11-03-2018, 12:43 AM
mickey, my VFRs, STs and CBRs never had any brake squeal. Neither does my XSR. Neither did my Triumph, or any of my BMWs, or the half dozen Suzukis. Ditto, my Kawasakis and other Yamahas.
It's just this one Honda. Similar to the Triumph T120 in its first year, and Triumph fixed it for the subsequent model year. That's what I want: a permanent fix.
Riding home last night, I came to a stop sign. My brakes squealed. A moment later, a KTM Super Duke R rolled up beside me. No brake squeal. We gave each other the obligatory nod. When the light turned green, he effortlessly vaporized me, even though I gave my throttle a full twist. As he vanished into the distance, I noted that he was sitting straight up, just like my seating position, and his legs were less folded up than mine were. He had a very nice, clean-looking pair of saddlebags mounted to the shapely tailsection. That fat 17" rear tire looked great, and the motor sounded tremendous.
I was envious. I told myself to ignore it. "Different styles of bikes...that KTM costs a fortune...more expensive insurance...more expensive maintenance...it's probably less reliable...." All the usual rationalizations.
The brake squeal was the one difference I couldn't rationalize away. It bothered the crap outta me the rest of the ride home.
It's just this one Honda. Similar to the Triumph T120 in its first year, and Triumph fixed it for the subsequent model year. That's what I want: a permanent fix.
Riding home last night, I came to a stop sign. My brakes squealed. A moment later, a KTM Super Duke R rolled up beside me. No brake squeal. We gave each other the obligatory nod. When the light turned green, he effortlessly vaporized me, even though I gave my throttle a full twist. As he vanished into the distance, I noted that he was sitting straight up, just like my seating position, and his legs were less folded up than mine were. He had a very nice, clean-looking pair of saddlebags mounted to the shapely tailsection. That fat 17" rear tire looked great, and the motor sounded tremendous.
I was envious. I told myself to ignore it. "Different styles of bikes...that KTM costs a fortune...more expensive insurance...more expensive maintenance...it's probably less reliable...." All the usual rationalizations.
The brake squeal was the one difference I couldn't rationalize away. It bothered the crap outta me the rest of the ride home.