A couple of weeks ago I noticed light squeaking in what seemed like the front wheel that happened only occasionally (perhaps one out of 10 times I rode) and you could only hear it at a very low speed (<10mph). Everytime I would get home it would be gone though and now it started happening more frequently. Yesterday finally caught it when got home and put the bike on stands and after inspection I am 95% sure it's the brakes. Pushing brake pads apart from the wheel completely eliminates the noise the bearing looks as tight as it can be without any play. The wheel rotates freely and silently. Checked the rotors too, although I don't have the best setup to do that but they actually seem to be well within the specs (bike only has 8K miles on it so I'd be surprised if rotors were bad).

When pads are next to the rotor (brakes not applied) a good spin of the wheel only allows for 1-1.5 full rotations any idea if this is normal? Not sure what that should be. I also tried riding for a bit without using front brakes at all and the rotors seem to be cold to the touch right after, so my guess is that they aren't binding too hard but the brakepads are glazed and hence the squealing (it started when the weather got colder too, perhaps has something to do with that too, no idea). Also, brakes feel fine, they are firm, no pulsation or anything like that just the annoying squeaking once in awhile.

It's 2008 zx14 and I got it about a year ago with just over 2k miles on it. My guess is that given the age, even relatively small amount of residue can probably cake up and make pistons somewhat stuck (it doesn't look like any of them are stuck completely though). Given that it was minimally used I doubt that anyone bothered to ever open up the calipers. So, I am thinking about taking the calipers apart completely including the pistons, clean everything and maybe replace the rubber seals inside, pins (they look a bit worn and one looks stripped) and some bolts since some of them look stripped / almost stripped. And since I'd be committing some time/money to it, just replace the old brake pads (they still have probably about 50% life left in them, but figured I might as well and then I won't have to worry about brakes for a year or so until the next time for brake fluid change comes around).

Another question is - am I overdoing it? Is there a simple fix for that or any adjustments that I am not thinking about?

Oh yeah, I apologize for the wall of text...

* Last updated by: Fuzz on 10/21/2015 @ 2:41 PM *

When pads are next to the rotor (brakes not applied) a good spin of the wheel only allows for 1-1.5 full rotations any idea if this is normal?

That sounds normal to me. This topic has come up before and the front doesn't spin as freely as you might think. I will check my CZ front rim spin for you shortly..stay tuned.

the squealing (it started when the weather got colder

My Gen1 sometimes exhibits and intermitrnt squeak rolling the bike in the garage. when the weather is cold it's almost definitely going to happen. Did so since new.

It's 2008 zx14 and I got it about a year ago with just over 2k miles on it.

Mine too. 45,000 miles now. Second set of pads and second rotors. OEM rotors were just fine when I changed rims to CZ.

Another question is - am I overdoing it? Is there a simple fix for that or any adjustments that I am not thinking about?

Well, yeah, I would say so but it never hurts to get to know your bike. I sort of doubt you will solve the problem by cleaning but might as well have at 'er maybe in a few thousand miles. 2000 miles?? Nothing wrong with those brakes.

Others have reported the same sort of thing. Intermitent sqeal while pushing the bike. Low speed constant squeal under light braking is also normal. You ca fix that with aftermarket pads until they wear down a bit.

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Sometimes a brake squeak can be caused by the pads vibrating against the rotor. Some people use a touch of silicone on the backs of the pads to dampen them.

Mad

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Do a couple of hard stops and they'll quiet down for awhile.

Mine get noisy when I stop easy with the wife on the back.

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Fuzz, I spinned my front wheel last night for ya. It is a Carrazzeria rim with the bearings that came with that wheel. Like yours, It spins ~1.5 turns. I think I got it to go around twice if I grabbed it and spun as hard as I could. From what I recall of my Gen1 OEM front wheel, this is normal.

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It's a "might as well thing" but that's sort of the point of the 10 minute bearings ("hey i got a video the bearings spin for 10 minutes). Sure, they have slightly less drag. When it comes to it though it's a pointless mod as soon as the pads are seated against the disk it's all the same.

