Lifan owners: Check your front brakes!

knothead · 07-31-2007, 11:34 PM

Just a heads up on the front brakes. I noticed than my front rotor is too small. I realize that sounds crazy, but I have pics to back it up!

If you notice the caliper fits the casting in the fork leg like it should, no big gaps or anything else to indicate that any of the mating surfaces are machined out of tolerance.

I marked a section of the rotor before riding.

After the ride. You can see that the inner 10mm or so of the rotor hasn't been touched.

Here are the pads. Towards the top you can see they are a lighter color where they do not contact the rotor.

What will happen is that since the total thickness of the pad material is greater than the thickness of the rotor, eventually the pads will contact and squeeze against each other instead of the rotor.. no more front brakes! If the pads weren't hanging over the rotor, I wouldn't worry about this. The rotor needs to be about 20mm bigger.
It might just be my bike, but I looked through the gallery and noticed that nearly every Lifan, Lifan clone and any bike with the same style rotor had the tell tale wear pattern on the front. A dull, unworn band on the inner section of the rotor.
CHECK YOUR FRONT BRAKES! No joke, it could be bad.
I've already contacted my dealer about my bike but I know many on here are on their own with something like this. With it being a safety issue I felt I really should get this out.

IronFist · 08-01-2007, 12:27 AM

I haven't checked my pads yet. Winters are long here and was hoping to look into brakes in Nov. How many Kilometers do you think you could have driven before the pads would have made contact? 8O

AZ200cc · 08-01-2007, 12:42 AM

Quick fix could be to file down the non worn section, Should get You going for a few more miles.....Intersting find Knot head..I'll check mine.

knothead · 08-01-2007, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by new2riding

I haven't checked my pads yet. Winters are long here and was hoping to look into brakes in Nov. How many Kilometers do you think you could have driven before the pads would have made contact? 8O

Don't really know, but the rotor isn't very thick. It's easy to check, just pull the two bolts that hold the caliper bracket to the fork tube, take the bolt out that holds the inside pad in place, slide the bracket back and take out the second pad... takes maybe 10 minuets. You cant really see where the pads overhang the rotor with the caliper still mounted.
Oh, the pads are keyed so they go back on with the same orientation they came off.

IronFist · 08-01-2007, 01:07 AM

Very cool knothead. 8) I've added it to my fix list. AZ200 thanks for the fix, at least you wouldn't have to walk to the bike store for brake pads. I hate walking to a cycle shop. :oops:

AZ200cc · 08-01-2007, 01:16 AM

No prob N2R, What's interesting is that nobody has had a front brake problem..At least not that I can find. And some folks have a lot of miles on these bikes. But it makes sense that they could touch...... :?

knothead · 08-01-2007, 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZ200cc

No prob N2R, What's interesting is that nobody has had a front brake problem..At least not that I can find. And some folks have a lot of miles on these bikes. But it makes sense that they could touch...... :?

I really think that you'd have to really rack up some mileage before a problem would manifest. But I'm sure that someone on here may be getting close.

IronFist · 08-01-2007, 01:50 AM

Yours could have eventually that's for sure. Now I'm curious about mine. Mine seems to have a lot of the quirks from all the different bikes. The only exception is my speedo (knock on wood) it's still working fine. My bike is like a motorcycle repair course, all parts included, but no text. 8O I like learning. The only time I ride my bike is to test it lately. I've dropped and raised the needle in too many shopping malls and coffee shops to count now. I actually go home to switch jets.

. I might be able to check the pads tomorrow, maybe not, but I'm gonna do it soon. I'll get to it before my trip.

ob1 · 08-01-2007, 07:58 AM

Another angle...

When the pads are worn out, there will be no brakes, regardless of how they contact the rotor. That said, having the overhanging lip could save the rotor from damage by contacting the steel parts behind the brake pucks.

I wouldnt necessarily call this quirk an emergency, since every rider should be religious about inspecting brakes regularly.

TheBrainII · 08-01-2007, 09:44 AM

I think when they do start to touch you will not lose all braking all together. What will happen is the pads will be pinched at an angle and will start to wear unevenly from that point on. Either way I donâ€™t like the looks of this because braking will still be degraded. I wonder why nobody else has noticed this. Could it only be on the 07's. They minght have a differnet setup. Iâ€™ll check mine tonight and see what they look like after a 1000mi.

