edit - not the front brake, the front fork?
The front brake assembly clunks around up there pretty good when I go off a curb or give the tire a good kick. The brake mounting bolts are tight, but there is a decent amount of floating play. IIRC pads have maybe 2mm warning track.
Should it float that much? Ideas?
So just run out to the garage and give your bike a swift kick and see what kind of noise it makes. Thanks.
Considering that I have a broken 5th metatarsal, my screaming would probably be louder than any noise the bike made.
Can you pinpoint the noise a little more? Have you checked all the bolts in the brake assembly? Any loose wires or brake lines that are hitting something making the click? I know its a longshot but sometimes the easiest explanation is often overlooked!
Nick
I believe the noise is not in the front brake, but in the forks.
I removed and inspected the front brake. All parts are working, adequate pads, nothing broken or loose.
I am able to reproduce this clunk just by pushing down suddenly on the handlebars. I wrapped the front brake in a towel and this made no difference in the sound. So this leads me to believe the noise is from the front forks.
The PO put in progressive springs. I got the feeling he was not that mechanically inclined or very meticulous about his work. There was oil on one fork seal when I bought the bike, but none since.
Thoughts?
I really have no idea what is making that clunk. The stuff I can see does not look like it would clunk. The fork innards are still a mystery to me, so I am blaming them. That is the extent of my diagnosis.
Commonly such front fork "clunks" are loose preload adjustment nuts on triple tree bearings. Once they begin t clunk the bearings are not going to last very long -- it beats them up really quick.
prs
Oh, yeah; if it is loose bearing preload, you can set bile on a stand with frontwheel off floor and pull-up the thrust down on handle bars to feel it.
prs
If the insulator rubber bushing #7 on this diagram is missing the caliper will clunk like you describe. Ran my GS without it for a while till I got a replacement last year:
http://images.powersportsnetwork.com/fiche/images/Suzuki/2001/Motorcycles/2102_48.gif
Thanks, guys. I will check those things out.
Holy shaZam!, GSJack, I think you nailed it. I have the "ribbed" portion of #7, but the reservoir tip is missing. All this time unprotected riding. No wonder I enjoyed braking so much.
I was wrong about being wrong about being wrong. GSJack, I have the rubber piece, reservoir tip and all. I was looking at the diagram backwards. And upside down too. Anyway, all the parts are there in the brake caliper.
After the kids are in bed I will go check the triple bearing. Thank you Pigeonroost.
I always thought there was a d in pidgeon. Maybe that is the Hawaiian dialect.
Thanks again.