Quick newbee question for everyone now that i know how to post it...

I just recently filled and bled the rear brakes on my 06' fatboy.  The brakes work great now, however there is a grinding noise, someitmes, when I apply the rear brakes.  Could this be from possible brake fluid on the pads, or does anyone have an idea as to what is causing this?

Thanks respectfully,
Ryan

Hi Ryan,

This could be a number of things...

The first thing I would check is for debris, or dirt from your hands that got on the pads or disc while doing the change.  You can buy brake cleaner at your local auto parts store and try spraying the pads and cleaning the disc.

It could also be from scratches on the disc, or uneven or excessive wear on the disc.  The old pads wouldn't have made as much of a grinding sound because they would have been worn "to" the scratches on the discs.  You should inspect your discs for any of that.

You can also check for a warped disc by raising the tire from the ground and spinning it.  See if you hear it rubbing in certain places.  A consitent slight rubbing sound all the way around is normally ok when you first put new pads on.

And just for future referrence, we have a good topic on changing brake pads here...

Changing Harley Brakes


See, I told you that you would get a response here

Thank you for such a quick response, however, i think we might have had a slight miscommunication. I haven't actually changed the pads, I just filled the master cylinder because it was bone dry, and then I bled them. I suppose I will try the cleaner solution first off.

Thank you

You're right, I did mis-read that. I would still suspect all of the possible culprits I listed above. Since you were still working in the brake area, you could have inadvertently got some dirt on the disc or in the brake assembly.

thanks again, Ill get on here again once ive found out something else.
respectfully,
Ryan

  I agree with all the above.  I would definitely find what the problem is and FIX it.  There are two things on my motorcycle I never put off if I think there is even the slightest problem - brakes & tires.  Problems with either of these could KILL you, anything else will just cause an inconvenience.

I would pull the pads off the bike (pretty easy on the Fat Boy) and check to make sure there is no damage or something embedded in one of the pads.   Hell for the price of pads, you should just change them while you have them off, unless they are really new and absolutely no damage.

Inspect the discs for scratches, dings or any other damege.  Check and make sure they are not warped.  You can do this buy getting the tire off the ground and spinning it slowely while watching the disc from the rear, straight on.  If the disc is warped, or damaged, get it turned or get a new one.

And as Rex said...I hope you fixed the problem with the fluid being empty.  Brake fluid does not evaporate.  If it was empty, there was a PROBLEM.

Let us know what you find, and if you have any other questions, just ask.