go back to perusing the threads on this wonderful site, trying to educate myself as to what to expect as I get to know and enjoy my new F-3 Ltd. toy.

Cheers, all.

[OJ UK]

10750 miles. both front discs warped and pads at 60% worn. No evidence of overheating.
I am amazed at how small and lightweight the OEM discs are. Even with normal use
I think they may not dissipate the heat adequately. All were replaced under warranty
by my excellent dealer 158 Performance as they agreed that it just should not happen
in that time scale. Also replaced this year was the power steering unit as it had failed.

[monkeyboymorton]

I must correct my earlier post, you do need to remove rear wheel to replace disc. So price of £300 inc. disc is probably not that bad. I still think a competent independent bike shop could do it, espcially if you gave them a copy of the Work Shop Manual beforehand.

[BajaRon]

Not sure of a dealer would fit non oem or not, but you can only ask? As I presume you're now out of warranty see if you can find a local bike specialist who could change it. Mine won't go to a dealer now unless it's something I or anyone else can't fix. Most jobs like brakes etc can be done anywhere and the rear disc can be done without removing rear wheel.

Ebay.co.uk has suppliers of the EBC pads and discs:

Semi sintered Pads £27 - search for FA631V
Fully sintered £43 - search for FA631HH
Disc £95.88 - search for F3 Rear Disc EBC

All free shipping.

So you're looking at £123 for the parts and then it's just labour. So if you can find a local bike shop who will charge less than £180 to do it (can't see it being more than £100) your quids in

I am sure there are some dealerships that will not install EBC products. But all of the dealerships I and my customers have used did not have any problem doing the work. Surprisingly, I've even had customers say their dealership recommended using the EBC parts as they were less expensive and superior to the BRP items.