Brakes SQUEEL like crazy???

I have just restored a 1974 and 1975 kawasaki z1, one has dual disc brakes the other has a single disc brake, everything on the bike works perfect but both the bikes squeel like crazy when I brake so I'm obviosly doing something wrong here since all 3 calipers squeel, and its not just a small squeel its a long and very very loud squeel. I rebuilt 2 of the calipers and one is a reproduction new caliper so I'm asuming its not the caliper could my brake pads squeel? I put the red gunky glue on the back side of the pads to as suggested agains squeeling but that did not help one bit. Help there is nothing worse than a restored bike that sounds like a whistle when stoping LOL... :silly:

Did you resurface the rotors,new pads?
You might try taking a file and try just knocking the sharp corner off the leading edge on front of pad to see if it helps

When I put EBC pads on my bike it squealed so bad that every dog in a 2 miles radius would howl every time I touched the brake :laugh: :laugh: I used the gooey stuff on the back of the pads, but it didn't help much for long. As Wireman suggested, what did help was filing a slight chamfer around the perimeter of the pad surface and then letting the pads break in. They stopped squealing after that. The EBC pads work well as far as stopping power, but I'll stick with stock pads in the future. Ed

It's the aftermarket pads.

You can apply some silicone to the backside of the pads, works for about a season. I still have a set of OEM pads, might try to fab some shims like the originals had.

If you have the dough, sometimes NOS pads show up on Ebay. Look to spend over $100 for each pad.

My 78 1000 use to have very squeaky brakes 21 years ago when I parked it,
last winter I got her back on the road and one of the things I did was to run an orbital sander with 220 grit paper around both sides of both disks until some of the shallower grooves came out.

I also installed new pads.

No more squeaks and the brakes work fine.

The reason I did what I did was because number 1 I'm cheap :blush:
And number 2 I didn't want to have someone turn them down and loose a lot of the thickness.

Like I said some of the deeper grooves are still there but they cleaned up pretty good and the pads are holding up well after 7000 miles.

Note; if you decide to try this make sure that you keep going around and around the disk, don't stop and go back and forth in one area, you need to keep it even.
JD

Very few if any aftermarket pads will work without major squeel. Watch ebay for original pads is your best option, but ebay has really gone down the toilet as everything is "buy it now" for $6 gazillion dollars any more.

650ed wrote: When I put EBC pads on my bike it squealed so bad that every dog in a 2 miles radius would howl every time I touched the brake :laugh: :laugh: I used the gooey stuff on the back of the pads, but it didn't help much for long. As Wireman suggested, what did help was filing a slight chamfer around the perimeter of the pad surface and then letting the pads break in. They stopped squealing after that. The EBC pads work well as far as stopping power, but I'll stick with stock pads in the future. Ed

+1 The stock pads have an anti-squeal shim built onto the pad which acts like a spring as pressure is applied. Most aftrmarket pads don't and they are going to squeal regardless of what you do.

I did reface my own rotors using a sharpening stone from harbor Freight and some cutting oil. Takes the ridges down, but the cheapo pads are still going to squeal.

Same here, thought I was doing the right thing buying new pads and wow did they squeel! When you take them out youll see they were chattering on the edges. I put a slightly worn stock set in and they work great.

I need to find some anti squeal shims also.
in my experience the pads would be glazed over, if you go to shucks and ask for the squeal medic it is made by gunk.
what happens is the pads overheat especially if you don't break them in and are eventually burnt. don't get me wrong, they last forever that way it is just annoying.
so the squeal medic is sprayed right on the rotors and it takes the glaze off the rotors and the pads.
I used some on the taurus and it no longer jolts at a stop, now it is easier to slow down before a light by gently applying the brakes/the brakes have been on there at least 4 years and are just like new as far as the thickness of the pad. no more ringing in my ears from the squealing and no more whiplash.

I guess I got lucky

not sure if it is the same as squeal medic but I forgot my oil lid, jumped on the freeway and oil got on my rear brake. no squealing there either.