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2nd of 2 things - front clunk


sbeec

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So here's the subject - 2018 RT with 6000 miles.  I've had it for about 3 months.  All scheduled maintenance has been done by the BMW dealer.

 

When I roll the bike while walking and stab the front brake, I hear a distinctive "clunk".  Same sound as if steering head bearing were loose or if there is a worn bushing

 

I've never had a tele-lever front end before, is this a normal sound?  

Or is it maybe the brake pad sliding a little in the calipers?

 

Rich

 

 

 

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The front brake rotors are floating.    If the little silencing springs are lost or have gone bad (no big deal) then you might get the sound you are hearing.  Test by attempting to rattle the rotors by hand.  If you can make either rattle, you found the source of your noise and can forget about it until it is time to replace the rotors.  

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2 hours ago, Carlisja said:

The front brake rotors are floating.    If the little silencing springs are lost or have gone bad (no big deal) then you might get the sound you are hearing.  Test by attempting to rattle the rotors by hand.  If you can make either rattle, you found the source of your noise and can forget about it until it is time to replace the rotors.  

Yes, the front rotors are floating, but the rotors on the WetHead are referred to as "Rivet Rotors" which means that the attachment bushing that allows for limited movement of the rotor on the rim is permanently attached to the rotor.  They are an integral part of the rotor and there are no replaceable components.

You can move the rotors slightly by hand, but only slightly, not so much as to allow them to "rattle".  

 

During a pre-ride check if I've been on roads with sand/dusty conditions and have been following someone, I'll grasp each rotor and push/pull/rotate each rotor to crack/dislodge the small bits of sand that can and do get stuck in the floating "rivet", rotating the tire/rim to make sure the effort gets to all 5 of the attachment points on the rotor.

 

These rotors don't move much, but as an aside, when I am about to balance a newly mounted tire on the front rim, I make sure the rotors are free to move their limited amount, then I bounce the new tire/rim from about 6 inches to force the rotors to 1 location, the bottom of the bounce.  At that point, I try to slide the rotors 1/2 the way back from the low side of the bounce so that the weight of both rotors does not cause incorrect weights to be added.  Try this out sometime and you will be surprised how much difference it will make if you force the rotors to one side with a bounce, balance the tire/rim temporarily, then bounce the tire/rim 180 deg out and rebalance.

 

James is right about being able to get the rotors to "click" with the front brake while rolling the bike around, but I wanted to ensure that folks don't start looking for separate parts on the front rim where the rotors attach.  Yes, older rotors such as on the HexHead have "wavy springs" that were separate pieces of assembly on the rotor, but not with the WetHead.

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My experience. Mine rattled too. Turned out it was the front fender. Even though the screws were tight you could reproduce the sound by hand shaking it. I made sure the dealer assembly had the right screws and it did. I bought some small rubber washers and put them over the screws. Tighten it down and my rattle was gone. No brake rattle that I’ve noticed

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  • 2 weeks later...

UPDATE -  BoxFlyer is right - dealer reviewed my "click" and no defect was found.  And....the same "click" is found on showroom bikes.

 

I'm building my "base" knowledge (or what to expect) of this platform/model as many of us would do for a new bike to our garage.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On ‎12‎/‎13‎/‎2020 at 11:11 AM, TEWKS said:

Not sure if you’re aware but Boxflyer has a YouTube channel with enough info on the wethead RT to keep you busy for a while. :thumbsup:

I am subscribed - great resource.

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