640 ADV - New To Me - Brake Noise

[G.Kennedy]

I recently picked up an 02 640 Adventure R from afgarcia on this list. Great guy to deal with, I love the bike. Its was ridden pretty hard and shows some battle scars, but he did impecable maintanance on it.

Here is my question.. The front brake Huuuuummmsssss. It did not do it at first. I picked it up in Morro Bay and rode it to LA. After a few days of tooling around town ( and a good wash) it started up. I know the caliper is full floating. Does that pin in there need grease? This is more than squeal of surface rust, it is a hum that makes other drivers look around.

Here is a quick photo:



I am sure I will have plenty of more questions as I become more familar with my new-to-me Orange Crusher. I am planning on swithching out the main shaft bearing on my first oil change. Thanks for your input on the brakes.

[Drif10]

He probably rode it more offroad. Mine hums and groans like a sunuvabitch if I road ride, then goes away once I get some mud on it. RPITA.

4 different pad choices, still there. Dunno the solution except to get a different model rotor. Wanna try the new wave rotor for the supermoto, as it is the only one available in 320mm. All KTM's run 300 on the front, cept the AdvR.

[ncfitton]

my 02 had a nasty groan on the road with hard braking. probably the choice of pads. i never changed out from the factory pads.

[creeper]

I replaced the stock pads on my '03 with EBCs in the hope that two-tone, front-rear, howl-sqeal would go away... the responded exactly like the OEM pads.
If I apply the brakes hard, from speed... there is no noise and as long as the brakes are good and warmed up, there continues to be no noise.
It's only when the pads/rotors are cold and brakes are applied lightly at a slow stop that they sing their song.

Creeper

[Velocibiker]

Originally Posted by creeper

I replaced the stock pads on my '03 with EBCs in the hope that two-tone, front-rear, howl-sqeal would go away... the responded exactly like the OEM pads.
If I apply the brakes hard, from speed... there is no noise and as long as the brakes are good and warmed up, there continues to be no noise.
It's only when the pads/rotors are cold and brakes are applied lightly at a slow stop that they sing their song.

Creeper

Mine acts the exact same as Creeps. You'll learn real quick where the "hum zone" is and simply avoid it.

Ya might want to check over on KTMTalk.com too. Tons of good info on Orange there. Maybe even a solution.

[inte]

Hit a tree - it quiets them down.

... or not.


My 640 makes a LOT of noise when I brake on road. Rolling to a stop, if I use a lot (90%+) of front brake it starts to howl pretty quick. If I use a lot of rear, same thing. Modulating between both front & rear brakes greatly lessens or eliminates the noise altogether. It actually does the same thing on dry dirt roads/trails, just not quite as much when speeds are lower.

[G.Kennedy]

OK ... you guys are explaining it exactly... Hum zone... if I modulate just right I can almost eliminate it ... except for slowly rolling to a stop. HHUUUMMMM. OK what ever I don't care .. as long as it is not doing damage. Love the bike.

I have this bike and an r1100gs. I am planing a trip to Tierra del Fuego. I have always been planning on taking the Beemer, but am going to get familiar with the KTM over the next six months and then decide which one to take.

Both bikes have there pluses and minuses. Carburation, fuel capacity, wheel sizes, no Cat, lighter weight and simplicity favor the KTM. That said my BMW has 55,000 on it and NEVER has left me road side. Tough choice.

[inte]

Tough choice - the 640 is amazing & having all that range on a thumper makes it very appealing - especially in Baja.

Main hinderance for the thumper would be the vibes ... if it bugs you. How many miles/day do you want to do on your trip? Road/dirt?

Debate rages over the 640 vibes. I don't have bar weights or anything like that - just stock. I've done 300+ mile days without any problem, but that's dirt/pavement mix. I just got back from the Big Cat ride & did a couple days of decent-length pavement burn & my throttle hand/wrist was a little buzzy afterward. If you have a free weekend maybe try a couple long pavement loops back to back (Sat/Sun) & see what you think.

I see you're in LA, once I get my 640 back together let me know if you want to do a long day loop. One loop was 362 miles from Orange County to the Mexican border & back via dirt/pavement (2 640's on this ride!)

[G.Kennedy]

Originally Posted by inte

I see you're in LA, once I get my 640 back together let me know if you want to do a long day loop.

I would love to. One of the reasons I got the 640 was to improve my dirt skills. I know a smaller lighter bike would speed up the learning curve, but I only can have so many toys. I never have done too much dirt riding and hope to improve my road skills by spending time in the dirt.

[Buckster]

What type of caliper is on the single front disc model?

[BlitzBike]

H&H KTM sells a "copper something-or-other compound" that you wipe on the break pad and it eliminates the brake hummmmmmmmm. It was on their website list of rider tips. I figure I probably get less people cutting me off and merging into me after a stop light since I "signal" my presence when I hummm up to the light.

[BlitzBike]

"Motorex Copper Compound"----- prevents break squeling

[inte]

Originally Posted by G.Kennedy

I would love to. One of the reasons I got the 640 was to improve my dirt skills. I know a smaller lighter bike would speed up the learning curve, but I only can have so many toys. I never have done too much dirt riding and hope to improve my road skills by spending time in the dirt.

I'll be right there ... I just got my first bike ever in December of 2002 - KTM LC4 620. A friend on his CR 250 took me on my first ride -

my first ride was a nice intro to the world of motorcycles & off-road all in one fell-swoop:



There's a LOT of riding in Orange/Riverside counties that ideal for the big dualsports! The 640 is great because of the massive range & it's relatively light. I am very surprised about how agile the 950 is off-road however. The power is great & it's very nimble - just a bit heavier to pick up.

Local rides, pick a loop (maps are near the end of most threads):

one (found some MXers in this one)
two
three (lot of pavement - on my old 620)
four

..plenty more where this came from.

[inte]

Originally Posted by Swampy

H&H KTM sells a "copper something-or-other compound" that you wipe on the break pad and it eliminates the brake hummmmmmmmm. It was on their website list of rider tips. I figure I probably get less people cutting me off and merging into me after a stop light since I "signal" my presence when I hummm up to the light.

yep.

[G.Kennedy]

Hey Inte what do you do for a living? I am a photoragpher, currently earning a living as a photo assistant. 90% of the assisting I do is location automotive work .. dealer brochures, ads, billboards. Industry is slow right now so I am looking to expand my photographer contacts. I went to Brooks and am very familiar with all formats and strobes blah blah blah. Any contacts would be great.

Sorry for the off topic post.