Here is the thread that I started re the speed twin brakes... https://www.thetriumphforum.com/threads/speed-twin-squealing-front-brakes.20221/
Ya just popped out to deliver food parcels on my speed twin and at 300 miles those brakes squik like a bastxxd, so I can say it is not cured yet. But the fact that age old copper slip has an affect shows it can be sorted, christ used this stuff when I twas a boy.
I have read somewhere the squealling is due to the pads vibrating in the calipers. Some people Ive read have fixed it by adding a thin shim to the back of the pad and this seems to stop the squelling. Other people I have read have put copper grease on the back of the pads to hold them to the caliper and this also fixes the squealing. My 2018 T120 has never suffered from this problem. Cars have the same problem which is why a lot of car pads have shims attached to them. Hope this helps.
For me it is all about triumph fixing this problem and then resolving it for all current speed twin owners, not for those owners who have paid out a lot of money for their bike to find a fix.
Could not agree more Wessa. Just informing people of things I have read about the problem. I use to have this problem with a car I owned until someone told me I could buy brake pads with the shim fitted on the back, I bought them and it solved the problem. You may be waiting a long time for a manufacturer to fix a problem like that, at least trying something may be faster.
Yep understood @Red26 and it is useful for owners to find fixes, but my concern is that triumph seem to be just ignoring this problem and given the cost of a new speed twin this is completely unacceptable. As you suggest it could be a long time for peeps to wait for a fix.
I heard the squealing started in Wuhan (In the market) but the Chinese manufacturer of the squealing bits won’t acknowledge it yet. Ken.
Since the lockdown there has been no squealing whatsoever..... of course the bike hasn't gone anywhere!
Well, after I posted it, the brake squeal continued and I wrote the factory here in Brazil informing the problem as I was unable to take the bike to the shop. During the next 500km until 1000km, the brake squeal started reducing until almost nothing happened again. Only some times and very small squeal and I could not figure out the circunstances. So, I finally took the bike for the first check up at 1100 km without anything related with it. I reported, they made tests and found nothing. My brother bought a T120 Black that has another type of braking system and does not have problem, yet. What remains is to continue paying attention. By the that way, the brake system was disassembled and cleaned and they told me to clean the discs with alcohol when needed. Well, that is it.
I have a 2018 Bonny 1200 and never had a problem and never heard of Bonnies having a problem with this. The bonnies have a dual piston caliper. Do your brake pads have a metal shim on the back, the Bonnies do Ive noticed when I change and dismantle the calipers Ive seen it. I know on cars the shims are attached to quieten braking noise and squeals. If you dont have a workshop manual go to Haynes online manuals and you can pay for a years total access to their workshop manual for your model, its pretty cheap really and instant. It costs about $16 Aust for a year. They are good manuals and full of pics and explanations. Hope this helps.
I'm not sure if the problem of squealing brakes on a motorcycle is similar to the problem on a bicycle but I would think it may be . On a bicycle the squealing is caused by the leading edge of the pad touching first , mainly on light braking scenarios, and it creates a vibration or harmonics as has been stated . The way to solve a bicycle is quite easy , basically you adjust the pad so the trailing edge touches down slightly earlier . So , in a motorcycle , I would expect the problem could be solved the same by adjusting how the pad initially makes contact . It may be possible to try and file an angle on the leading edge of the pads just to see if the problem persists , not too much though . I may be wrong here as I'm only taking a guess , but is the reason some calipers have different size pistons is to solve the exact problems some of you are having . I'm not sure if the Speed Twin has same size pistons , or tbh , a sticking trailing piston could cause it aswell , but easy to check . Take the caliper off and put something in between the pads the same thickness as the disc and then get someone to pull the brake lever and observe how the pads move
I agree with you. I have bicycles with disc brakes, even one with four cylinders on each caliper (SHIMANO SAINT for down hill), like the Brembo on my ST. And the problem is exactly as you mentioned as well as the solutions. This is something I do time to time. If the problem on my byke persists, that is what I will do next.
never had that problem with the triumph but have with the Deauville some one told me to put bevel on the front of the pads just need a file and file a bevel on the front off the pad worked for me stoped the squeaking hope this helps