Puzzling questions

[docc]

Good advice from GSTALLONS on checking brake temps. Bleeding the brakes and freshening the pads is good maintenance as well.

 

The tire date code is preceded by the letters "DOT" followed by four numbers. They are the week (first two) and year (last two) of manufacture.

 

How old and what kind of tire was it?

[Slavomir Musilek (R.I.P.)]

off topic: Pavel, where do you came from?

[gstallons]

I do think I would try using my rear brake a little more until I got this problem resolved.

My way of stopping is to use the rear brake with assistance from the front. From reading your first post, it appears you do all your stopping with the front.

Is that true?

[Dan M]

I'm thinking tire too. My bike was 3 years old with only 900 miles on it when I bought it. The original Bridgestones slid twice when braking on a reasonably good surface. Thankfully I did not go down either time but a change to fresh Pirellis solved my problem.

I don't think a brake problem would be that intermittent unless something was really wrong like a loose caliper or loose wheel bearings. Then there would be other symptoms.

Look for that serial # on the sidewall. Skeeve gave you the formula for checking production date. Some manufacturers use the last 4 digits for WWYY.

 

There is something to be said about a progressive squeeze of the front brake. Smooth application allows the weight to transfer to the front wheel which should be doing most of your brake work. A quick grab (as in a panic situation) can cause a lock up if conditions are not optimum. As Ratchet said there are many conspirators that can come into play. If everything is set up properly your chances of survival greatly increase.

 

edit: Checking rotor temp like gstallons suggested is a good indicator of even brake pressure (side to side), the temp should be close to equal. They will get much hotter than 150F with spirited riding though.

[rocker59]

I call BS on the brakes making the bike pull to one side. If this was so, bikes with single disk front brakes would be unrideable...

 

There MAY be a problem with one of the calipers causing the brakes to drag, heat up, lock up. That's different from causing it to pull one way or the other. There could also be a problem with the front master cylinder's adjustment.

 

I'm with Ratchet. I would check the date code on the tires and discard them if they're more than a couple years old. I would also confirm that they're inflated to factory specs. 32 front 35 rear.

 

 

 

This sounds like over-use of the front brake at slow speeds to me. In slow stop and go traffic, in parking lots, etc. I favor the rear brake so as to avoid these kinds of crashes...

[rocker59]

From reading your first post, it appears you do all your stopping with the front.

Is that true?

 

Not using the rear brake at speeds below 30mph is a sure way to eat pavement...

[kecup]

Good advice from GSTALLONS on checking brake temps. Bleeding the brakes and freshening the pads is good maintenance as well.

 

The tire date code is preceded by the letters "DOT" followed by four numbers. They are the week (first two) and year (last two) of manufacture.

 

How old and what kind of tire was it?

 

Bridgestone Battlax, definitely not a DOT code branded in it, there is VLK code and number, according to this the tyre would be just 4 years. The bike's gonna go through a restoration anyway, I will see to all the things possible.

[kecup]

I'm thinking tire too. My bike was 3 years old with only 900 miles on it when I bought it. The original Bridgestones slid twice when braking on a reasonably good surface. Thankfully I did not go down either time but a change to fresh Pirellis solved my problem.

I don't think a brake problem would be that intermittent unless something was really wrong like a loose caliper or loose wheel bearings. Then there would be other symptoms.

Look for that serial # on the sidewall. Skeeve gave you the formula for checking production date. Some manufacturers use the last 4 digits for WWYY.

 

There is something to be said about a progressive squeeze of the front brake. Smooth application allows the weight to transfer to the front wheel which should be doing most of your brake work. A quick grab (as in a panic situation) can cause a lock up if conditions are not optimum. As Ratchet said there are many conspirators that can come into play. If everything is set up properly your chances of survival greatly increase.

 

edit: Checking rotor temp like gstallons suggested is a good indicator of even brake pressure (side to side), the temp should be close to equal. They will get much hotter than 150F with spirited riding though.

 

I tried to mention this at the beginning. I ride sport bikes for more than a decade, daily, sometimes 100miles a day. I guess I'd have learned learned how to brake by now, but who knows:)

[kecup]

Not using the rear brake at speeds below 30mph is a sure way to eat pavement...

 

Sorry to argue with you but my S4R Monster came up from the assembly line with the rear brake virtually useless. 30mph is still quite a speed, if I use rear only I am going to eat the bumper of the car in front of me at the first lights. I guess I would not have started this discussion if I'd thought it was something stupid.

[kecup]

off topic: Pavel, where do you came from?

