While riding whenever I squeeze the front brake the bike vibrates. It’s not a violet vibration but I can feel it through the forks. Bike is a 2017 with 31,000 miles. Had it since new.

Any ideas about what I should check? I plan to change the front brake pads but from what I can tell they look pretty good.

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Very common with the ZX14 and ZX14R..
The rotors warp but can generally be machined.
I use Truedisc and have for years.
Their turnaround time is generally 24 to 48 hours.
Hank
https://truedisk.net/

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It could be an issue with the rotors themselves but before you send em in to be resurfaced, try taking a stab at cleaning out the buttons that hold the carrier and the rotor together. I don't know exactly what they're called but I've heard "buttons" and "bobbins" used most often. There are a number of videos out there on cleaning methods. I've been working on the same issue with the front rotors on my 06 ZX-14 and I believe that the ZX-14R rotors are the same style as the ZX-14.

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Check your front brake pads. I had a "pulsing" sensation when I applied my front brakes. I bleed my brakes at 27,000 miles. That did not help, then I removed the pads. The right side (looking forward) the lowest pad was almost completely worn to metal. I installed new pads and the "pulsing" quit.

bklewis735,

While riding whenever I squeeze the front brake the bike vibrates. It’s not a violet vibration but I can feel it through the forks. Bike is a 2017 with 31,000 miles. Had it since new.

Any ideas about what I should check? I plan to change the front brake pads but from what I can tell they look pretty good.

Did you get the vibration sorted out?
------------------

Kozuki,

I don't know exactly what they're called but I've heard "buttons" and "bobbins" used most often. There are a number of videos out there on cleaning methods.

You 'worked' on yours, what was your issue, and how did you
remedy? Were dirty bobbins your issue?
Here's a Concours video, you've probably seen it, I didn't bother
looking at any of the others, cause I think this one is really
well done, and thorough;
Cleaning rotor bobbins & clearing rotor 'vents'
--------------

Double D,

The right side (looking forward) the lowest pad was almost completely worn to metal. I installed new pads and the "pulsing" quit.

Interesting that yours wore a lot more on the right side,
I have almost 10k on my 2013, so it may be a while before
I chang pads, but will make a note of how mine wear.
I'll assume when you say the 'lowest pad' , you're talking
about the lower half of the pad (?).

Here's a Concours video, you've probably seen it, I didn't bother
looking at any of the others, cause I think this one is really
well done, and thorough;
Cleaning rotor bobbins & clearing rotor 'vents'

If you don't have floating or semi-floating rotors, the bobbins aren't meant to move. I'm all for every part being as clean as possible but if it's not removable and not meant to move, moving it would seem to cause wear that would never have happened if you never moved it. My Carrozzerias had floating rotors and the bobbins had snap rings for removal. The stock rims don't have this feature.

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If you don't have floating or semi-floating rotors, the bobbins aren't meant to move.

I had that exact thought, ''won't that cause wear on them'', I figured
they knew more than I.

I don't know if the Concourse has that 'floating' feature, doesn't
really look like it to me though.
Maybe cleaning out those heat-dissipation hoes is a good idea.
When I read the OP title here, I was thinking head bearings or wheel bearings,
but I guess at that lower mileage, that wouldn't be likely.
Good heads up, thanks.

* Last updated by: Stratovarious on 1/25/2026 @ 11:31 AM *

Well, I don't know for sure either! I havent heard of bobbin cleaning though, not on the ZX-14. I just had a look at my rotors and darned sure the bobbin is meant for the life of the rotor. If the Connie had floating rotors, you can be sure the ZX-14 would also. Actually, floating rotors make some noise and that's why they don't put them on /OEM, I'm sure. So maybe if you clean your bobbins like this guy, they will start to float a little and make more noise IDK, Strat. I'd look for more info on the positive effect of bobbin cleaning. The heat hole cleaning with the screw does look pretty cool.

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So maybe if you clean your bobbins like this guy, they will start to float a little and make more noise

Yep, I'd much rather hear my pipes than the bobbbins,
plus I'll bet that if a guy gets obsessed with spinning
them around to clean them, he winds' up with much
bigger (wobble) issues.

