New-to-Me 2014 VFR, Brake Noise and Questions

Hi folks,

Thank you for the welcomes so far; I am a new owner of a 2014 VFR800 Standard Edition. The bike has ~13k miles, and is fantastic (only ridden it twice so far), but it has a few quirks I would like to get some feedback on from you knowledgeable folks. The seller was not comfortable with allowing a test ride due to liability reasons - he rode it in front of me, but did not let me ride it. So, I'm finding out one or two things.

1st - Front Brake Noise
When applying the front brake, there is a "buzzing" noise coming from the front of the bike. It did this on the way home. So far, I removed the brake lever, cleaned and greased the pivot points (reduced some lever "stickiness", but still has a little bit of stickiness). I also removed and inspected both front calipers, and visually inspected/felt the front brake lines. Everything looked pretty normal to me - pads in great shape, lines looked good, no leaks visible, just dirty. The only anomaly I saw was some minimal rubbery debris on the pins at the top of the calipers - they looked like possibly very worn out rubber grommets that once lived on the pins, and since disintegrated. I removed this debris, but the buzzing continued. I took a video of the buzzing occurring, see below. What do you think this is?



Pictures of small rubbery debris - (was present on both calipers)


2nd: Front Forks Uneven
Not sure how I missed this during my pre-purchase inspection, but one of the fork legs is higher up in the top triple clamp than the other. I've never seen this before - what would you suggest to do?


3rd: "Sh-Sh" noise
The front wheel makes "sh-sh-sh-sh-sh" noise, most noticeable when braking, but slightly noticeable when off the brakes too. Could this be an alignment issue due to the fork heights, or a wheel bearing? (I've never replaced a wheel bearing yet).


Thank you very much everyone!

 

Chances are that previous owner installed aftermarket brake pads with sintered pads. Mine have done this since I put them in. What you hear is the reaction of the drilled holes with the pads. Nothing to worry about. As far as the uneven forks, mine are even so I think someone did some work on them and wasn’t careful putting them back. I don’t think it cause any problems other than slightly uneven compression on the springs. Easy to fix.
I bought mine slightly used with 2600 miles on it from a local dealer. It is the deluxe model with the easy shifter and saddle bags. It close to turning 40k miles and runs great. All the miles have been put on on the twisty back roads around the bay area of California. No freeways!! Handles like a dream. I stop into the dealer every once in while, and there is no other bike I would rather have. I also have an 1983 VF750 which I have had since new sitting in the driveway.
BTW: I am 78 years old and still get a kick out of a frisky ride.

 

I'm no suspension expert but that fork misalignment looks terrible! Service Manual states 37mm fork height above the bridge see attached.
I would absolutely get that corrected making sure all fork mounting bolts are correctly tightened and then go through the fitting of the front wheel and axel alignment then reassess the situation.
I'm running EBC HH'S pads on my 2014 and don't have any brake noise at all.
For info - Brake and clutch fluid replacement/bleeding is easy on an 8gen. Any doubt about the age of the fluid just replace it. Don't let it go anything over 2 years.

 

Good advice, but I have been running the EBC pads for 37K miles, and the unique sound started from the day I put them in. That doesn’t mean it happens on every bike, but there has not been any negative impact on my bike.
If you don’t have one, get a factory service manual and good torque wrench. The standard model didn’t come with a center stand, did the previous owner put the optional factory stand on?
Being older and 6’, I found the stock foot pegs and handle bar positions uncomfortable, I raised the bars and lowered the pegs, much more comfortable on the back. If interested, let me know.
The VFR will give you many years of enjoyment, very well built and designed, much better than my 2003 that I traded in.

 

Thank you very much for your responses Grum and Allyance;

• When I removed the calipers to inspect, the installed pads were quite metallic-looking. I would not be surprised if they were indeed sintered pads. That explanation would make a lot of sense.
• Yes - I think I will need to get the proper pin for my head-lift front stand, such that I can remove (or at least loosen) the front forks to realign them. My bike has one set of the bar riser blocks installed - but I don't think those clamp the forks directly. I found a PDF manual online, and will review the procedure. I hope it hasn't caused any unusual damage or wear; do you think the "sh-sh-sh-sh" sound could be related to the fork alignment?
• Interestingly, the previous owner shared that he tried to replace the clutch fluid, got some air into it, then had a heck of a time getting the air out of it. He resorted to installing a bleeder valve near the handlebar, where the banjo bolt attaches. This is my first hydraulic clutch, so - it's all new to me.

My bike does not have the center stand, but I found a Pitbull single-sided swingarm stand for sale at a good price locally - now I just need to order the proper pin size to use it. (I need to buy a nicer torque wrench as well.)

 

I bought an ABBA lift that works great. Pins insert into swing arm bolt heads (don't know if they are bolts) Makes the bike very stable, then put a hydraulic jack under the frame below the engine to change oil and remove front wheel. Seeing as I have had to get new tires at leasts 6 times.

 

I am a big fan of EBC HH pads, but would say that they make a bit more hiss noise than a standard pad. I have not had any unusual disc wear as a result.

I fully agree that you need to start with a decent fork alignment.

You will know that your forks are in decent triple clamp vertical position when you can slide the greased axle in to both legs without any force.

When you refit the wheel, tighten the axle bolt fully but leave the other fork leg clamp loose, and also the upper triple clamps. Then bounce the forks a few times, and tighten the upper triple clamps. Then bounce the forks again and tighten the axle clamp. This procedure allows the forks and axle to find their most "relaxed" position where the forks are parallel to each other to cause the least binding.

If you don't have nicely aligned forks, it is quite possible to need force to get the axle to slide in and that can push the fork legs together causing binding and affecting the alignment of the calliper and discs.