shudder under braking

[MrFryMoto]

lately when i do hard-ish stops at lower speeds my front end shudders violently.
my brakes seem to be in good shape and it doesn't look like anything is out of whack

...any one experience this or have any suggestsions?


-bike is a 2000 m900ie

[ducpainter]

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml

If you read everything in the white papers you'll know all you need to.

[Howie]

I would clean the rotor surfaces with brake cleaner and a Scotch Brite pad, make sure the rotor blade can move freely on the buttons, replace or sand the pads with a slight bevel on the leading, top and bottom edge, then go for a ride and bed them in.  Since the bike is been around for a while, you might want to put a mic on the rotor and make sure it is still in spec.  Minimum thickness is stamped on the carrier.  Also make sure the front suspension is not bottoming.

[Monsterlover]

I had this *exact* same problem on this exact year and model bike. Nobody, including me, EVER came up with a reason why.

My shudder was always at lower speeds where I was planning to stop for a sign or light. I would get the judder, let off when it got bad and reapply the front brakes. Problem would then stop.

I read the stoptech stuff, checked the specs and torque on everything and reset the head tube bearings. I still had the issue.

I can't offer any advice. All I can say is that you are not alone in this issue.

[Ddan]

I had the same problem, and cleaning the rotors really well, new pads and proper bed-in solved it completely.

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml

If you read everything in the white papers you'll know all you need to.

+1   

[jerryz]

I had this problem on both my ducatis on the m750 i changed to galfer wavy rotors $600 a pair problem solved , on the S4 I took the rotors off and with a pair of 19mm sockets and a big hammer bashed the rivets until i had a set of full floaters ...problem also solved for FREE!

[ScottRNelson]

When I still had my Monster the fork oil had degenerated to the point that a hard stop on a bumpy road surface would bottom the forks which suddenly made the front end ride like a jackhammer.  The only way to regain control was to release the brakes and start again.  Very difficult to do when coming in too hot into a corner.  I finally had to take the forks off and have them serviced to fix the problem.

That may not be your problem, but it's something else to keep in mind when discussing braking problems.

[OT]

+1 on Scott's thoughts.

Are your front forks fully adjustable?  Try putting them in the stock or a neutral (half the number of clicks ahead and behind) position and see how it behaves...

[MrFryMoto]

hmmm, interesting thought on the suspension.
they are fully adjustable Showas and before i purchased the bike (about a year ago) the guy had the forks rebuilt at a local shop.
...a local shop that i haven't seen good things from.

is there a place online where i can find the factory settings for these?

also -
i tried warming the brakes hoping that the pads would burn/reseat any crap that was on there
...turns out i can do stoppies. Who knew?

After several hard stops from 30, 60, 80mph it still does the same thing
though i did notice a 'groan' from the brakes

[redial]

as was mentioned it sounds to me like warped rotors


is the shimmy the worst under light braking? does it dissapear under harder braking? hard braking will stabilize the rotor thats why the shimmy is the worst at a light brake touch, and if the shimmy is easily replicable, and completely goes away when coasting or accelerating, then i think you have your answer


new rotors are the solution (at least it was for my jeep that suffered the same problem, your mileage may vary) dont put worn pads on new rotors

[Ddan]

DO the cheap stuff first.  DP's link in the first reply will set you up.