Front left caliper seized mid flight

[malco1]

Right lads as the title says the caliper seized mid way through a spin. thankfully i was in a straight line at the time.

the local dealer took the bike back and is putting it down to excessive corrosion on the pistons. The bike is 6 months old, stored in a cold but dry garage and has 3000klms, I do wash it after each spin which im sure leaves water in the calipers but surely only 6 months old it couldnt be down to corrosion???

Has anyone else had this problem? Nervous this is not being correctly handled and it might happen again. Any thoughts on this lads would be appreciated..

Cheers
Phil

 

[RossHarper]

I've had this.

10k miles and on 3rd set of pistons and seals in front calipers due to corrosion and pitting. Can't remember when first set had to be changed, it was still under warranty but BMW didn't want to know, 2nd set has just gone in at 10k. (I did notice the newer pistons are a different material than previous set)

I've argued with BMW about the brakes on the S1000 many times to no avail. At 4000 miles I had to have new rear disc because it was down to 4mm, BMW did that under warranty and put new caliper on as well.

I actually raised the issue with Brembo via there facebook page, and they blamed the design of the front mudguard in which it actually pushed water/salt/grit etc bought up by the tyre into the calipers. Dealer says this is bullshit and "typical Italians" putting blame elsewhere.

 

[malco1]

I was hoping i was the only one and this was once off!! How did you know you had a problem did they seize too? if these seize again the bike is going back, I cant risk them seizing mid corner. if it causes a crash it will be my fault and noone else's. Disappointing from BMW considering the S1000RR has been out for 4 years now, you would think there would be a fix by now, thanks for the heads up anyway

 

[RossHarper]

First time round they were seizing, normally happened within first few minutes of being on bike, a bit of brake pumping and rocking forwards and backwards would unseize it then it wouldn't happen again until next ride.

When it did finally seize on a corner (luckily only 15/20mph) i managed to put leg down and hold bike up. Thats when I put new pistons/seals in. This time round I just removed them to check for corrosion, they were, so changed them preemptively

 

[malco1]

Interesting, will have to keep an eye on this so. I believe a piston repair kit has gone in so will see how it holds up. Is your bike kept outside or what? Just trying to see if this is common on bikes that are outdoors.

 

[Shug]

It's a bit shit, but partially due to the Brembo name selling - bling for bling's sake IMO. I'd bet a modern Nissin would do the same job and need far less maintenance. Yep, they work fantastically when they are clean and spotlessly maintained, but they really aren't designed for road crud. Last time mine was in the dealers, they cleaned them out for me as they were starting to bind. Looks like if it's getting kept, regular stripping and cleaning of the calipers is also a job I'll have to undertake. I think that's the only way you can be reasonably sure they won't bind up when you're not expecting it.

Joy.

 

[chorsley]

acording to the maual your calipers should be cleaned and seviced every 3K

 

[RossHarper]

acording to the maual your calipers should be cleaned and seviced every 3K

Yikes.

I'm with Shug on the Brembo namesake side. A modern pair of Nissin or Tokico would work just as well for road use with a good set of pads. All my previous bikes (japs with nissin/tokico) all i've ever done to brakes is pads and fluid, never had to strip and clean them, change pistons etc. And i've treated all bikes in the same way

Even MotoGP use Brembo and Nissin Brake calipers (teams choice)

 

[Fenick]

yeh not good news, I'm off to lemans in may and wouldn't want them seizing abroad , thanks for info , with overhaul and check em out before I go bit shit that a new bike will only last a few thousand miles before break failure...

 

[fatbob]

ive had brembo issues on ktm's before but never on the S ?
Would never put the bike away wet though , woud always give it a quick spin for exactly that reason.
Just spent 14k on a 1190 adv and the brakes are rusty as fuck after 4 months , brembo calipers and Galfer disks.....
The disks are a fucking joke , worst i have ever seen and they aint cheap

 

[FRS463]

I have had my calipers cleaned 4 times in 10k miles, every time it goes in they are binding.

had an original focus rs with brembos and they were shocking and expensive, pads were £200 and lasted 5000 miles.

cant believe they build them for a bike and they are shit.

 

[RossHarper]

I stopped using the Brembo pads after the first set (ones that came on bike). The front pads lasted less than 2000 miles for me.

I now use the cheapest HH sintered pads i can find, costs me £34 for both front calipers, they are perfectly good pads and last between 2500/3000 miles. Would I want them on a track, god no. But they have ample stopping power for standard road riding seeing as I very rarely go above 120 on the roads these days. [I have 2 young daughters to think of now and keep a photo of them on the inside of my windscreen to remind me I have something far more important at home waiting for me than racing a mate on a dual carriage way]

"Tomorrow, your reward for riding safely today"

 

[malco1]

Yea probably didnt help putting it back in wet, plus i was out as much as possible over the winter put 3000 fairly wet klms on it.. might change get the pads, keep them dry and clean and hopefully that should do the trick.

 

[soofsayer]

This front caliper business is a major concern if it is the case. Surely there is a safety issue with front brakes binding, after less than a one year service interval. Holy shit, I'm at 2600 miles on the bike and until now it's never crossed my mind that there is a potential problem. Is this down to being brembo? My other bike has BMW calipers (probably someone else's but branded) and never had or known of an issue. Or is it down to use and cleaning regimes? Does every sthou owner have binding brakes at around 3k miles? Wtf?

 

[DJUK]

I hope not. Just hitting 3000 on my 10plate.

 

[RossHarper]

I use bike all year round pretty much daily, and have an almost zero cleaning policy so you could say mine is down to my own use and mistreatment. But I have used and treated all my previous bikes the same way and never had an issue with brakes in any way.

 

[fatbob]

Hp4 calipers are different
Just keep them clean or put it away wet and leave it
Easily done , but can cause problems
General maintenance and they are still world class brakes...........check bsb,wsb,moto gp

Just keep them clean , there was a big inquest on super dukes a few years ago , however having had both the beemers components are better

 

[fatbob]

Due to drink there are a few typos in that last post........fuck it

 

[soofsayer]

Due to drink there are a few typos in that last post........fuck it

Didnt see any myself bob, but thanks for the info, reassured. Cheers .

 

[malco1]

going to clean them thoroughly every 1000k to be safe and change the pads when the times come.. if that doesnt work im out of ideas!! fingers crossed anyway lads it doesnt happen mid corner!