* Last updated by: Stratovarious on 1/26/2026 @ 3:43 AM *

I would think so. ...but new rotors always come with a new mounting plate and new bobbins. I never had a problem with brakes on the 14. The worst thing I can say is they squealed under light braking at low speed. The EBC HH brke pads I got cured that. BTW, I hear EBC now has a pad that actually improves braking. I'd like to try them if I can wear a set of pads out in the next ten years. LOL 500 miles per bike per year. Stuff lasts a long time.

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I would think so. ...but new rotors always come with a new mounting plate and new bobbins. I never had a problem with brakes on the 14. The worst thing I can say is they squealed under light braking at low speed. The EBC HH brke pads I got cured that. BTW, I hear EBC now has a pad that actually improves braking. I'd like to try them if I can wear a set of pads out in the next ten years. LOL 500 miles per bike per year. Stuff lasts a long time.

What is your take on oem vs EBC, and sintered vs ceramic in stopping
and brake fade if , fade is an issue.
I have EBC HH SAVED, ebay, $165. I couldn't find them on amazon,
amazon returns mainly, sub $40 sets, front and rear, are those a disaster
waiting to happen?
I read the EBC HH pads description, and it looks like the HH
designates ''Highest Friction'' I'm guessing that all of their
pads are HH. (?)
----
I think you may have mentioned trying braided lines vs regular
earlier, and if I remember correctly you hadn't really noticed
much of a difference, maybe that was just for the back brake though.
-----
Is the front brake strong enough to do stoppies?
I'm not about to try it, but just wondering, would it do stopppies
like we see on MotoGp bikes or similar?

I can only say EBC HH IS the sameas stock in braking feel and power. I would take sixpack's advice on ceramic. I'd try them. EBC XP. I'm Mythos there BTW.

https://www.hayabusa.org/forum/threads/galfer-wave-rotors.208626/page-3#post-3552037

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sub $40 sets, front and rear, are those a disaster
waiting to happen?

Substitute forty dollar brake pads? Yes, probably. I've heard of cheap brake pad composition sepparating fromt the metal plate in short order. I wouldn't go cheap on anything brake related.

I read the EBC HH pads description, and it looks like the HH
designates ''Highest Friction'' I'm guessing that all of their
pads are HH. (?)

IDK. The HH sintered I got fifteen years ago performed like stock.

I think you may have mentioned trying braided lines vs regular
earlier, and if I remember correctly you hadn't really noticed
much of a difference, maybe that was just for the back brake though.

No it was front and back and clutch, kevlar on the 14 and SS Galfers on the Hayabusa. Neither made a difference I could feel. Maybe if you use the brakes hard enough to get the fluid hot. In ordinary street riding and sport riding on the road, the stock lines are just as good as aftermarket. Aftermarket should last a lot longer though. Kevlar is a weight loss.

Is the front brake strong enough to do stoppies?
I'm not about to try it, but just wondering, would it do stopppies
like we see on MotoGp bikes or similar?

I would say yes. ...if you actually try to make the bike do a stoppy like you have to try to make it wheelie. I sat in the normal riding position and locked the front brake at about 60 mph and it didn't do a stoppie. I locked the front on the Hayabusa and it didn't do a stoppie either. The rear wheel will lift off the ground a bit or just skim the surface but it doesn't lift up way off the ground. I think it could if you sat up real tall. Never tried it. I did wheelies on the Gen1 ZX-14 a lot and I had to really try for the most part. I had an accidental wheelie but that was mechanical failure and the bike screamed to redline. It lifted off a lot higher than I am comfortable with. Normal riding though, even kind of aggressive, I think you have to try to make the 14's wheels lift off the road. I haven't flogged the Gen2 yet though.

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I can only say EBC HH IS the sameas stock in braking feel and power. I would take sixpack's advice on ceramic. I'd try them. EBC XP. I'm Mythos there BTW.

https://www.hayabusa.org/forum/threads/galfer-wave-rotors.208626/page-3#post-3552037

Thanks.
EBC is a brand name and HH is some manor of industry standard?
I'm not having luck finding HH EP (CERAMIC) , I did find HH Extreme-Pro
on ebay but they say 'sintered'.