 

 

LA, CA and Brno, CZ, depending on the part of the year:)

[rocker59]

Sorry to argue with you but my S4R Monster came up from the assembly line with the rear brake virtually useless. 30mph is still quite a speed, if I use rear only I am going to eat the bumper of the car in front of me at the first lights. I guess I would not have started this discussion if I'd thought it was something stupid.

 

 

No worries...

 

The front brakes on your V11 are a very simple dual disk Brembo setup. If the trouble is with the brakes, tracing the problem should be a no-brainer. Do you have a front stand ??? Checking the calipers and the master cylinder should take just a few minutes.

 

I never said "use the rear brake only" at 30mph speeds.

 

I'm not doubting that you've ridden for a long time, however, I do question your technique when you reiterate that you don't use your rear brake at slow speeds. Most of the slow-speed crashes I've witnessed over the years in stop-and-go traffic and in parking lots/gas stations have been the result of the rider NOT USING the rear brake.

 

The Guzzi is not the Ducati. I have a Sport 1100 that I've owned for 12 years. I know the bikes well.

 

If you're locking the front wheel at slow speeds, you're either riding on old tires, riding on dirty pavement, and using too much front brake while not using enough rear brake, or all of the above...

 

Good luck with it.

 

Now that the bike has been down twice, you need to check the transmission case for cracks. A very common thing on these bikes after a crash...

[Guest ratchethack]

LA, CA and Brno, CZ, depending on the part of the year:)

Since you've called for answers to puzzling Q's, Pavel, somebody just has to ask the obvious in return.

 

Doesn't this qualify you as a perpetually bouncing Czech?

 

Just a small joke. (OK -- very small)

[GuzziMoto]

No worries...

 

The front brakes on your V11 are a very simple dual disk Brembo setup. If the trouble is with the brakes, tracing the problem should be a no-brainer. Do you have a front stand ??? Checking the calipers and the master cylinder should take just a few minutes.

 

I never said "use the rear brake only" at 30mph speeds.

 

I'm not doubting that you've ridden for a long time, however, I do question your technique when you reiterate that you don't use your rear brake at slow speeds. Most of the slow-speed crashes I've witnessed over the years in stop-and-go traffic and in parking lots/gas stations have been the result of the rider NOT USING the rear brake.

 

The Guzzi is not the Ducati. I have a Sport 1100 that I've owned for 12 years. I know the bikes well.

 

If you're locking the front wheel at slow speeds, you're either riding on old tires, riding on dirty pavement, and using too much front brake while not using enough rear brake, or all of the above...

 

Good luck with it.

 

Now that the bike has been down twice, you need to check the transmission case for cracks. A very common thing on these bikes after a crash...

 

Holy smokes. You mean my wife and I have been riding wrong all these years. Good lord. Thanks for saving us.

Pardon the sarcasm, but the B.S. is getting mighty deep in this thread.

It sounds like the OP has enough experience riding and probably doesn't need/want people he doesn't know telling him how to ride. The question was could there be something wrong with his V11 and if so, What?

I've already thrown in my two cents on another board but once again I'll say yes, there may be something wrong. It could be the tire is too old, it could be one of the brake calipers is hanging up. This is not to imply that would cause the bike to "pull to one side". He never said it pulled to one side. He said (I believe) that when the front tire locked up it went to full lock to one side and he crashed. That is how you typically crash if and when you lock up the front brake. I have done it myself a few times (it's part of learning to race). The question seems to be why the front tire is locking up in situations that it probably should not be locking up in.

Rant over. Please return to your normally scheduled programming.

Michael.

[Dan M]

I tried to mention this at the beginning. I ride sport bikes for more than a decade, daily, sometimes 100miles a day. I guess I'd have learned learned how to brake by now, but who knows:)

 

 

Sorry kecup, didn't mean to imply you didn't know how to ride. Just trying to cover all the bases here. You were looking for answers, right?

[docc]

I would call four years old a really old tire for sport riding. Of course, I'm terribly hard on tires and replace every six or eight months.

 

Fresh tires, bleed the brakes and give the pistons and calipers a good cleaning. I'm betting the "world will, once again, be spinning on greased grooves."

 

Beyond that, check the headset for tightness and set up the forks and rear sag for your weight while changing the fork oil to something light and fast acting (generally 5wt, but search the major threads for that. Great info from Peter Verdone Designs).

 

She may just want you to take her out in the garage and pay lots of attention. Who was it that was fond of saying, "Italian women will sometimes stab you for no reason at all."

 

Now that you have our attention, you'll have to report on your 'restoration' and the resulting changes to the ride.