hello all I just bought a used 2005 vmax noticed my rear disc. It is Gold / discolored .i can only get a half turn on the wheel on the center stand .i don’t have the washer between the axle and caliper bracket .maybe the axle is over touqured? Don’t have a oversized rear tire so don’t think washer mod was done.maybe at one time the rear brake seized? I have the washer on order. Any thoughts? Thanks Ryan r
2005 rear disc discolortion
- Thread starter RYANR
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Hey RYANR, I do have a wide wheel, had the drag, and have dealt with other's locally with and without but have the same dragging pad/off center caliper issue. I would say first to check your caliper, make sure both side's piston's run smoothly, bleed, rebuild if necessary. I have seen a machine washer used at the axle to gain a few thousandth's to the right of disk center for the caliper and wave washers used between the bracket and caliper to get a few to the left of center or the wave washers used between the disk and hub. A friend here bought Chinese wave rotor's for front and rear, had no drag issue at all with the stock rotor's just wanted to change the bike's appearance. The front's bolted right up no issues, the back had the drag on the inside piston(stock rotor didn't). After trying sintered ,EBC then back to organic pads and still having the drag bluing his new rotor he installed the wave washers between the disk and hub, problem solved.
sdt354
Well-Known Member
+1, with different wheels I to had to mill the washer. I'd pull the caliper off and verify it's sticking, or not. The spec in the manual for the rear axle bolt is too high imho. For me, 30 ft. lbs has worked well.
I once tried aftermarket rear pads, and had to sand them down a bit to stop drag.
Working on brakes, it's always good to change the brake fluid 1X/year. Using the 'reverse-bleed' is a good way to keep your brakes working well, and how to-do it quickly and completely. Make sure that for the master cylinders (brake & clutch) that the tiny hole closest-to the banjo bolt is NOT plugged with crud. The brake/clutch will not work properly if it is plugged.
If you have problems with the lever during bleeding attempts, and you grab a pin from the wife's sewing bag, to try and poke-out the tiny master cylinder bleed hole, be aware that the line is probably under pressure, and that if you are successful in your attempt to open the hole of crud lodged in it, the built-up pressure could and will shoot-out a considerable distance! Eye protection is needed, and coverage for painted surfaces, because of the corrosive-to-paint characteristic-of DOT 3 and DOT 4 brake fluid.
Reverse-bleed directions here: https://www.vmaxforum.net/threads/clutch-slave-cylinder-replacement.45011/
It is not uncommon to have issues with the calipers being 'sticky,' after years of use, and never having-been disassembled. The piston grows corrosion around its circumference and the square O-ring which provides the piston/caliper body seal no-longer allows the piston to retract fully, once pressure is applied. Disassembly and a thorough cleaning of both the caliper body and the piston, and the O-ring, will nearly-always resolve the issue. I've found that the small brass wire wheel for a Dremel is the quickest, most-thorough way to clean the caliper groove where the square O-ring sits. The brass one is kind to the aluminum of the caliper. A green Scotchbrite pad is the usual cleaning implement for the piston and the caliper circular recess for the piston. I've found the brass wire brush the size of a quarter is better-than the larger-diameter brass bristle brushes, the ones about the size of a half-dollar.
If you don't have a Dremel, got to Harbor Freight and buy their small rotary tool https://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-duty-variable-speed-rotary-tool-kit-31-pc-68696.html , and a bubble-pack of their brass bristle brushes. That might cost you a total of $25 (don't forget your 20%-off coupon and your free gift coupon! The Chicage Electric rotary tool should last much-longer than the cheaper Drill Master rotary tool), and it makes an easy job of it. You also might want to buy some of the cut-off discs. I use those in the smaller diameter to cut a slot in the master cylinder phillips screws if the screw will-not loosen. I cut enough to get a tight fit for a small slot-blade screwdriver, and then use downward pressure to get the screw to release. I also use a drift punch with a round, flat head, about the size of the screw head, and give the screw a few sharp raps with a ball-pein hammer, to help loosen any corrosive grip on the stuck screw, and then try to loosen it.
I usually am able to re-use the dust shield and the square O-ring for the caliper. If the O-ring is brittle, is shedding pieces, is not totally-intact, or if the wheel locked-up from a stuck caliper where the rotor is blued, or for any reason you suspect the integrity of the O-ring, replace it and the dust seal.
Working on brakes, it's always good to change the brake fluid 1X/year. Using the 'reverse-bleed' is a good way to keep your brakes working well, and how to-do it quickly and completely. Make sure that for the master cylinders (brake & clutch) that the tiny hole closest-to the banjo bolt is NOT plugged with crud. The brake/clutch will not work properly if it is plugged.
If you have problems with the lever during bleeding attempts, and you grab a pin from the wife's sewing bag, to try and poke-out the tiny master cylinder bleed hole, be aware that the line is probably under pressure, and that if you are successful in your attempt to open the hole of crud lodged in it, the built-up pressure could and will shoot-out a considerable distance! Eye protection is needed, and coverage for painted surfaces, because of the corrosive-to-paint characteristic-of DOT 3 and DOT 4 brake fluid.
Reverse-bleed directions here: https://www.vmaxforum.net/threads/clutch-slave-cylinder-replacement.45011/
It is not uncommon to have issues with the calipers being 'sticky,' after years of use, and never having-been disassembled. The piston grows corrosion around its circumference and the square O-ring which provides the piston/caliper body seal no-longer allows the piston to retract fully, once pressure is applied. Disassembly and a thorough cleaning of both the caliper body and the piston, and the O-ring, will nearly-always resolve the issue. I've found that the small brass wire wheel for a Dremel is the quickest, most-thorough way to clean the caliper groove where the square O-ring sits. The brass one is kind to the aluminum of the caliper. A green Scotchbrite pad is the usual cleaning implement for the piston and the caliper circular recess for the piston. I've found the brass wire brush the size of a quarter is better-than the larger-diameter brass bristle brushes, the ones about the size of a half-dollar.
If you don't have a Dremel, got to Harbor Freight and buy their small rotary tool https://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-duty-variable-speed-rotary-tool-kit-31-pc-68696.html , and a bubble-pack of their brass bristle brushes. That might cost you a total of $25 (don't forget your 20%-off coupon and your free gift coupon! The Chicage Electric rotary tool should last much-longer than the cheaper Drill Master rotary tool), and it makes an easy job of it. You also might want to buy some of the cut-off discs. I use those in the smaller diameter to cut a slot in the master cylinder phillips screws if the screw will-not loosen. I cut enough to get a tight fit for a small slot-blade screwdriver, and then use downward pressure to get the screw to release. I also use a drift punch with a round, flat head, about the size of the screw head, and give the screw a few sharp raps with a ball-pein hammer, to help loosen any corrosive grip on the stuck screw, and then try to loosen it.
I usually am able to re-use the dust shield and the square O-ring for the caliper. If the O-ring is brittle, is shedding pieces, is not totally-intact, or if the wheel locked-up from a stuck caliper where the rotor is blued, or for any reason you suspect the integrity of the O-ring, replace it and the dust seal.
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if the wheel does not turn freely then either brakes are grabbing or the axle bearing are very tight but if you say the disc braking surface itself is discoloured then its gotta be brakes (the disc should be metal coloured, if heated will become light yellow through to light brown to blue.