Changed my front wheel past weekend and noticed same thing on my 08. When reinstalling the wheel, I did not to over torque the big allen bolts (the pic includes the tool I made from an old spark plug socket). Then tightened the rest of the bolts and wheel spins like greased lightening. I have not checked how it spins now that it has been on for a week.
Also, I am running one caliper brake setup that can make fine tuning brake alignment easier. This always comes up so I'll answer ahead of time. Had single front caliper for 4 years now and can lock up the front, just requires more force. Also I dont carry passengers and my bike has been lightened.

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Each time I change brake pads, I clean the calipers thoroughly and apply a smear of blue brake grease to the backs of the pads, the edges of the pistons and the slider pins. No noises ever. if everything is assembled dry, there may be some squeaking, groaning or other obnoxious noises from time to time.

There is no return mechanism for hydraulic disc brakes, only lessening of pressure when you let off. The pads continually "kiss" the rotors until the next application and if anything, such as a warped rotor, knocks them back to the point where they're not touching, it could take a pump or two to return to decent braking.

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"When it comes to it though it's a pointless mod as soon as the pads are seated against the disk it's all the same"...this mod is NOT for changing braking characteristics.

This mod is for less wheel friction while moving forward.Which Ceramic Bearings DEFINITELY help reduce.It's not a pointless mod....but to each his own(opinion).

"Sure, they have slightly less drag"...LOL.10 minute spin time compared to 1 minute spin time?Okay....I guess that would be 'slightly less' then...

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 10/22/2015 @ 8:10 PM *

Wow, thanks for all the responses. You guys saved me a few bucks and most importantly some time :) I guess I'll just wait a few months until the next brake fluid change and then will take everything apart, clean and replace pads, etc.

Thanks again.

Grn, brother, you're words speak for themselves!

I was just curious how bearings got lumped into a brake topicLOL!I don't think the drag guys would agree that Ceramic Bearings are a pointless mod...?Or the GP guys...or...

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 10/24/2015 @ 12:57 PM *

...or the LSR riders

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Grn I bet you sure can feel the difference can't you!

Look, if you're going to buy bearings for $20-30 you might as well buy the 10 minute bearings. As far as actually making any performance difference? As soon as the brake pads are seated it's going to reduce the factor of the bearings by 50. After installing the wheel, and seating the brake pads are in constant contact withe brake disk. This increases the nominal drag probably 100 times or more... so the bearings aren't really doing anything more at that point. Maybe there are other benefits.

So Brock did some testing with his Grom. He gained .2 hp went from around 10.4 to 10.6. In his real world test, his Grom topped out at 63 with his ceramic bearings and 62 with (I assume) OEM bearings. So his Grom experienced around a 2% power increase throughout the curve.

So let's apply this to your 190 hp ZX14R (just using the generally accepted stock hp...increased power will not help this). And lets say that the OE bearings in your 14R are twice as shitty as the Grom's OEM bearings. So the ceramics double the hp gain seen by the Grom, .4 hp. So you go from 190 to 190.4. The increase in power is .2%. Not 2%... 2/10ths of a percent.

"Grn I bet you sure can feel the difference can't you!"...IDK.

Ceramic bearings are not 20-30 dollars...I can tell ya that.

This mod isn't something you 'feel' anyway.Kinda like...87 octane as opposed to 90+.

Speaking of fuel...I DO think the ceramic bearings affect fuel mileage.Less resistance=less fuel used.How much?I've no idea.But it makes perfect sense.

And the brake pad 'rubbing' on the discs.Next ride...go a few miles.Coast to a stop.Park.Touch your discs.That should show you just how much force is being applied with a non-activated brake caliper.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 10/24/2015 @ 4:35 PM *

Fair enough on the price... there are steel bearings out there that are "10 minute" bearings. So yeah, fair enough if you need your Grom to hit 63 mph vs. 62 mph Brock's kit is $250. Frankly I think you could accomplish the same thing with a sprocket change for I'd guess around $50... but that's just me.