No it was front and back and clutch

? 'clutch'

I would say yes. ...if you actually try to make the bike do a stoppy like you have to try to make it wheelie. I sat in the normal riding position and locked the front brake at about 60 mph and it didn't do a stoppie. I locked the front on the Hayabusa and it didn't do a stoppie either. The rear wheel will lift off the ground a bit or just skim the surface but it doesn't lift up way off the ground. I think it could if you sat up real tall. Never tried it. I did wheelies on the Gen1 ZX-14 a lot and I had to really try for the most part. I had an accidental wheelie but that was mechanical failure and the bike screamed to redline. It lifted off a lot higher than I am comfortable with. Normal riding though, even kind of aggressive, I think you have to try to make the 14's wheels lift off the road. I haven't flogged the Gen2 yet though.

Right, that explains it well.

EBC is a brand name and HH is some manor of industry standard?

EBC is the company. I believe HH is just the name of that product but they make other stuff too. My clutch basket holding tool is from EBC.

I'm not having luck finding HH EP (CERAMIC) , I did find HH Extreme-Pro
on ebay but they say 'sintered'.

Extreme Pro was the one sixpack referred to but he called it EP too. From Google: AI Overview
Sintering is a manufacturing process that compacts and transforms metal, ceramic, or plastic powders into solid, high-strength components by heating them below their melting point. The purpose is to create complex, precise, and durable shapes with high dimensional accuracy, often used in automotive, industrial, and specialized applications.

If you ask me, ceramic is always sintered otherwise it's just dried clay. You fire the clay in a kiln and it becomes ceramic. I'd do some digging to be sure the XPs are ceramic before buying but ceramic is always sintered. IDK, do they crush ceramic to make it more granular and then sinter it again to fuse it together?

? 'clutch'

Yes, the clutch hose and steel tube on the LH side were replaced with a kevlar line on the ZX-14 and an SS line on the Hayabusa.

https://www.sportbiketrackgear.com/spiegler-kawasaki-zx14r-06-11-clutch-line-kit-orig/?sku=S%7CSP%20S-KA0297-BLK-BLK%7C0&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22987243409&gbraid=0AAAAAD6CWPs-aS3yyPZ-_SErQtNm876ro&gclid=Cj0KCQiAhOfLBhCCARIsAJPiopPaDzVjHM0QEpVjC_6wWFUcV-GR4zpxl3KGRLVzQt4v8EDxPLsXolAaAp1pEALw_wcB

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If you're serious about buying, post a link I can copy and I'll ask sixpack if those are the good EBC brake pads. He's on the org daily.

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I have EBC HH on my bike. good pads. they are known to be aggressive and long-lasting. They will wear down your rotors a little faster than softer pads. I have vibration when I hit the brakes on my bike. Only thing it could be (for my situation) is warped rotors. Happened out of nowhere. Never had an issue and then one day I hit the brakes and it felt like my wheels were ovals

Sintering is a manufacturing process that compacts and transforms metal, ceramic, or plastic powders into solid, high-strength components by heating them below their melting point. The purpose is to create complex, precise, and durable shapes with high dimensional accuracy, often used in automotive, industrial, and specialized applications.

Ok, I see, I didn't know what 'sintered' meant,
I thought it was different than ceramic, so it's
actually better in some ways than a bar of clay or
whatever material is used.

IDK, do they crush ceramic to make it more granular and then sinter it again to fuse it together?

Good question. Could be , or maybe they 'striate' first, kiln it , then
fuse it all together, I just looked up the term sintered, and see that
is uses heat to fuse materials together, but not hot enough to melt the body of the
product,
which seems to make sense, it would just be back to clay or
a ceramic blob if heated to full melting point, and just be
as you say a bar of clay, or ceramic I suppose.

If you're serious about buying, post a link I can copy and I'll ask sixpack if those are the good EBC brake pads. He's on the org daily.

