Front brake noise

[Q]

Is there supposed to be some kind of anti noise backing plate to the inner front brake pad? Mine is quite noisy, squeaks, growns, etc., but works well. I ask because when I got the bike the pad had fallen out and was laying on the floor of the delivery truck.

Q

[katoranger]

My makes noises too. Haven't diagnosed the problem yet.

Allen

[Q]

The cause of the noise is the brake pad moving around in the caliper. Many disk brake calipers have a thin sheet metal piece with tabs on it that holds the pad so it can't move around and vibrate. Since these bikes don't have that, the designers probably didn't care if it makes noise.

I'll try to come up with a fix.

Q

[katoranger]

Let us know what you come up with. I haven't noticed any stopping problems just noise.

Allen

[knothead]

The pads overhang the rotor by around 10 mm. Sand, file, cut (however you choose) the pads to match the rotor. When you reinstall the pads put a thin coat of silicone grease on the backsides of the pads anwhere there;s metal to metal contact between the pads and caliper. That should help if not eliminate the problem, unless your pads are crystalized, then you can try sanding the pad surfaces down (rotor too, but lightly!) or just replacing them with new ones.

[Q]

Tried the silicone grease, didn't work. The piston only contacts the back of the pad in about a 10mm diameter spot at the center. I also tried making a steel backing plate with a hole in the center so the piston contact area would be larger, didn't work. Filing down the pad slightly works for a few miles. I'll try cutting back the part of the pad that doesn't contact the rotor. I think it needs a thin steel backing plate with tabs that come up around the sides of the pad, similar to what is used on many cars. May get to it this weekend.

Q

[AZ200cc]

Try some disc brake quiet, Any parts store should carry it.

[red2003]

My Roketa doesn't make a sound. Is it a Lifan thing?? My brakes, front and back are perfectly silent. If the Roketa's are not making noise it should be easy enough to find what's different. Fatboy250, do any of your Roketa's squeal?? Brake noise is VERY annoying. I'd be searching for an answer too.

[Q]

I'd like to see the difference in design between the Rocketa and Lifan brakes. Does the Roketa use a single piston caliper? Is the brake pad round, and does part of it extend beyond the edge of the rotor?

I took Knothead's advise and trimmed off the part of the brake pads that doesn't contact the rotor, and also made a plate to snug up the pad in the caliper. Will take a ride later today to see if it works.

Q

[red2003]

Not sure. I've never had mine off to look. I'll take a look at it tonight and see what I can determine without pulling it all apart.

[Savage]

Mine drags and makes the same noise. Annoying when cruising slow. I have put wd40 on it before, the noise goes away and the front brake still works plenty good.
I'll have to look for some disc brake quiet.

[IronFist]

Ive sanded the pad, disk and I've used brake quiet too. Nothing worked for long. Mine is really noisy when backing up the bike. About 2000Km ago I learned to live with it. :roll: N2r.

[Q]

Cutting the pads seemed to help, but I only got in a short ride since doing it. I took the pads out, held them gently in a vise, and cut them just inside the line left by the edge of the rotor. Using a hack saw I cut in about 3/16" then cut the section (shaped like a woodruff key) out from the edge. Will give it a good test this weekend.

Q

[knothead]

Originally Posted by red2003

My Roketa doesn't make a sound. Is it a Lifan thing?? My brakes, front and back are perfectly silent. If the Roketa's are not making noise it should be easy enough to find what's different. Fatboy250, do any of your Roketa's squeal?? Brake noise is VERY annoying. I'd be searching for an answer too.

I don't think that it's a Lifan thing exactly, but I think it is a thing for any bike that uses the same fork/rotor combo. I looked through the gallery and noticed quite a few brands have the same setup (the gold inverted forks and the rotor that has the black painted center with a particular cutout pattern, you can look at the rotor and tell the pads are not contacting correctly). From what I can tell, Roketa uses a different rotor than the Lifans.

[fatboy250]

Originally Posted by red2003

Fatboy250, do any of your Roketa's squeal?? Brake noise is VERY annoying. I'd be searching for an answer too.

No, there must be something a little different with the Lifans if this is a reoccuring problem. I would still like to know if there are replacement pads that are made by one of the big 4. My pads are still looking good at over 11k miles but I know I will need to replace them eventually.

Jason