Grinding noise from Front, 2002 VFR

Hi Guys,

I have a 2002 VFR, non-ABS with 35000 kms (22000 miles). It's got a grinding noise that sounds like it's coming from the front wheel. I can hear it around town.

- my old front tire had a strange wear pattern, so this year, I installed 2 new BT021 tires
- my front pads are new from last year
- Chain on sprocket are new
- Both front bearings/seals are new. There was bit of rust on 1 of them.
- There is no vibration on the highway. Neither is there any side to side looseness in the front wheel

If you spin the front wheel while the bike is on the center stand, you only hear a bit of noise from the pads against the discs. The wheel spins freely, and doesn't drag.

I'm not sure where to go from here - any ideas?

 

anyone have any ideas? It's killing me that I can't ride my bike on these nice days!

 

I'll check the spacing - I wasn't aware of that potential problem.

The bearings should be fine - the noise didn't change after I replaced them. I didn't find a bit of rust on 1 of the ones I removed - the seal was probably pressured washed before I bought the bike (I haven't)

Thanks for the tips - I'm going to try to look at the bike today.

 

I can hear it in 1st or 2nd gear, clutch engaged or not engaged. Into 3rd gear, i can still hear the noise, but I start to hear the wind more. It is most evident coasting in neutral.

The noise could be resonating from somewhere. I've put a new chain and sprockets on this year (both from Honda) and it made no difference. Anything else i could check?

 

Ok, so I took a look at the bike for a few mins. The line on the axle wasn't lined up, so I lined it up, but the noise is still there. With the front end on a stand, there is quite a bit of brake noise. Is that normal?

 

really sounds like the bearings are shot. i had the same noise and it was the bearings. Are they defo ok? Did you check for free-play in the front wheel?

 

yeah, i rechecked again for free-play today and there is zero.

The new bearings didn't change the noise at all.... I dunno. I'm beginning to think i'm going to have to bite the bullet and bring the bike to the dealer.....

 

I once had a small piece of gravel get stuck between the rotor and the caliper on my SV. It wasn't big enough to damage the rotor, but it made the same kind of grinding noise you describe. But I think you would have found something like that during the wheel and pad removal/replacement.

 

i was thinking the exact same thing Lgn001, but I took both the calipers off today to double check - nothing there. I also pushed all 6 pistons back in to see if any were binding - they moved well. Pads are worn evenly (hardly any wear)

 

is it normal that the pads make noise against the discs? They aren't impeeding the wheel from turning in anyway.

 

Have you tried turning the front wheel with the calipers removed, or at least with the pads pushed back from the rotors? That would at least tell you if it was brakes or bearings.

It is normal for a little bit of noise to come from the pads/rotors. Disc brakes never really lose contact between the rotor and pad surfaces, typically.

 

I have tried that. I'd love to find a way to drive with the front calipers off, but there's no way I can do it as i'm in the city....

 

Not quite what I meant... I meant raise the front end, turn the wheel with things "as-is" to see if you can hear the noise, or at least put a hand on the fork slider to see if you can "feel" the noise. Then remove the calipers and spin the wheel again to see if it changes.

 

i will try that in the next few days - bike is sleeping at a friend's house in the meantime.

 

so I took the calipers back off to spin the wheel, so noise. I figured I probably wasn't spinning fast enough, so I tried using a wheel on an electric drill, but that didn't really work.

I realigned the forks - no change.

I ended up taking the bike to a local dealer. They diagnosed that I put the bearings in too tight against the sleeve that is between the bearings in the wheel. I'm not sure if that's the case, but I gave them the ok to replace the bearings again. I suppose they have to start somewhere...

 

like I said...I'm 99% sure its the bearings. I had the same noise and mine were a mess!! Bet you your bike its the bearings :biggrin: lets see what your dealer does.

 

I agree, sorta The problem is that the noise didn't change when I changed the bearings... I'm thinking the noise is coming from somewhere else.