Hey guys.  Back when I rebuilt my front caliper and master cylinder, I put everything together with a Galfer SS line, Galfer 'green' pads, and fresh DOT 4, I didn't notice much of a difference in my braking.  There wasn't any fade at all, but the lever feel wasn't noticeably better...I still had to pull it all the way to the handlebar for hard braking.

Then, my friend and I were doing the Progressive spring install, and he started messing with my brake while the caliper was off.  Long story short, I managed to push the pistons back in their bores (while checking to make sure the MC didn't overflow) and slide the caliper back on.  Voila!  All of a sudden I had excellent brake lever feel...I imagined that this was what it was like with good brakes.  I could easily bring the GS down from high speeds with two fingers...I was loving it.

Until yesterday.  For some reason, lever feel has returned (I think) to its not so great status.  I can't tell if I'm just paranoid, or if it's really changed.  More importantly, my front brakes are now noisy.  I was used to a tiny little squeak (eep!) right at the end of braking, which I attributed to the pads skimming over less than perfectly flat rotor surfaces...no big deal.  The new sound is a sort of scratching, chuffing, almost a chatter.  It didn't *seem* to affect my braking performance...but then again, I didn't try to stop from high speeds once I noticed it.  I'm positive this noise is new, and it was loud enough for me to hear through my helmet when stopping from normal roadgoing speeds.  I also really miss the nice firm lever feel...any ideas on what's up?

I don't have my tools, so I couldn't pull off the caliper and check the pads.  I'll try and do that tonight, but I'm a little skeptical of riding the bike very much now.

If your main concern is the thickness of the pads, you can check them visually by finding the right viewing angle.  ("Down in front", I believe.)

As for the rest ...  :dunno:   Maybe you need to "rebuild" the caliper?  (Clean it, install new ... O-rings, I think?)

Visually, the pads look fine.  I don't see any abnormal wear...but then again, I couldn't look too closely...so that might be it.

My worry is that i just 'rebuilt' the caliper, with new orings and everything.  I ain't doing it again, because I'm pretty sure that isn't the problem.  

It's weird, but it sounds like there might be foreign material between the pad and rotor...the scratching sound doesn't sound like the usual pad on rotor sounds...i have trouble understanding how this could be a result of the caliper itself...perhaps i'm missing something?

OIC.  Then yeah, pop 'em off and take a look.

Did you use any lube for the piston seals?  I gather that that can cause either mushy brakes, or dragging brakes, when the seals stick in the bores.

Try bleeding the brakes again, it only takes a few minutes, and it may just be your problem.  Are all the lines tightened down properly, perhaps air is getting into the system.  Did any bubbles come out into the master cylinder when you pushed the pistons back?

If you're doubtful about the surface condition of the pads you can scuff them with sandpaper to get rid of any blemishes.

What's the condition of your rotors?

I'm going to take them off today after work to take a look.  My guess is that it will look something like this:

Gravel, rock, tooth, etc. lodged in pad to make funny noises.  Pop out, and noises are gone.  I have reasonably quiet brakes again.

...but this wouldn't explain my fluctuating lever feel.  I'm not clear on why pushing the pistons back into their bores resulted in such good lever feel, and why that feel is now (perhaps) gone.

Quote from: SportbillyDid you use any lube for the piston seals?  I gather that that can cause either mushy brakes, or dragging brakes.

I lubed all the internal parts with DOT 4, so I don't think that's the issue.

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Try bleeding the brakes again, it only takes a few minutes, and it may just be your problem.  

Yeah, this might be it.  I'll bleed them again, for like the 4th time tonight probably, but I'm fairly certain there's no air getting in.  Everything is tightened down properly, and I'm not leaking any brake fluid.  I didn't check to see if air was coming into the MC when I pushed the pistons back in...that's a good idea though.

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If you're doubtful about the surface condition of the pads you can scuff them with sandpaper to get rid of any blemishes.

Yup.  I'll take a look at 'em tonight.

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What's the condition of your rotors?

They aren't warped, but other than that, I have no idea.  I don't have the stuff to check runout, or measure rotor thickness...is there an easy way to do this?

Quote from: AR5ENALI lubed all the internal parts with DOT 4, so I don't think that's the issue.

There is a special lube for this, but I don't know it it makes all that much difference...

I doubt it's runout (you'd feel it) or thickness of your rotors.  But if they're worn with grooves, it may just have taken a while for your pads to break in, which may explain the difference in sound, but still, what you're speaking of sounds (get it?  "sounds" hehe) a little more serious.

The Hayne's said to lube internal parts with DOT4, so I agree...I don't think this is the source of my problems.  Fact is, I probably won't know anything until I pull off the caliper tonight.  I'll check the pads and bleed the brakes, then take it for a ride to see how it's responded.

The brake lever 'fade' after pushing back on the pads has been experienced by myself as well. Also, for still unknown reasons. What may have happened is by pushing on the pads we have an air bubble in the caliper block and over time it expands to give us back that mushy brake feel.

How many miles on the new pads? Maybe they still need to break-in and bed in to the disk.

Also, try the rubberband trick: take a bunch of rubberbands and compress the brake lever with them overnight, or for several nights, you will get the same great brake feel that eventually fades with use or time, but it helps temporarily. Sometimes, because of the force it is exerting through the brake fluid, it should cause any air bubbles in the line to rise.
And then, just crack open the banjo bolt near the MC to bleed out the air bubbles.

Hope your noise goes away.

Took off the caliper the other day, and the pads looked totally fine.  They're wearing perfectly evenly, so maybe it was just the pads bedding in.  The rotor appears thick enough, but it's grooved, so perhaps this is what it is.  Either way, I'm not worried about it anymore.  I also bled the brakes, and my fantastic lever feel is back.