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Strange Brake Caliper wear

2K views 8 replies 3 participants last post by  Whyzee 
#1 ·
I have just completed my pre-winter brake service and found some strange wear marks at the front side of the front caliper (see picture).:(

It looks as though the pads are hammering the caliper when the brakes are put on - the bike has only done 3500 road miles (no track days or super moto lol)

I have never seen this kind of damage i have seen other bikes have steel plates to protect the casting here but the bybre brake comes without that.

Has anyone else got the same damage?
 

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#4 ·
Well I would not worry about it. Why? Because I think they are some sort of dimples in the castings that either allow som sort of drainage of brake pad matter(scientific terminology), OR maybe a way of reducing friction (due to less surface contact) of the backing plates to allow them to move more freely inside of the caliper castings.

**** I don’t know. They look to uniform in size/shape to be caused by wear. More likely cast into the caliper itself.

I can check mine but it will be a while, springtime when I install new brake rotors front and rear. But I will check as the pads will be removed from the calipers at that time.
 
#5 ·
Size and shape is uniform but then so are the brake pad ends.
The surface of that area is irregular.

I have never seen anything like this in a brake caliper before on any vehicle of any make.
But if i had to guess - without the benefit of microphotography or surface testing i think it looks like poor casting exploited by wear.

I don't think that it will damage the braking in the next 5k miles and mine is out of guarantee

- i suggest anyone with a bike still inside guarantee has a look in this area
 
#6 · (Edited)
I will definitely look at mine come spring time. I will be putting the floating disc rotor on the front first warm day. With only 280 miles on my 390, and never ridden in the wet, this area should look unchanged still and give a pretty good idea of what it looked like when new
Is that dimpled area at the top of the caliper, or bottom?
 
#8 ·
Hi Whyzee
The marks are at the front end of the caliper (against the fork leg).
They are midway between the outside and the inside of the caliper (about where the pads will contact under braking)
The paint is missing in the marked area.

If they were one piece calipers it could almost be a clumsy machining mark. but as they are two piece it is hard to imagine such a (slightly different) mark on both sides
 
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