Front end questions. Brakes and steering damper.

[sburns2421]

I measured the runout on my front rotors on my new to me bike (2000 Mille, 50k miles, not sure about the mileage on the discs).

One was next to perfect, perhaps .003" total runout. The other was about .025", nearly twice the acceptable limit. This manifested itself as pulsing through the handlebars and brake lever. At slow speeds it is especially annoying, coming to a stop smoothly is nearly impossible. Is it normal for only one rotor to be warped, or does that indicate other issues (perhaps the other caliper is stuck, thus making this rotor take all the load)? I haven't pulled anything apart yet.

I have new rotors on the way along with pads, and will bleed and change the fluid at the same time. I also plan to change the steering head bearings as they definitely have a notchy feeling when straight on. We will see about the wheel bearings when I get the front end off.

Without removing the fairing, the steering damper is not readily visible. Do all 2000 Milles have the unadjustable steering damper or was it optional? I know the R has Ohlins.

[DanV990]

Looking down between the dash and the triple clamp it should be easy to see if your bike has a damper on it or not.

Here you can see the red nonadjustable Sachs damper on my early 2000 USA (1999 European model) Mille.

[velowood]

A search will reveal that many people have loosened the rivets on the discs to make them semi-floating. Crud buildup can freeze them up, resulting in pulsing at the lever. But if you can afford new rotors, by all means replace!

[sburns2421]

Apparently then I do not have a steering damper. So once the front end is sorted I guess Ohlins it is, assuming I find I need it while riding. I have never really felt like my 851 needed it, and my 999 had an unadjustable one, but I never rode the bike without it so it is hard to say.

[Motech]

Measuring runout on semi-floating discs is always an adventure for the same reasons that machining them on a lathe is never a practical option. There's just way too much flex to get a useful value. I'll bet your .025 measurement is grossly higher than what actually is there when braking or you'd have more symptoms than just a pulsing lever.

[sburns2421]

The front definitely doesn't feel right. The bars have a shake to them for sure as well that is the frequency of wheel speed.

When I measured, I attempted to measure near the buttons and also on the outside of the rotor circumference. Near the buttons is was more like .020".

Does anyone know if an Ohlins damper from a 2004 Mille will also fit the earlier models?
EDIT: Never mind, 99-03 Mille part # is SD-133, later models is SD-175

[Bigralphie]

Dont think it matters only 2mm difference in stroke between the two ,my 07 tuono has a SD133 damper fitted and works just fine

[planter87]

i had the same issue as the op, ended up buyin new discs to find the same problem, only after making them float the problem went away, ofcourse i wrote one disc off as scrap which could have probably been saved with a little work. live and learn eh?

[davymc]

I measured the runout on my front rotors on my new to me bike (2000 Mille, 50k miles, not sure about the mileage on the discs).

One was next to perfect, perhaps .003" total runout. The other was about .025", nearly twice the acceptable limit. This manifested itself as pulsing through the handlebars and brake lever. At slow speeds it is especially annoying, coming to a stop smoothly is nearly impossible. Is it normal for only one rotor to be warped, or does that indicate other issues (perhaps the other caliper is stuck, thus making this rotor take all the load)? I haven't pulled anything apart yet.

I have new rotors on the way along with pads, and will bleed and change the fluid at the same time. I also plan to change the steering head bearings as they definitely have a notchy feeling when straight on. We will see about the wheel bearings when I get the front end off.

Without removing the fairing, the steering damper is not readily visible. Do all 2000 Milles have the unadjustable steering damper or was it optional? I know the R has Ohlins.

I had this exact problem a year ago.
The pulsing appeared and disappeared at certain speeds.
I didn't have a dial guage but ordered a new brembo disc and made an educated guess as to which one to change and the problem vanished.
I tried the button mod to see if that would make a difference prior to ordering the disc but it was still pulsing the front end (not at the lever mind you, just the whole front of the bike)

As for the steering damper, these first gen bikes are well known for their completely neutral and stable front ends. I personally think they're a waste of money on this particular model. I've road the wheels off my 2002 mille on bumpy uk roads, putting the front wheel down crossed, the lot and never came close to having a tank slapper.
Not sure if the posh 'R' suspension makes much of a difference to the front end stability but on the showa landing gear it's planted.
But it's all down to personal preference at the end of the day?

[kick6]

Apparently then I do not have a steering damper. So once the front end is sorted I guess Ohlins it is, assuming I find I need it while riding. I have never really felt like my 851 needed it, and my 999 had an unadjustable one, but I never rode the bike without it so it is hard to say.

