Quote:
Originally posted by Redruth
1. Ride the bike on a cold winter's day.
2. Hose it off and put it in the garage
3. Next time I come to move it, I can't budge it.
4. Try to bump it up and down a bit and it and eventually manage to move it forward but it makes a horrible grinding noise.
5. Brake lever seems much stiffer for the first few miles but then eases up.
6. Is it safe to keep riding it when this happens?
|
The cast iron full floaters tend to rust when damp, this can be after they have been out in the rain, after you have washed it or as they have cooled in the garage and moisture in the air has condensed on them.
This can also effect the surface that mates with the bobbins between the disc and the carrier, which can take most of the float out of the disc. When the bike next goes out it can take a while for the rust in the bobbin area to wear away and allow full movement of the disc. When the disc is restricted in its floating ability it does not push the calliper pistons back in very far after braking, so next time you brake the pistons have a small amount of distance to travel making the lever travel less and giving a stiffer feel to the lever, ater riding for a while the discs will be moving/floating freely and as they rattle from side to side they push the calliper pistons futher back so then when you brake you need to move more fluid by pulling the lever futher, as it takes longer for the pistons to travel to take up the clearance between pad and disc the lever has a softer feel to it.
Sounds plausible to me