When I was a kid I replaced the worn out front pads on my DR125 with leather. Just super glued on patchs of leather from a and old pair of boots. Oh the stupid things we would do to ride when we where kids. Worked great and lasted a long time if you can belive it.

IronFist · 08-01-2007, 11:28 AM

I can see the top of the disk and the pads without pulling my brakes. I have the same quirk, but as stated it would take a while before quirk becomes problem. I have about half the overhang that you do. Here is a new one, I don't think my disk is a perfect circle. I think the overhang rubs the top of the disk once everytime the wheel spins. I get weird noises, not just a squeel when backing up. I knew something wasn't 100%, thanks for the find bro.

N2r.

TheBrainII · 08-01-2007, 08:49 PM

Yup, same thing on mine.

knothead · 08-02-2007, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBrainII

I think when they do start to touch you will not lose all braking all together. What will happen is the pads will be pinched at an angle and will start to wear unevenly from that point on. Either way I donâ€™t like the looks of this because braking will still be degraded. I wonder why nobody else has noticed this. Could it only be on the 07's. They minght have a differnet setup. Iâ€™ll check mine tonight and see what they look like after a 1000mi.

When I was a kid I replaced the worn out front pads on my DR125 with leather. Just super glued on patchs of leather from a and old pair of boots. Oh the stupid things we would do to ride when we where kids. Worked great and lasted a long time if you can belive it.

While I really don't think the brake would just suddenly quit working, I have been the victim of brake failure on more than one occasion and I couldn't make a post about it and say that it's not that serious. I really want everyone to check their brakes and be aware of possible issues in the future. On my bike you have to know to look for it, I can look at the brake and the pads look fine, to see where the pads miss the rotor you have to push the fender and get at just the right angle. I noticed the odd wear pattern on the rotor, plus I had a squeal. I knew something was up, so I took the caliper off to inspect it.

The leather brake pads don't surprize me. I used to have some leather that was used to line the brakes on a truck my grandad used to own... the super glue I'm surprized held up though!

IronFist · 08-09-2007, 02:28 PM

knothead, I filed down the overhang on the pads, the spot that doesn't touch the disk. SWEET! SMOOTH. 8) braking. I think my disk is more of an oval than a circle, and that overhang was rubbing on the high spot on the disk once per revolution, even when not braking. I can now back my bike up without the brake squeeling like it did. 3200Km into my bike and the front wheel now feels correct.

thanks

knothead · 08-09-2007, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by new2riding

knothead, I filed down the overhang on the pads, the spot that doesn't touch the disk. SWEET! SMOOTH. 8) braking. I think my disk is more of an oval than a circle, and that overhang was rubbing on the high spot on the disk once per revolution, even when not braking. I can now back my bike up without the brake squeeling like it did. 3200Km into my bike and the front wheel now feels correct.

thanks

My brakes squeal the same as you described... I'll have to try filing my pads down to see if they quieten down any...

07-31-2007, 11:34 PM	#1
knothead Join Date: May 2007 Location: In the land of the busted up ricebowl Posts: 815	Lifan owners: Check your front brakes! Just a heads up on the front brakes. I noticed than my front rotor is too small. I realize that sounds crazy, but I have pics to back it up! If you notice the caliper fits the casting in the fork leg like it should, no big gaps or anything else to indicate that any of the mating surfaces are machined out of tolerance. I marked a section of the rotor before riding. After the ride. You can see that the inner 10mm or so of the rotor hasn't been touched. Here are the pads. Towards the top you can see they are a lighter color where they do not contact the rotor. What will happen is that since the total thickness of the pad material is greater than the thickness of the rotor, eventually the pads will contact and squeeze against each other instead of the rotor.. no more front brakes! If the pads weren't hanging over the rotor, I wouldn't worry about this. The rotor needs to be about 20mm bigger. It might just be my bike, but I looked through the gallery and noticed that nearly every Lifan, Lifan clone and any bike with the same style rotor had the tell tale wear pattern on the front. A dull, unworn band on the inner section of the rotor. CHECK YOUR FRONT BRAKES! No joke, it could be bad. I've already contacted my dealer about my bike but I know many on here are on their own with something like this. With it being a safety issue I felt I really should get this out.
	0