Here's my point overall. For a world class racing team, yes, that .2 or .4 gain from parasitic loss matters and if they have to spend $10,000 to gain 1 hp they'll probably do it. For anyone that post on this site... completely pointless mod other than feeling good about having ceramic bearings. Low practical value, high emotional value. Fine by me.

So you're saving gas. I'll just go with Brock's kit price for a zx12 (don't see one for a 14) @ $395. A gallon of premium is around $3.29. For $395 worth of fuel at 35.2 mpg instead of 35 mpg, instead of riding 4202 miles you'd have ridden 4226 miles, an increase of 24 miles. So at the rate of about 1 gallon for every time you've spent the amount of bearings on fuel it would take a multiple of 120 ($395/$3.29 gallon) to do this!

I'd say most of my mods don't amount to a whole lot in making me faster but modding is still a big part of enjoying the bike. if it feels a little different, it changes the experience of riding and it's worth it. JMHO

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Breaks advice needed

My advice is to use your brakes if you need to slow down.

If you take a turn too fast you could possibly break one or more of your bones.

Ouchies!

* Last updated by: hagrid on 10/26/2015 @ 6:50 PM *

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I'd say most of my mods don't amount to a whole lot in making me faster but modding is still a big part of enjoying the bike. if it feels a little different, it changes the experience of riding and it's worth it. JMHO

Whoa? You mean your plastidipped hoses don't make it faster? WTF bro?

"don't amount to a whole lot in making me faster"

"You mean your plastidipped hoses don't make it faster?"

Please reread the comment.

I haven't dynoed it but I'd swear the plasti dipped hoses give it an extra 3 hp!

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Grn I bet you'd be a blast to sit around and drink a beer with. Probably good at telling jokes and humorous stories.

So here goes nothing. My point was that Rook's plastidipped hoses accomplished their tasks. So why not have the same expectations out of "performance" mods? What if Rook would've just bought OEM hoses and put them on and called them a mod (since they didn't need replaced)? You'd be like "ummmmm Rook...those are just factory hoses" and he might be like "yeah... so what?" and you'd be like "well...you really can't call that a mod" and he'd be like "yeah but they didn't come with the bike"... and so on and so on.

So if someone wants to decorate their bike with ceramic bearings, awesome. Hey, grats they have ceramic bearings. Did it make the bike faster? No. But they have ceramic bearings, which in and of itself is pretty cool.

"So if someone wants to decorate their bike with ceramic bearings, awesome. Hey, grats they have ceramic bearings. Did it make the bike faster? No."...if they didn't actually up the performance...I doubt ANY of the race guys would even bother.Make sense?It doesn't need to be heartstopping in a performance gain.It only needs to be a part of the overall goal of 'better performance'.Ultimately,the rider is the one who wrings out the possibilities of performance.If he rides the same with the 'mods' as he did without em...that's what he's gonna get.Not the mod's fault.They may be very good.

Good points Grn. There's a lot of dynamics involved with racing and why they use certain parts. If I was a world class rider competing for million dollar purses do you think I'd spend $400 on ceramic bearings? You bet your ass I would!

If I was a world class rider I wouldn't be spending money on anything. Sponsors would be giving me ceramic bearings and super light wheels and all kinds of other really cool stuff that make a bike perform better than I could ever dream of using.
12k and gonna do some service this winter on my bike. Rotors feel good but the pads are measuring a little thin. Squealing brakes I think are typically going to be worn/glazed pads. As they wear they also heat cycle getting harder meaning less friction. As you use the brakes they heat up and get softer/less squeal. Even if you haven't worn out your brakes they could be hardened and need to be replaced.
Going to change plugs too cause I don't want to see little balls like Hagrid found on Rooks plugs. Definitely want to look at some suspension adjustment this next year too.