Brand new Spyder - Brakes Rubbing?

[SpyderJames]

Hey Everyone! I'm brand new around here, just picked up an '11 RS-S last week. I've put 250 miles on it so far and it seems to me like the brake pads are rubbing. I can hear a slight grinding noise if I roll it back and forth with the engine off. And my garage spot is on a slight incline, and if I give it a nudge downhill it'll roll a foot or two then come to a stop on its own. In fact when I'm coasting up to a red light it feels like it slows down faster than just the wind resistance would cause.

I must admit that I'm no expert in motorcycles/cars so I don't know if this is normal on a new bike. I don't have any way to jack it up to see if the wheels spin freely. It's pretty hard to see but it almost looks like the pads are touching the rotors, or at least riiiight there. When I get back into the garage the rotors are pretty warm to the touch. There are some pretty good wear marks already on the rotors, more so on the right front and the rear then the left front. Wheel photos attached.

Can anyone offer me tips on if this is normal for new brakes or if I should have it checked out? Thanks

James

[Lamonster]

:welcome:
That's normal, they all touch somewhat.

[Marker]

:welcome:
That's normal, they all touch somewhat.

:agree: And :congrats::welcome:

[boborgera]

Nomral with disk brakes, All disk brakes, even on cars.

[arntufun]

I can't believe BRP still has not fixed this issue yet !!! :lecturef_smilie: If it sounds like the video below, your not alone.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFdOKWd9bkM&feature=player_detailpage

[fastfraser]

:welcome::congrats:on your new :spyder2:. I see you already have Glow Riders. Same style I have .

[SpyderJames]

Ok thanks for the info, I feel better knowing it's normal. Mine is nowhere near as loud as the one in that video, wow!

And yup, the GloRyders are cool! I'm hoping my local police department will also agree if they ever see me out :rolleyes:

[BajaRon]

Disk brakes are self adjusting and will always have a light touch on the rotor. 2 reasons for this. 1) There isn't anything (spring, etc.) to pull or push the brake pads away from the rotor. 2) This gives you a quicker application than old drum brakes as the pads have zero travel before contact with the rotor.

The only possible drag that you will get with properly working brakes on a Spyder is if the Parking Brake is adjusted too tight. If the PB is too tight you will always have some pressure on the rear rotor and it will drag. Eventually this will go away as the rear brake pad wears but that isn't really the recommended way to go.

You might lift your Spyder so the wheels are off the ground and spin each wheel. There should be only a slight drag. The Rear will have more drag because of the drive belt. But it should still turn freely.

Though not likely, a caliper piston can get sticky and you will get binding on an individual pad. That would probably show up in the wheel spin test. If nothing else, doing this kind of thing will give you a better feel for what is right and what is not right about our Spyder.

If at all possible, do your own maintenance. It really gives you an understanding of your machine that you cannot get any other way.

[arntufun]

How rude of me, I forgot to say welcome to the forum. This is the place to come for anything Spyder related. :thumbup: The Spyders brakes are embarrasing. :sour:

[Bob Denman]

Welcome to our little sandbox James! :thumbup: There's no doubt that the pads will rub a bit on a disk brake setup... However; if they're hanging up and not sliding properly on the pins that hold them, you can always pull things apart and throw some elbow grease in the mix to ensure that those pins are clean...

[ThreeFeet]

:welcome::congrats: another thing about the brakes you have GOT to make sure you don't have your foot on the Brake even just a tad:lecturef_smilie:. Best to pint toe out to the right some to miss that brake. Other than that it's pretty normal for the thing to be noisy some and it wears in soon enough. hang in there and have a GREAT DAY FOR RYDING!!!! :yes:

[ARtraveler]

:welcome: and :congrats: on the new ryde. Sorry about the brake issue--but agree fully with the other posters.

The message about keeping your foot off the brake is a good one. That move will throw the :spyder2: into limp mode after awhile. I now try to keep my foot close--but not on the brake.

[PCBeachBum]

:welcome: and to this day I still get a squeal in my brakes when stopping. This is due to the stock pads that I have on my 2008 SM5. To get rid of that, I will get heavy on the brakes when stopping, to clean any dirt off the pads and rotors. This to is normal.

:congrats: on your new ryde! :thumbup: