Topic: Brake Noise

[TheHulk]

Possibly dumb question but here it goes. My Cb550 front brake is very noisy. Pads are relatively new, can't remember which brand. I removed the front wheel and sanded the stock rotor with 320 grit in the fall, but the noise still persists.

Fairly certain the pads are new enough where the brake pad wear indicator (metal piece designed to give you an audible squeal when the pads are too low) isn't the culprit. But when coming to a stop at a red light or stop sign, you can definitely hear some squeaking, which makes it sound like I'm riding a rickety old death trap.

Could it be the pad material? Should I continue sanding?

It has a stock Cb550 rotor and caliper.

[Kenzo1979]

Welcome to the CB squeaky front brake club

[Kenzo1979]

Very common problem.  I have successfully kept it from coming back for years now.  Do a search, I typed my methods In previous posts.  Don’t feel like retyping.  If I find it, I’ll repost.

[Scootch]

I have a 750. The only way I could stop brake squeal was to use Honda pads.

[TheHulk]

Just did some snooping around, definitely seems to be a common problem! Glad I'm not the only one.

[stocky]

I have a 750. The only way I could stop brake squeal was to use Honda pads.

Honda pads was my last effort and it still squeaks. Basically gave up and use my rear brake more, sadly.

[Ujeni]

After battling this for years (I live next to the ocean which seems to make everything worse when maintaining a vintage bike), I finally found the right balance for me. No squeaking now for a while. Can't promise it wont come back, but its the best it has ever been. Here's what I did:

• Make sure both pads (Honda, not aftermarket) are free of dirt and corrosion around the edges.
• Do the same with the inside of the caliper. Should be clean with no corrosion. Now is the time to replace the rubber piston seal if needed. You'll need to re-bleed the brake system if you replace the rubber seal of course.
• Apply silicon sealing grease to the outside "sliding" surface of the brake pads. NOT the braking surface of course. The manual suggests this and points out that it keep the pads moving smoothly with the piston and keeps dust and dirt out of the system. Here's a link to the grease that I am using successfully.
• Make sure the caliper arm is properly aligned with the brake disc. Check the manual to make sure you have it right.
• Confirm that the disc is clean. Might be worth scuffing it if you feel that it has been glazed.

Hope this helps!

[Kenzo1979]

Squeaking front break 1976 CB 550
 https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/topic?share_fid=13548&share_tid=189434&url=http%3A%2F%2Fforums%2Esohc4%2Enet%2Findex%2Ephp%3Ftopic%3D189434&share_type=t&link_source=app

[grcamna2]

Squeaking front break 1976 CB 550
 https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/topic?share_fid=13548&share_tid=189434&url=http%3A%2F%2Fforums%2Esohc4%2Enet%2Findex%2Ephp%3Ftopic%3D189434&share_type=t&link_source=app

Excellent 

[MauiK3]

I found that my brake pucks needed some edge relief to help prevent binding but in the end, alignment was key.

[PeWe]

Small adjuster screw with spring on caliper bracket can help too. Adjust it.

Avoid silicone grease to reach the caliper o-ring for piston.
It will leak, a lot.

[RAFster122s]

Don't contaminate the brake fluid with silicone as Pewe has said. The red rubber grease can be used safely on the piston seal and then the Dow Corning High Vacuum Grease on edges and back of the pads.
This is the advice of TwoTired, Lloyd, provided several years ago.

A feeler gauge on new pads will tell you if the pads are seating squarely with no gaps. It's a bit tedious to get everything just right were pad starts contact to measure. Adjusting the screw on the swing arm sets one side.

Recently some found they had to shim the fork leg  lower on a cb500 because it was not milled to make things parallel out of the box.

[Philip L]

A light smear of copper grease on the metal back of the pad normally stops the squeak. A light Schaffer in the edge of the pads helps as well

[vaiski]

Try camfer the friction material edges with file. Fork and caliper must be aligned.

[HondaMan]

Who was it here who posted this as:

LOUD BRAKES SAVE LIVES

?

I have found that most aftermarket pads squeak/squeal/vibrate. Don't use the ones labelled "environmentally friendly", as you can read about those in my book: they can cost you your life on a rainy day's ride.

If shopping again for new pads: look for the ones that have tiny copper-colored bits embedded in them, if you can find them. They work the best of late, in my experience, and only squeak when the bike is being rolled backward. I have no clue WHY, but that's what they've been doing.

[willbird]

One thing I found and I do not remember who told me was to check the groove that the piston seal fits into. Seems that the groove is intentionally wider than the seal so that when the lever is released the seal relaxing actually retracts the piston a tiny bit. Sure enough my groove was clogged up with 40 years (art that time) of "stuff". Worked much better when I had cleaned that out and restored the groove to it's original shape and dimensions.

[HondaMan]

One thing I found and I do not remember who told me was to check the groove that the piston seal fits into. Seems that the groove is intentionally wider than the seal so that when the lever is released the seal relaxing actually retracts the piston a tiny bit. Sure enough my groove was clogged up with 40 years (art that time) of "stuff". Worked much better when I had cleaned that out and restored the groove to it's original shape and dimensions.

Excellent tip! I forgot about that crud.
The O-ring is actually the retraction device in this brake.

[RAFster122s]

Oring for the caliper is Square in section in case you have never torn apart your brake caliper.
We really need to make a FAQ sticky on brake Rebuild techniques, materials, brake squeal fixes, how to measure if your caliper and total are parallel. Brake hose gotchas and sources. Maybe brake hose length and clocking of ends needed for various common handlebar lengths for cb760, 550, etc.
Handlebar sources for the less common ones maybe...

Things like that would be helpful.

HondaMan would those be HH pads with the copper?
Semi sintered compound

[dave500]

i found a local supplier who sold cast iron discs,problem be gone,plus so much better friction,used with a cheap Ebay 12.5mm master cylinder and who needs dual discs?

[PeWe]

A better working single disc would be fine.

[MauiK3]

The iron discs work well............
But look terrible

[TheHulk]

Thanks Everybody! I'll have to catch up on all of this info. I've also read on another thread that someone had luck by cutting a slit into the pads to help reduce noise. Anyone else try this?

Also, I have the stock undrilled rotor. I've been wanting to swtich to a drilled rotor for a variety of reasons. Any chance this would help at all?

[Ellz10]

GSX-R front end conversion would fix it 

[HondaMan]

HondaMan would those be HH pads with the copper?
Semi sintered compound

I haven't used that brand, but the sintered copper bits are the thing that works. Honda's OEM pads had that from 1970 on, as did the pre-asbestos-ban types of pads that DIDN'T squeal, from EBC.

The very first K0 bikes had a squeak problem, especially when rolling the bikes in the shop, and most especially when rolling  backward. When they would squeak we'd take them out for a mile of run-stop-run and they would stop for a while: then came the upgrade pads (we called them 'the pads with grits in them') about mid-K0 and nirvana happened.

[RAFster122s]

I was referring to the semi-sintered EBC pads either HH or V compound.
The FA13V EBC pad is a semi-sintered copper compound. Takes a little to warm them up, but much better braking performance than regular organic pads.
Unfortunately, EBC doesn't make a HH pad compound for the FA13V early CB350/400/450/500/550/750 calipers.

The HH are the highest bite pads EBC builds. Oddly they ignore the V pads when talking compounds on the back of the package.
FF and GG are steps down from HH.
The FA13V pads on ebay...
# 314490264433 $40.95
https://www.ebay.com/itm/314490264433

314004918360 $41.24
https://www.ebay.com/itm/314004918360

The later late 70s and early 80s caliper that take the FA69 pads  caliper, they make an HH compound for that part number.