Suzuki GSXR Forum banner

2006 GSXF front brake shaking

1K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  rv6john 
#1 ·
I know this is a GSXR forum, but it's much easier to get replies here than on Katana forums! It's not really a super specific question to a GSX-F so I was hoping I could get some input.

I just recently purchased a 2006 GSX-F, good condition, low miles, talked to one of the original owners today, told me that it was laid down at some point by a previous owner, replaced fairings and a front fork with a GSXR fork. Not sure if this is exactly the case, or if the front forks are interchangeable, but either way, when I apply the front brakes there's a pretty bad shake. A shake bad enough to where it's kind of uneasy to apply the front brakes for an emergency stop, albeit they will stop on a dime if need be.

Any ideas of any particular places I should look? The rotars don't really seem messed up.

I just went outside and tested it again, and even when lightly applying the brakes it happens, and it can become kind of a hop, happening every x amount of tire rotation, like it is a rotar. I lightly applied the brakes as to not compress the front forks at all, and it still happens.

Any way to check the rotars real good and see if that's definitely what it is?
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Rotors can get warped pretty easy on stock discs. Get front wheel off the ground and spin it, listen to the brake pads for contact and loss of contact as you spin it, and tight spots.
Often you feel the front brake level pulsing when you apply the brake.
 
#3 ·
Unless you can feel a pulsation in the brake lever when braking and/or you need to pump up the brakes before they work (the warped disc pushes the pads back) it is likely uneven deposits on the brake rotors.
This causes the pads to grab and release each time it hits the area.

It is easy enough to check the disc run out to make sure they are not warped. The spec is pretty tight, being 0.012" max on most gsxrs.

I've heard a bunch of ways to clean the discs, I've used 120-180 grit followed by brake cleaner. I also take the glaze off the pads so I can bed everything in evenly.

I've been battling this with my Z1000 for a couple of years. I can tell each time the front wheel goes around below 20mph when braking. The discs are perfectly straight.

Each time I change a tire, I've cleaned the discs which improved the problem but I never made the effort to actually take the discs off so I could do an adequate job on the inside of the disc. I will do it next time.
 
#4 ·
Given that it happens even without compressing front suspension at all, and that was my major concern, because talking to the previous owner, when it was laid down, a front fork was replaced(supposedly replaced with a GSXR fork), so I was initially worried it might be that. Have heard something about it maybe being bearings, but being that it happens even when super lightly applying front brakes at ANY speed(haven't ventured into higher speeds to test it, but i'd probably be less dramatic but still extremely noticeable), it would seem it's rotors! I know it doesn't take much of a lay down to mess up the rotors, any way to tell which one is the cause, or any way to kind of try to remedy at least a little bit?
 
#5 ·
Max I had the same problem on my S1000 but it was not so much a shake as it was a Harmonic vibration, and when I was coming to a stop with constant pressure around 10 mph down to a stop it would surge. Like I was squeezing and releasing the lever pressure. I got in touch with Galfer guy said it sounded like pad residue on the disk I had changed pads from Carbon Loraine to RJL's. so I took the rotors off and sanded them like the tech told me. It was much better but after a few rides it was back so I took them off again and did it again this time I used scotch bright pads on my angle grinder. Much better but again after a few ride the same problem was back. I ended up going back to the Carbon Loraine pads, I didn't clean the rotors when I went back to them and the problem is no longer there. I could only assume the rotors were not compatatable with the RJL pads, or the calipers didnt like the pads. So you may have a pad problem. But I would clean the rotors first and see if it helps.
 
#6 ·
@JETMECHANIC What you describe is exactly what my Z1000 is doing. It's not bad now, but when I put a new front tire on, I'm going to take off the discs and really go after them till they are shiny all around then re-bed the brakes. I know you don't need to be gentle, they are very hard stainless.

There was a post online titled something like "How did my warped disc brakes fix themselves?".

The answer mentioned that it was likely uneven deposits and not "warped" discs and that heavy brake application with an aggressive brake pad compound can actually scrub off the deposits. It wasn't a recommendation of a cure, just an reasonable explanation to what happened.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top