Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Well, a few month ago i had my bike serviced, 24,000 kms major service. At the time I complained I had a shudder while braking. This apparently meant my rotors were wrapped and that I had to get them machined. I did but the problem hasnt gone away. I am getting the redone shortly but thought I'd put it to you guys that should this have been covered under warrenty? Its only done 24,000 kms, is that all that the rotors last?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Cheers,

kypez.

depends on ur braking style, the pads, ..the type of riding u do...man...wow...

more details...do u have braided or standard lines?? what kinda pads u running??

shudder- my 1st point would be the possibility that all brakes do this to a degree...when metal gets hot it expands etc...also the lines get hot (and the fluid) which expands etc, so u lose feel...which can feel like shudder...

my blade use to do it badly before i put new rotors & pads in it (i have braided lines)...now im runing braking wave rotors & a hard raey type pad..and it still does it, but not as badly...

if the bike still stops ok but makes funny noise, it might just be ur mind...

I dont ride too hard (as I've been told by Dave and Sam) but I am not gentle by any means.

I'm gonna sound really lame here and say I dont remember the name of the pads on the bike now.

Its not a harsh shudder, but you feel it just as you are about to stop under hard breaking. Also nowadays, its started to howl like a semi pulling up.

The guys at Sydney City said for $450, they fix it that it wouldnt happen for another 24,000 kms... still happening... lets see after remachining them.

just wanted to know if this was within acceptable usage. My xr had a shudder and they fixed it under warrenty...

At 26000km the rotors on my ZZR1200 are warped at the front and the rear is undersize. Around $2000 to replace with genuine parts. Yep I'm pretty fukkin happy with my ZZR.... Especially at the $19000 the bastard cost. Blades are renowned for it too, as Neka could attest.
Wish you luck getting warranty out of Kawasaki with their track record for warranty honouring. I spoke to a mate recently who works for Honda(cars) and he said that brake shudder is not covered under warranty and it is wear and tear... My Hyundai is about to hit 200000km on original rotors. I'd be somewhat pissed to buy a 'prestige' brand car that the brakes warped on and the manufacturer didn't warrant it. My ZZR1100 warped the rotors a few times so I should have learned.

You have buckleys chance of getting warranty because brakes are a wear and tear item,just like tyres,chains,clutches,ect.Weather its your fault or not,they will say it is anyway.I had a mate with a triumph who broke a chain after 6,000 klms.The warranty ppl said you must have adjusted the chain wrong or didnt lube it or any reason not to replace the chain.One of the links had liturally split in two(obvious faulty chain)
but they wouldnt wear it.

excellent another opportunity to give John Sample a spray !

apologies to those of you who've heard it before.

Kypez, I had warped rotors on my aprillia after about 9000km, left it to the next service then made a warranty claim which was rejected as normal wear, wound up going to Dept.fair trading in NSW and was sent to the Consumer, Trader & Tenancy Tribunal (CTTT) for judgement.

At the hearing, John Sample, the distriubutor of aprillia, didn't even turn up so it appears they they were just seeing how far I'd take it. They were ordered to pay the retail replacement cost of the rotors ($1000) and the application cost me about $30 from memory. This was in 2002.

PM me if you want details, I can pull out the papers or give you a call.

Cheers
Matt

kypez wrote:...Its not a harsh shudder, but you feel it just as you are about to stop under hard breaking...

It might be worth getting your steering head checked to make sure it's not loose, as it can make your bike do what you are describing.

I would've thought warped disks would be more apparent at higher speeds, not just as you are about to stop.

Mick C wrote:

kypez wrote:...Its not a harsh shudder, but you feel it just as you are about to stop under hard breaking...

It might be worth getting your steering head checked to make sure it's not loose, as it can make your bike do what you are describing.

I would've thought warped disks would be more apparent at higher speeds, not just as you are about to stop.

yea..thats what i thought too...hence why i asked if he could put up with it...
i was told its normal for floating or semi floating discs to squeel a bit , as i said, my blade did it, but only just as u finished braking, it never affected my braking performance...

i had em machined & it didnt fix the problem...tho after i damaged em really badly, i put BRAKING wave rotors on, and boy do i love them...no more squeel, no more fade at all..

Old kwaks were known for it
AND they were already at their minimum width from the factory (weight saving??)

Neka's right go the wave discs mate

Dont worry about getting them machined as they will either a) warp again as soon as they get het up. b) will be below tolerances and you wont get it back anyway.

I get a shudder after pulling a stoppie..... but the rest of the time it is fine.... are you sure you dont done have a warped disc?

Try this too.
Undo ALL the bolts on the front BAR the top triple and including all caliper bolts.
Bounce front end up and down.
Get someone to hold it steady and upright and retighten all the bolts....
Sometime the front can get a little "twisted" espec if you mono....

I've got one right today and maybe on a roll, so GO NOW YOUNG MAN before my luck wears off ......

IF this doesnt work tell the dealer you wont new discs now !!!
DAMN RIGHT it should be warranty....

Mick C wrote:

kypez wrote:...Its not a harsh shudder, but you feel it just as you are about to stop under hard breaking...

It might be worth getting your steering head checked to make sure it's not loose, as it can make your bike do what you are describing.

I would've thought warped disks would be more apparent at higher speeds, not just as you are about to stop.

like Mick C said. My ZX6R had an awful shudder when braking. i had the discs checked out and they where ok, i rebuilt the calipers and the shudder was still there. One day i gave the old girl a look over and notice the headstem was loose. I pulled it apart and the bearings where shot. replaced them and the races, tighten to spec and no more shudder

thanks guys... yeah, i thought wrapped discs would affect all speeds, not just low speeds, though I was told differently and hence got them machined. Interesting to see if I did take it to court, as matchan said, for only $30, it seems worth the effort. (you got PM)

The bike is now out of warrenty, but this is documented during the warrenty period and should be fine there.

They took off the front wheel and "apparently" checked the whole front end and concluded it was the discs. Lets see... Still not happy with this whole affair.

frogzx12r, Will give it a go over the weekend. Working back this week (9am to midnight), stupid computer systems!!

is there a pulsing sensation in the front brake lever? may not always be felt on hard application but rather on very light applications..
should be a warranty thing i'd say - all the car manufacturers warrant their rotors for however long the overall car's warranty is..
my missus had her GSXR 1000 K6's front rotors replaced after 20,000km.. and it was covered under suzuki warranty... but then again, the bike's only 9 months old. must add she's nowhere near being as hard a rider as kypez is too.. or maybe she's just not as hard on the brakes as he is?

Your woman has a GSXR1000???

I'm hard pressed to convince my missus to ride my ZX6R!