03-26-2020, 03:25 AM
The end of a long saga with the front end of my 2017 CB1100EX has thankfully finally come to an end. From the start, I had an annoying front end vibration that appeared around 35 to 40 MPH, and smoothed out around 50. Numerous trips to the dealer mechanic, then changed to a mechanic at another dealer, as well as numerous calls to Honda U.S.A.. The second mechanic found my front rim ( spoked ) to be out of true-out of spec both up/down and side to side. A flat spot on the front tire was also found. The rim was trued to spec, front tire replaced, wheel assembly balanced. Vibration gone.
When I am not riding it, I keep the bike on center stand. Recently I bought a Pit Bull front fork lift stand, which when used in combination with the center stand, keeps both front and rear wheels off the ground. Using the center stand, I had always been able to hand spin the rear wheel. Even dragging the chain, giving the rear wheel a hand spin resulted in 2-3 revolutions before stopping. Now using the front fork stand, I discovered that the front wheel would not even make 1 revolution, and disc drag was very audible.
The first attempt to reduce drag and produce a more free wheel was a complete hydraulic flush/new Honda fluid. It was time for new fluid anyway ( the original fluid was then about 3.5 years old ), and did the clutch as well. No change in free wheel. So, I bought all new front end caliper seals, and dropped my bike off at the dealer for a thorough clean and caliper rebuild. My hands are not as steady as they once were so I leave handling caustic brake fluids to someone with better hands than mine.
When I picked my bike up, the mechanic had a grin on his face. He held the rear end of my bike down on the center stand, elevating the front wheel. I gave it a hand spin, and the wheel spun 5-6 revolutions, with only the normal ever so slight hint of disc contact. He said when he took the calipers apart, they were clean inside, including in the grooves under the original seals, and that the caliper pistons did not have any build up that would cause sticking. The brake discs he found to be true, and not warped, which came as no surprise because my bike is low miles, and the only possibility there would have been an unlikely factory defect. He said that he was scratching his head trying to figure out what was causing the drag, and then tried something. He said he stuck a wire in the fluid passageway hole at the bottom of the master cylinder reservoir. When he did that, he said he felt resistance that he cleared and flushed. Something had been partially blocking that internal fluid passageway. Was it a manufacturing burr, or a piece of grit introduced during manufacturing? We will never know the answer to that one. He said he felt that the partial blockage was causing pressure in the system that prevented the caliper pistons from fully retracting. New seals installed, and brakes bled.
Could I have continued to ride with it as it was? Yes, I probably could have, but I knew it was not quite right. When I first discovered the excessive drag situation, I contacted my old riding buddy Jim, and asked what the wheel spin was like on his 2014 CB. When he replied that he was getting 5-6 revolutions with just the normal slight hint of disc drag, my suspicions were conformed. At the very least, a story that might be interesting, and a diversion from thinking about the Corona Virus mess. At most, if anyone else has a similar situation, and wants to correct it, I have passed on one potential cause to look at.
When I am not riding it, I keep the bike on center stand. Recently I bought a Pit Bull front fork lift stand, which when used in combination with the center stand, keeps both front and rear wheels off the ground. Using the center stand, I had always been able to hand spin the rear wheel. Even dragging the chain, giving the rear wheel a hand spin resulted in 2-3 revolutions before stopping. Now using the front fork stand, I discovered that the front wheel would not even make 1 revolution, and disc drag was very audible.
The first attempt to reduce drag and produce a more free wheel was a complete hydraulic flush/new Honda fluid. It was time for new fluid anyway ( the original fluid was then about 3.5 years old ), and did the clutch as well. No change in free wheel. So, I bought all new front end caliper seals, and dropped my bike off at the dealer for a thorough clean and caliper rebuild. My hands are not as steady as they once were so I leave handling caustic brake fluids to someone with better hands than mine.
When I picked my bike up, the mechanic had a grin on his face. He held the rear end of my bike down on the center stand, elevating the front wheel. I gave it a hand spin, and the wheel spun 5-6 revolutions, with only the normal ever so slight hint of disc contact. He said when he took the calipers apart, they were clean inside, including in the grooves under the original seals, and that the caliper pistons did not have any build up that would cause sticking. The brake discs he found to be true, and not warped, which came as no surprise because my bike is low miles, and the only possibility there would have been an unlikely factory defect. He said that he was scratching his head trying to figure out what was causing the drag, and then tried something. He said he stuck a wire in the fluid passageway hole at the bottom of the master cylinder reservoir. When he did that, he said he felt resistance that he cleared and flushed. Something had been partially blocking that internal fluid passageway. Was it a manufacturing burr, or a piece of grit introduced during manufacturing? We will never know the answer to that one. He said he felt that the partial blockage was causing pressure in the system that prevented the caliper pistons from fully retracting. New seals installed, and brakes bled.
Could I have continued to ride with it as it was? Yes, I probably could have, but I knew it was not quite right. When I first discovered the excessive drag situation, I contacted my old riding buddy Jim, and asked what the wheel spin was like on his 2014 CB. When he replied that he was getting 5-6 revolutions with just the normal slight hint of disc drag, my suspicions were conformed. At the very least, a story that might be interesting, and a diversion from thinking about the Corona Virus mess. At most, if anyone else has a similar situation, and wants to correct it, I have passed on one potential cause to look at.