2014 CB 1100 Front Brakes troubleshooting

M

mustang462002_imp

First service completed
Thread starter
Hello, Long time lurker. I've got 6000 miles of bliss on my CB since I bought it last year.

I am trying to diagnose brake issues. I had distorted rotors that would cause knocking at high speeds. I bought some Ebay take offs and replaced my pads with EBCs. This took care of the issue. But I can not get the same bite as I did before.

I am avoiding dumping money on new rotors and honda pads. About $500.

I recently bled my brakes and clutch and this improved the feel of the lever but I still don't have the bite.

Some have suggested just panic braking a couple of times to get the rotor to clean up.

What do you guys think?
 
Welcome, Mustang. If you’ve been a lurker, you’ll know the drill about the New Members section.
 
If they are actually warped nothing will fix them except by replacement.

If they just have pad residue on them then Scotch-Brite and acetone should clean it off.

Rotors on partsfish.com are $218. Maybe a little cheaper at other parts houses.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!!


Ok, I read your post again and see you replaced the rotors. Assuming they are not warped, try cleaning off the rotor real good.
 
Welcome Mustang,
I'm not sure of the clicking noise that caused the original rotors to be replaced. Was it somehting felt, or heard? I haven't heard of distorted Honda rotors in years, except from impact.

First, be sure you clean the new rotor to get any residual oil off them. The EBC pads may need to break in, (or you may just get used to them). If the old pads have plenty of material, I would de-glaze the pad faces and try them.

The original pads were spec'ed by Honda specifically for this bike - meaning the particular compound met their test parameters in actual testing. Although pads from other Honda models will physically fit, they won't work as intended. So Honda says use only that particular part number.

Aftermarket suppliers such as EBC can't do as much testing. The pads they sell for the CB1100 also are spec'ed for 400 pound CBR600RR sportbikes and 750 pound Valkyrie cruisers, along with about 20 newer Harley big twin models.
EBC is one of the more responsible manufacturers, but I doubt they actually did much, if any, performance or durability testing.

And no-name Chinese brands? Testing? Good luck - if it fits, it ships.
 
Pekingduck, there have been 2 or maybe 3 guys here with warped rotors. I THINK one front set replaced under warrenty and a rear rotor warped due to riding the brake pedal.
 
Mustang as popgun and others have mentioned warped rotors are rear, it takes a lot of unusual force to distort the shape of one, let alone two rotors.

Let me tell you my story, the brakes on my cb919 were fine when i bought it second hand, one day i put it away after a wet ride and some time later i found some rust on the rotors from under the brake pads, i cleaned it off and from then on it developed this "pulsed braking", the brake pad residue had been partly and unevenly removed and the braking was somewhat less after the " cleaning ", it took quite some time to replace it and finally came mostly right by replacing all the front pads.

Rotors were never warped, i measured them with a micrometer dial but the grip on them was uneven.
 
I had similar issues, nothing really helped until I put a new front tire on. I think the old tire wasn’t balanced properly AND when putting front wheel back I followed the procedure in the book exactly, it’s much better now. Something to consider.....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The rear brake on my 2017 EX dragged from the time I bought it new. I complained, but the dealer said I must ride with my foot on the pedal. That is not true a my big feet tend to point out on this machine. I seldom used the rear brake. I gear down and then use the front brakes to stop. I prefer to have both feet off they pegs when stopping rather than having one on the rear brake pedal.

The rear brake dragging finally discoloured the disk. Honda Canada had the dealer replace the disk and pads under warranty. Unfortunately they did not bleed the rear brake properly, so now the rear brake is practically useless.

Like others my front brakes squeal just before coming to a stop. Never had either of these things happen on my CB550XA, a bike almost half the price of my EX.
 
My 2014 CB front brake squeaks from time-to-time. It squeaked about three times yesterday, however, that may have had something to do with condensation in the air when returning up from a lower country meadow road to the warmer air. It definitely wasn't consistent.

I always stop using both brakes (post downshift), two feet down simultaneously for the last few feet of travel, if applicable. Sometimes I just stop with both feet on the pegs. The CB is remarkably balanced, the NC750 even more so.
 
Nortoon , you probably already know this but the rear brake housing would need to be held higher so the air in the line's high points can slowly escape upwards toward the slave cylinder and be bled out through the bleed-nipple, the way it is mounted is literally a trap for the air that cannot escape out of the line.

It requires the two bolts that hold the slave cylinder taken out, the abs line unclipped from the brake line but left where it is and the metal clip unbolted from the swingarm.
Then the cylinder can be moved up to the point that the air in the line can freely travel to the top and be bled out, a surprising small amount of air can impede the brake operation.

Not sure if you want to do this but that's what i would have done if my brakes were " soft" , totally different story for the front brakes, they clear themselves over time because there is nowhere for the air to be trapped in a high spot, and yes, speed bleeders are nice as houtman explains.
 
Add me to the list of front rotor problems. I bought my 2014 non abs cb1100 two months ago with 8,500 miles. I have used scotchbrite to clean the rotors, replaced the pads ( Honda pads) and bled the brake lines. The pulsing only happens when I am going faster than 50 mph. This happened with the original tire and I just put new tires on and I am still getting the pulsing, Can these rotors be turned (machined) like car rotors? I am seeing new front rotors for the bike listed at $332 a piece. That’s ridiculous.
 
Back in the late 90s early 00s we were into Ducatis, both on road and track. We an others in the Ducati community had a string of warped rotors, on new/low mileage bikes. To cut along story short - the conclusion was inferior quality in either material and/or production. and nothing you as a rider did would make any difference. Either they warped or they didn't. We routinely replaced the OEMs with ISR discs which never warped and had better bite. Costly yes but so worth it. If my CB developed pulsating I'd not faff about trying to fix it. I'd go straight to ISR and consider it cheaper in the long run.
 
bvictory_imp said:
Add me to the list of front rotor problems. I bought my 2014 non abs cb1100 two months ago with 8,500 miles. I have used scotchbrite to clean the rotors, replaced the pads ( Honda pads) and bled the brake lines. The pulsing only happens when I am going faster than 50 mph. This happened with the original tire and I just put new tires on and I am still getting the pulsing, Can these rotors be turned (machined) like car rotors? I am seeing new front rotors for the bike listed at $332 a piece. That’s ridiculous.
Click to expand...
A member posted that TRW MST278 is a direct replacement for CB1100 front rotors. I don’t know what they cost. A member in Australia just used them on his bike. Do your research.

Before I replace rotors I would do a runout check. It is easy if you have the tool.

As far as turning the rotors. Well they are thin but I think the specs are on the rotor (The specs are in the manual but I don't have it right at the moment). Maybe light turning, but IDK.
 
A warped/out of spec rotor cannot be turned/ground, as the pulsation will come back in more aggressive way, jeopardizing safety when braking. Replacement only.
Bleeding and replacing pads will not cure warped rotor either.
Checking run out, as LP mentioned, is very essential.
If it were my bike, I would investigate why my rotors are warped, prior replacing them, so the same issue will not repeat itself again.
If you DIY, read service manual prior rotors replacement, as to how to do it correctly and which parts need to be replaced along with new rotors.
Good/proven quality rotors only, if not OEM !!
 
I have tried EBC brake pads on other bikes I have owned and discovered they just didn't work as well as the stock, Honda pads.
 
Dave_imp said:
I have tried EBC brake pads on other bikes I have owned and discovered they just didn't work as well as the stock, Honda pads.
Click to expand...
We have similar complaints on the Honda Africa Twin forum. OEM appears to be the way to go without the drama.
 
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