My first mille was an '01 non-R. As a streetbike, I never felt like it needed a damper. I had less issues with headshake on that bike without the damper than I did on my '02 gsxr 750 that had one. My current bike is an '02 R, and it has the stock ohlins in place. This is my trackbike, and I still have the damper turned way down.

[eddie v twin]

Are you sure the front wheel is balanced correctly as well ?

Eddie

[sburns2421]

When just crusing on a smooth road the front end feels fine, I too suspected an unbalanced wheel. I also measured the runout of the wheel near the bead area, and confirmed that the wheel is straight. If it were an unbalanced or bent wheel I would think the issue would become more prevalent the faster I was going, but off the brakes the bike remained very smooth.

I bought this Mille with just a bit under 50k miles, so I am going through everything piece-by-piece. Front end is first. I would expect a few more question threads as I work through the bike. It certainly appears to have been well-cared for (first owner put 38k or so on the bike), although second owner had to keep the bike covered outside for a few months so there are cosmetic challenges even from that short time. It was reported to have been completely serviced but I will end up re-doing everything.

First up will be the front brake rotors (delivered today) & pads (got them yesterday). But the slow speed handling of the bike wasn't very good, and that certainly appears to be from worn steering head bearings given the "notch" you can feel in the steering when pointed dead straight. So I ordered them and should receive next week. Bleed the brakes, and the front should be good to go.

Once I get the wheel off I can check the wheel bearings and replace if necessary. Looking through the Haynes manual changing the fork oil shouldn't be too bad, but I might wait until this fall to R&R the forks with new seals and bushings, maybe springs. A few miles of saddle time will help know what I need to do with the forks. Tough to take anything for granted on a bike with high mileage, once I have them apart the parts aren't too expensive and then they should feel like new.

Next up will be the swingarm and linkage bearings, inspect/clean/lube. Rear wheel at the same time for bearings. If the rear brake disc is worn, replace, new pads, fluid bleed. The chain and sprokects have low mileage but I will probably replace them, I need to really clean the chain to decide. Ironically probably the most expensive items to replace are the ones we rarely think about.

Engine would be the final mechanical system to go through. I'll change the fuel filter, check the internal lines, and the external fittings. Obviously a valve check and oil change too. I will probably pull the clutch pack and rough up the steel plates a bit, it may be just different, but it doesn't feel quite right to me. Fluid is black and nasty, so it will be changed at the same time. I know I will have questions about the throttle body sync when the time comes.

The bike's paint was dull and faded with a nice layer of oxided paint from sitting in the sun. I tried the Mothers Mini Powerball and Turtle Wax liquid rubbing compound. Once you get the hang of it, it can produce a pretty impressive finish on these old parts. Use the compound with the powerball, then follow with Malco rejuvanator and few coats of conventional hard sheel wax, and the bike looks like new from five feet away.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ELQO50/...hvptwo=&hvqmt=
http://www.amazon.com/Turtle-Wax-T41...4345240&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Malco-Rejuvena...4345254&sr=1-1

I bought this bike cheap and it looked tired two weeks ago. "Excessive patina" I believe the kind way of describing it. For just a few hundred bucks and some elbow grease the mechanical and cosmetics will be substantially improved. My hope is that with new bearings and brakes, along with the serviced and obviously broken-in engine, it will feel like a bike just two years old instead of twelve.

[velowood]

My personal opinion is, do the forks while you're working on the bike. It definitely won't harm any performance of the bike as a whole, and hey, you'll have it apart anyway. After changing the bearings in the steering and the rear end, not to mention all the usual items as filters, oil, checking valve clearances, I would suspect it will ride like a 0 year old bike. My own Falco, with proper maintenance and mods, at 45000 miles works better than new.

[DanV990]

velowood
My Mille just recently turned 44,000 miles. With the upgrades and overhaul I did it looks and performs better than new.
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/x.../IMG_1724c.jpg

[szocspeti]

The front definitely doesn't feel right. The bars have a shake to them for sure as well that is the frequency of wheel speed.

When I measured, I attempted to measure near the buttons and also on the outside of the rotor circumference. Near the buttons is was more like .020".

Does anyone know if an Ohlins damper from a 2004 Mille will also fit the earlier models?
EDIT: Never mind, 99-03 Mille part # is SD-133, later models is SD-175

Having the same problems with the soft shake/pulsate/woblle at slow speed front breaking Anyone got it fixed ?!