Sqeaking from rear brakes?

[jpmire]

My rear brakes sqeak when I use them. The funny thing is they work fine. The don't feel sloppy or like anything is wrong its just that noise is really really loud!!!! Can anyone tell me if there is something that I can adjust or if they need to be replaced? If the pads do need to be replaced is there any parts stores that carry brake pads (Autozone, Pepboys....). I need to get that fixed soon because that noise is ear-piercing!!!!!!!

[TragicImage]

100% normal.....

Sintered pads?? fix this? I've heard?

[annguyen1981]

Definitely normal, but annoying.  I'm assuming AutoZone & pepboys won't carry them.  Plus, WHY?!?!?

Those stores are for ricer-wannabe's

[deathlucky]

well i have had squeaking brakes
they may be worn right down to the metal what makes them squeak if you will need to replace them
they may be dirty they should work them selfs out as long as you keep out of the dust
if they are new kevlar pads they may make abit of a sound while they wear in

here is a pic of my front brakes that i replaces today (had 1500km on them)

[jpmire]

It looks like the pads are still good. Is there anyway that I can stop the sqeaking? Any kind of spray or lube or something?

[s4gs]

Have your rear alignment checked.

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=25892.0

[tussey]

Have your rear alignment checked.

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=25892.0

adjust your rear alignment 

[billlang675]

Have a 2004 gs500f and they sqeaked from doy one. 

[94suzuki500]

After you have checked the pad thickness and alighnment and if it still squeeks it could be the pad vibrating.  Get some slicone sealant and put it on the back on the pads, inbetween the thin metal plate and the back of the pad. Just put a thin layer of it and and put it all back together, let it sit till its all dry and then ride it, no more squeek.

[Budrick320]

+1 on the rear alingment. When I adjusted my chain the right way, the noise went away. I think mine is getting loose because the noise is comming back every now and then.

[sledge]

The pads squeal because the friction surface becomes glazed and dirty and/or they tend to stick to the pins and brake-piston due to dirt and corrosion and just plain old metal to metal friction. Bikes used continualy in the rain and wet/muddy conditions suffer from it the most. The pads should`Float` on the pins but over time they stick to them and to the brake-piston due to the build up of sh**. They cant float, they cant absorb vibration and they resonate and generate noise as a result. Take the pins and pads out. Slightly rough up the friction surface with emery cloth to remove the glaze and surface dirt and lightly polish the pins with wire-wool but DONT polish off the plated coating. Clean the rear of the pads themselves and add a very very light smear of coppaslip or similar to the back where it contacts the piston to prevent it corroding and sticking to it, then reasseamble. The squeaking will dissapear and wont come back. Dont get any coppaslip on the pads or discs themselves. I made and fitted some replacement brake pad pins from stainless steel to stop the pads binding and prevent them seizing from in the caliper, never had a squeak since. Suzuki could fit stainless pins but they dont because plated steel is cheaper and  it saves them about 20c a bike!
Adjusting wheel alignment is a short term fix, in effect you are just slightly altering the angle at which the pad contacts the disc, or the area on the disc the pad contacts, when it beds in the noise will come back as in Budricks case.
Never heard of silicon being used, and I cant see how it would stop vibration, its flexible when it cures isnt it?  but it might just stop corrosion forming and the pad bonding  to the piston.

[gsJack]

The front brakes have pin sliders that allow the pads to align themselves to the rotor; the rear brakes have no such provisions for this self alignment.  Getting the pads properly aligned to the rotor will do more than anything to eliminate or at least greatly reduce the sqeaking brake.  The rear caliper and pads are rigidly mounted so it's necessary to bring the rotor into proper alignment with the pads thru the chain adjuster screws.  It works, get them right and the squealing won't come back till something is done again to screw up the alignment.

[werase643]

somebody bive me a logical explination why the rear alignment would affect the brake...ie squeal

without just pulling BS out your butt



Hi Ian

[gsJack]

The front brakes have pin sliders that allow the pads to align themselves to the rotor; the rear brakes have no such provisions for this self alignment.  Getting the pads properly aligned to the rotor will do more than anything to eliminate or at least greatly reduce the sqeaking brake.  The rear caliper and pads are rigidly mounted so it's necessary to bring the rotor into proper alignment with the pads thru the chain adjuster screws.  It works, get them right and the squealing won't come back till something is done again to screw up the alignment.

[werase643]

the wheel is attached to the axle...the rotor is "attached" to the axle the caliper bracket is attached to the axle....the caliper is "attached" to the axle

and the whole pile is squeezed between the swingarm legs....there is no possible adjustment other than shimming the caliper and we don't shim calipers.....

how is alignmen of the chain going to change anything other than chain tension and front/rear wheel alignment???(both pointing in the same direction)

[sledge]

Yo` Kenny    I had a few of them last night too 
Your absolutely right, the caliper moves with the wheel via abracket and the pads are always going to be at 90deg to the wheel axis and therefore parallel to the disc. If the caliper was fixed to the swing-arm like on some MX and dirt-bikes I could understand the alignment issue rasied by Jack but with the GS this isnt the case. However when everything is slackened off and retightened the grooves worn in the pad and disc might not match up again perfectly and as a result the sqealing stops........least till they bed in again  What do you think mate?

[gsJack]

It absolutely works, changing the wheel alignment does affect the rear brake squeal.  On the other hand, werase, you too are absolutely right.     Even my semi senile ageing mind can still picture that.  The wheel, disc,  and caliper should remain aligned. 

Only thing that might upset this alignment could be the brake torque rod that would want to keep the caliper aligned with the swing arm rather than the axle.  It's certainly not heavy enough to put any twist to the caliper/bracket assembly is it?

I've tried all of those things Sledge suggests over the many years and miles mainly in regard to Honda front disc squeal and they were at best temporary fixes.  My lovely bride of 54 years is wanting to go to dinner now and is rushing me a bit so I'll post a bit more on this later.  That is if I can think af anything more to add.   

[gsJack]

I've had on and off rear brake squeal on my GS's over the years.  No front brake squeal problems on the GS's.  A switch from OEM pads to EBC Kevlar pads cured the problem on my old Honda front discs but only made it a little better on the GS rear disc brakes which squealed off and on to varrying degrees over the years.  More than once an adjustment of the rear wheel cured the problem for awhile.  Others here were making similar claims so there must be something to it.

Last fall I put the EBC HH pads on the front; no problems with squeal and they worked great with noticeably greater stopping power.  This past May I then put the EBC HH pads on the rear and was happy with the performance of them.  After some miles they began squealing and got louder and louder and by the time I put the new Road Attack rear tire on 5k miles later they were squealing so badly I couldn't stand them and was about ready to order some Kevlar pads to replace them.

I had my rear wheel well aligned so I pulled the axle without changing the adjustments to put the new Road Attack on.  I made just a slight adjustment on the screw on one side and tightened it all up; one or two flats turn on the adjuster, less than half a turn. 

The unbearable squeal is now all but gone with only an occasional light hint of a squeak from it which is barely noticeable and has been this way for about 1k miles since the tire change.  I'm continueing to use the HH rear pads and enjoying their excellent performance.  There has to be something to this readjustment or at least to the loosening up and retightening of the wheel and brake assembly that affects the brake noise problem.  Once it is right it stays that way till something upsets it again.