I don't know if I'll ever buy them, I've got a lot left on
my pads.

I have vibration when I hit the brakes on my bike. Only thing it could be (for my situation) is warped rotors. Happened out of nowhere. Never had an issue and then one day I hit the brakes and it felt like my wheels were ovals

I wonder if they're so good that they can overheat
stock rotors...
I'm always a bit nervous about warping rotors
when riding, I rotate front and back a little bit
when doing routine stops, in an attempt to
spread the heat around. I also try remember to warm up the
rotors a little when it's cold out, before
hitting that first stop, though I doubt it
really does any good, they're made for all temps.

I have vibration when I hit the brakes on my bike. Only thing it could be (for my situation) is warped rotors. Happened out of nowhere. Never had an issue and then one day I hit the brakes and it felt like my wheels were ovals

I wonder if they're so good that they can overheat
stock rotors...
I'm always a bit nervous about warping rotors
when riding, I rotate front and back a little bit
when doing routine stops, in an attempt to
spread the heat around. I also try remember to warm up the
rotors a little when it's cold out, before
hitting that first stop, though I doubt it
really does any good, they're made for all temps.

Ok, I see, I didn't know what 'sintered' meant,
I thought it was different than ceramic, so it's
actually better in some ways than a bar of clay or
whatever material is used.

I guess. I didn't know what sintered meant either until I looked it up just a day ago. SO if sintered means it was heated to high temp until the composition particles fuse, that's what clay does to become ceramic. To tell you the truth, if were manufacturing brake pads, clay would be the first thing I would consider using as composition. What else do we have other than clay? We have gypsum. You could make brake pad composition out of concrete. That would be a much cheaper process. I've heard of cheap brake pads disintegrating and it might be because they were a substance that hardens by a chemical process instead of fusing.

Who knows Strat, "ceramic" might be a term of the brake pad industry that isn't exactly what I understand ceramic to be in the general sense. I know art and ceramic is clay which is a unique earth because of it's property of being composed of flat micro-plates that allow it to be rolled and stretched and still retain structural integrity. Heat it to high temperature and it forms a continuous solid.

As far as sintered brake pads go, the other option I'm aware of is organic. Don't get organic brake pads. Ol' Greenie tried them from a reputable manufacturer and they melted. They were probably made out of oxidized vegetable oil. Greenie is Grn14 who was a long time member. I believe he is dead now.

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Who knows Strat, "ceramic" might be a term of the brake pad industry that isn't exactly what I understand ceramic to be in the general sense. I know art and ceramic is clay which is a unique earth because of it's property of being composed of flat micro-plates that allow it to be rolled and stretched and still retain structural integrity. Heat it to high temperature and it forms a continuous solid.

I looked into Sintered vs Non Sintered a couple of years ago, I don't recall
anyone talking about the composition of them, just that one is better than
the other for cooling and one better for stopping, etc.

As far as sintered brake pads go, the other option I'm aware of is organic. Don't get organic brake pads. Ol' Greenie tried them from a reputable manufacturer and they melted. They were probably made out of oxidized vegetable oil. Greenie is Grn14 who was a long time member. I believe he is dead now.

Shame that Grn14 is probably gone, cool that he'd tried 'organic' and reported back
on them.
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I'm seeing that Walmart of all place has OEM fronts for $87,
(third party sales)that sounds pretty good,
they may not be the absolute best, but there's no
guess work at least, I know they'll work when the time comes.
They probably sell the rear pads as well.
----
Then there's also the comment of rotors wearing out early when
using a certain brand/model that someone posted,
I'd prefer not to have to deal with that.

I'm seeing that Walmart of all place has OEM fronts for $87,
(third party sales)that sounds pretty good,
they may not be the absolute best, but there's no
guess work at least, I know they'll work when the time comes.
They probably sell the rear pads as well.

I always looked at it as an opportunity to try something different. If the aftermarket pads wear the rotors out, you get to try aftermarket rotors.

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I always looked at it as an opportunity to try something different. If the aftermarket pads wear the rotors out, you get to try aftermarket rotors.

Good point.