08-01-2007, 12:42 AM	#3
AZ200cc Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Show Low Arizona Posts: 2,889	Quick fix could be to file down the non worn section, Should get You going for a few more miles.....Intersting find Knot head..I'll check mine. __________________ <br />2001 Suzuki DR200SE<br />1997 Suzuki RM250 YIKES<br />1995 Yamaha Breeze 125 daughters<br />1991 Honda XR80r Restored<br />maybe a 2003 Yamaha TTR90
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08-01-2007, 01:16 AM	#6
AZ200cc Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Show Low Arizona Posts: 2,889	No prob N2R, What's interesting is that nobody has had a front brake problem..At least not that I can find. And some folks have a lot of miles on these bikes. But it makes sense that they could touch...... :? __________________ <br />2001 Suzuki DR200SE<br />1997 Suzuki RM250 YIKES<br />1995 Yamaha Breeze 125 daughters<br />1991 Honda XR80r Restored<br />maybe a 2003 Yamaha TTR90
	0

08-01-2007, 09:44 AM	#10
TheBrainII Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: PA Posts: 129	I think when they do start to touch you will not lose all braking all together. What will happen is the pads will be pinched at an angle and will start to wear unevenly from that point on. Either way I donâ€™t like the looks of this because braking will still be degraded. I wonder why nobody else has noticed this. Could it only be on the 07's. They minght have a differnet setup. Iâ€™ll check mine tonight and see what they look like after a 1000mi. When I was a kid I replaced the worn out front pads on my DR125 with leather. Just super glued on patchs of leather from a and old pair of boots. Oh the stupid things we would do to ride when we where kids. Worked great and lasted a long time if you can belive it. __________________ Bone stock 2007 Lifan GY-5
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08-01-2007, 08:49 PM	#12
TheBrainII Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: PA Posts: 129	Yup, same thing on mine. __________________ Bone stock 2007 Lifan GY-5
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08-01-2007, 12:27 AM	#2
IronFist Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Toronto Ontario Canada Posts: 2,585	I haven't checked my pads yet. Winters are long here and was hoping to look into brakes in Nov. How many Kilometers do you think you could have driven before the pads would have made contact? 8O
	0

08-01-2007, 01:07 AM	#5
IronFist Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Toronto Ontario Canada Posts: 2,585	Very cool knothead. 8) I've added it to my fix list. AZ200 thanks for the fix, at least you wouldn't have to walk to the bike store for brake pads. I hate walking to a cycle shop. :oops:
	0

08-01-2007, 01:50 AM	#8
IronFist Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Toronto Ontario Canada Posts: 2,585	Yours could have eventually that's for sure. Now I'm curious about mine. Mine seems to have a lot of the quirks from all the different bikes. The only exception is my speedo (knock on wood) it's still working fine. My bike is like a motorcycle repair course, all parts included, but no text. 8O I like learning. The only time I ride my bike is to test it lately. I've dropped and raised the needle in too many shopping malls and coffee shops to count now. I actually go home to switch jets. . I might be able to check the pads tomorrow, maybe not, but I'm gonna do it soon. I'll get to it before my trip.
	0

08-01-2007, 07:58 AM	#9
ob1 Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 499	Another angle... When the pads are worn out, there will be no brakes, regardless of how they contact the rotor. That said, having the overhanging lip could save the rotor from damage by contacting the steel parts behind the brake pucks. I wouldnt necessarily call this quirk an emergency, since every rider should be religious about inspecting brakes regularly.
	0

08-01-2007, 11:28 AM	#11
IronFist Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Toronto Ontario Canada Posts: 2,585	I can see the top of the disk and the pads without pulling my brakes. I have the same quirk, but as stated it would take a while before quirk becomes problem. I have about half the overhang that you do. Here is a new one, I don't think my disk is a perfect circle. I think the overhang rubs the top of the disk once everytime the wheel spins. I get weird noises, not just a squeel when backing up. I knew something wasn't 100%, thanks for the find bro. N2r.
	0

08-09-2007, 02:28 PM	#14
IronFist Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Toronto Ontario Canada Posts: 2,585	knothead, I filed down the overhang on the pads, the spot that doesn't touch the disk. SWEET! SMOOTH. 8) braking. I think my disk is more of an oval than a circle, and that overhang was rubbing on the high spot on the disk once per revolution, even when not braking. I can now back my bike up without the brake squeeling like it did. 3200Km into my bike and the front wheel now feels correct. thanks
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