Rear brake issue on my 2014 RTS SE6

[cognaccruiser]

Here it is with under 3 weeks before leaving for Spyderfest and I am having an issue with the rear brake on my 2014.

I recently changed the rear tire and with the help of Finless Bob's video, it was pretty straight forward. Thanks again Bob and also for the additional answers to some of my questions.

When I replaced everything on the Spyder, the rear wheel developed a rotational brake squeak as in, the pads are rubbing when the wheel turns but no brake being applied. I decided to remove everything and re do everything to ensure I did it correctly. In the second go around the caliper didn't come off so easily and then I couldn't get the brake caliper back on at all because the piston had moved out about a 1/16 inch. I still don't know why it did that. At this point I threw in the towel and contacted my dealer. They came by and picked up my Spyder (didn't charge anything) and took it the 50 miles to the dealership. They quickly were able to screw the piston back in and reinstalled the caliper. They didn't do much of a test drive because they thought all was well and no squeaking was noticed. And it doesn't squeak when reversing or when the brake is applied. They later regretted that.

Yesterday my wife and I went to pick it up. When I left to come home, very quickly after leaving the dealership I heard the noise again and immediately went back to the dealership and they could hear it for themselves. One of the things I did then was to take it for a ride for about 10 or so miles and when safe, applied the brake quite hard to see if it would seat the pads or if the heat would make things any different. It didn't.

The service manager was very apologetic for them not picking it up and said it was now a warranty issue and would get to the bottom of it. There were no Spyder techs there on Saturday to look at it and is still at the dealer waiting for Tuesday morning when they open again.

I'm wandering if any of the more tech savvy members have any thoughts on this. It never did this before and I can't figure out what might be the issue. Also wondered if any one had run into this before. It seems like the pads aren't releasing completely. Also, when I got back from my test ride, I touched the brake disk and it was hot enough to burn my finger even though it had not been applied for a good 5 or more minutes. Could the rubbing make it that hot? Also wondered about the shim that some have reported being present when removing their calipers. There was none on mine and I was looking for one and expecting it. What would be the purpose of that shim?

I know this is a lot of questions and will probably create more questions but any thoughts are welcome.

Gary

[PW2013STL]

Yes the pads are rubbing and that is why the wheel was so hot.
I beleive you have a defective caliper now and will need replacing.
Mine was replaced under warranty last year when the piston would not retract.

Hope your dealer gets you back on the road quickly.

[Chupaca]

many of these calipers have spacer washers that fall out when removing the caliper. If not replaced correctly can cause these type of issues. They should re-check the the belt alignment to see that the wheel is aligned cause when final tightening of the axel it will move and misalign. If all was well prior then it is an alignment problem and they should be able to fix that...

[Olddood]

My '14 RT had a squeak when in reverse at very low speed. This lasted a few weeks and eventually went away on its own. It really bugged me every time I backed up the driveway and into the garage. Lots of squeaking (forward or backwards) after washing the bike and getting the rotors wet. The next day would be a squeaky exit out of the yard until the brakes were applied at a couple of stops.

[cognaccruiser]

Just a follow up. Service Manager called yesterday and went and picked it up, did some test riding there and then road home about 55 miles. The rotational squeak is gone. The Mechanic seemed to feel that the E-brake needed an adjustment and was causing the pads to sit a little too close to the disk when released. He also did some adjustment to the belt alignment. He says they are very sensitive and it doesn't take much to get this to happen. I hope all of this makes perfect sense as it seems like a pretty simple fix but I do know not having that squeak makes me happy. Spyder seemed to run fine.
I did order a Krikit II from Napa and picked it up yesterday, so going to check the belt tension with the rear wheel off the ground today.

Cheers, Gary

[Bob Denman]

Glad to hear that the problem was found and fixed!
Now; it's time to start packing...

[cognaccruiser]

Glad to hear that the problem was found and fixed!
Now; it's time to start packing...

Pretty soon, yup, pretty soon.

[Gordo]

Hi Gary,I was wondering if you torqued the rear axle nut or if the dealer did it. I'm still unsure which number to use. Thanks

[cognaccruiser]

Hi Gary,I was wondering if you torqued the rear axle nut or if the dealer did it. I'm still unsure which number to use. Thanks

Hi Gord. Sent you a PM.

Gary

[zbunker]

many of these calipers have spacer washers that fall out when removing the caliper. If not replaced correctly can cause these type of issues. They should re-check the the belt alignment to see that the wheel is aligned cause when final tightening of the axel it will move and misalign. If all was well prior then it is an alignment problem and they should be able to fix that...

Hi, I too had that squeak in the rear brake pad after the rear wheel was removed to repair a flat. And yes, the problem was a missing spacer.
Sounds like the classic "parts left over syndrome"

[cognaccruiser]

Because I was very aware of the spacer that some have, I was very careful to look for one and expected one to be present when I removed the caliper. Mine definitely didn't have a spacer. Perhaps there should have been one originally but the squeak wasn't there to begin with and only started after. No longer seems to be a problem .

Gary