do 'H' discs fit on an 'L'?

[andyvanderpandy]

hello! i think im correct in saying the calipers are different between h and l, but do any of you know if the discs are? ie can i stick h discs on my L3?

apologies if this is a dumb question, i had a search but couldnt find my answer, so any help would be ace!

[fatboy]

I think h discs are smaller in diameter .

[andyvanderpandy]

I think h discs are smaller in diameter .

[zimm]

they'll fit, but are 10mm smaller diameter, so your pads will have an un-used bit round the outside which can/will eventually cause the pads to press against each other instead of the disc.. which isnt good.

if its a quick "need my bike on the road and happen to have some H discs" scenario, then it'll be fine for a while, but i wouldnt spend money on them as they arent right.

whats up with your L discs ? worn ? warped ?

[andyvanderpandy]

they'll fit, but are 10mm smaller diameter, so your pads will have an un-used bit round the outside which can/will eventually cause the pads to press against each other instead of the disc.. which isnt good.

if its a quick "need my bike on the road and happen to have some H discs" scenario, then it'll be fine for a while, but i wouldnt spend money on them as they arent right.

whats up with your L discs ? worn ? warped ?

im not sure, just thinking out loud at the mo.

the brakes have started pulsing at very low speeds, so i was thinking they have warped - which is likely as i made it at least 0.5 meters down the waitrose carpark before the disc lock tipped me off :smt013

the thing thats putting doubt in my mind is a clicking noise. it happens when i pull the bike of its sidestand to a vertical position, and also happens when the bike comes to a stop, or if i brake suddenly. i think it maybe one the bearings in the headstock (although there seems to be no play or noise when i inspect it). is it likely a bearing could cause chatter as i brake?

i duno! just as one thing is fixed, another jumps to the front of the queue!

[zimm]

have you got crash bungs fitted ? if you have then they could well be the cause of the clicking noise, they seem to work loose after a while (maybe its the plastic compressing over time?) and this causes a "click" when braking/moving the bike about/taking it off the stand .. its annoying, but every bike i've fitted crash bungs to has done this.. solution is to tighten them up a bit from time to time. (same thing applies if no crash bungs, but its the top engine mount's either way, check they are tightened up correctly)

pulsing at low speeds, if the lever itself pulses its likely the disc is warped, if the lever doesnt pulse, but the brakes feel like they are going grip-nogrip-grip-nogrip on the discs its probably just something oily on the discs.. give them a good clean.

[masterofinsanity]

check the buttons around the discs, usually the spring washers break and fall off and causes rattles, but as for the pulsing i'd definitely say warped disc and yes the H discs are 10mm smaller in dia.

[zimm]

stock discs are non floating and dont have springs and buttons.

[masterofinsanity]

sorry just going by mine which have circlips/spring washers and buttons, guess they aint oem ones then?

[zimm]

lol

nah, there were a lot of places doing "disc rebuild" kits a few years ago, use your stock carriers and put new "discs" on with buttons/clips etc .. dont seem as popular now for some reason. maybe cos there's more aftermarket discs available now .. dunno ..

ive got some H carriers with 300mm ductile iron PFM discs.. rusty as hell and ALL the springs have disintegrated.. must get round to getting them re-surfaced and buying some new bobbins etc.. and another set which look stock except for the buttons/clips.. but the drilling pattern is different.. they're toad too.. HH pads destroyed them in under 1000 miles.

[andyvanderpandy]

goooood moaning!

the discs are clean,
i just tightened the bungs and the noise is still there

i dont feel the pulsing through the lever, though my lever is very soft at the mo (despite 60 litres of brake fluid going through them )

actually while we are at it, the lever is soft and ive tried no end of times to get more pressure in it to no avail, so i take it to the garage and ask them to have a go, they cant get it any better (they didnt charge me for this) and the guy recommended new pads, even thought they are about half worn.

so for the moment at least there are 3 things concerning me about my bike, the pulsing brake, soft lever and this clicking noise, so maybe they are all related?

i thought all zxrs came with floating discs, as seen in the manual? in fact i thought bikes have for years? its more than likely im wrong, one day ill know something useful about bike though... one day...

i gona go for a ride and try and figure out anymore symptoms i think.

[MillaMeter]

Hi,

I've got exactly the same problem! My front brake is also very soft and I get that clicking noise every time I hit the brakes suddenly. That clicking noise you're hearing is the pads hitting the disc everytime you hit the brake quickly. The reason it's doing that is because 1 or more caliper pistons have locked up in it's housings. If you take the calipers off and look down at the pads, you might see that the pads are unevenly worn, resulting seized pisons.

Personally, I would overhaul the calipers first before getting new discs as it's much cheaper to fix. Get the calipers looked at and sorted and then go out and try some light and heavy braking.

Hope this helps,

Regards

Rich

[andyvanderpandy]

Hi,

I've got exactly the same problem! My front brake is also very soft and I get that clicking noise every time I hit the brakes suddenly. That clicking noise you're hearing is the pads hitting the disc everytime you hit the brake quickly. The reason it's doing that is because 1 or more caliper pistons have locked up in it's housings. If you take the calipers off and look down at the pads, you might see that the pads are unevenly worn, resulting seized pisons.

Personally, I would overhaul the calipers first before getting new discs as it's much cheaper to fix. Get the calipers looked at and sorted and then go out and try some light and heavy braking.

Hope this helps,

Regards

Rich

hi, sorry only just saw your post rich. i took the calipers off and had the pistons almost all the way out on both sides, gave them all a clean, at least one was defo sticking, the pad was very uneven, and they were great for about a week, but its back! i put new seals on the pistons at xmas time so i cant be arsed to split them again! i dont know if maybe the repeat offender of a piston might need replacing, i couldnt see anything obvious... im guessing its more likely explained by the phrase used on this forum alot... 'kawasaki brakes are shite!'