Author Topic: WARNING - Rear Suspension Issue Can = Pannier Loss or Brakes Failure! - UPDATED!  (Read 3998 times)

Offline DougieNZ

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 7
  • Thanked: 4 times
  • ST Legend
Hi All,

Last year I mysteriously lost (and never recovered) a pannier off my bike - which has done just under 100,000km. The pannier was locked on and mysteriously the latch securing the pannier (holding it down) was bent up, allowing the pannier to exit the bike. I put it down to the pannier not being secured properly and/or perhaps the upward pressure from me checking the pannier was secured bent the latch. I replaced the pannier. How wrong was I???

On a recent trip to the South Island I heard a funny noise coming from the rear of the bike. The bike was fully loaded including a top box. Preload was set to full. I stopped a couple of times to check it and couldn't see anything. It was only when I got my wife to bounce the bike while I was looking underneath that I discovered the issue. The rear suspension was allowing the bike to travel so far down (without "bottoming out") that the rear brake calliper was hitting underneath the pannier. Where it was striking was right where the hose enters the calliper (including the bolt securing the hose to the calliper).

My old pannier was constructed of stern stuff. So in that case the latch was bent and the pannier exited the bike. My new one was of less stern stuff, so the calliper actually punched a hole in the bottom of the pannier, and that was the noise I was hearing. Worst case scenario I could have lost my brakes due to damage to the hose. I could also have lost another pannier.

I thought I was really important I posted this on here to warn other owners to keep an eye out for this issue.

UPDATE: READ BELOW THE SOLUTION. THIS WAS AN ISSUE WITH REAR BRAKE CALLIPER FITTING!!

Out of interest - any suggestions for repair/replacement?

Regards to all and Happy New Year

« Last Edit: January 09, 2016, 09:11:13 AM by DougieNZ »
 
The following users thanked this post: Shiney, Abe, Sailor Sid

Offline StinkyPete

  • Defected to a BMW
  • NR2016 Group
  • UNBELIEVABLE "5000 Posts" Member
  • *
  • Posts: 6533
  • Thanked: 2946 times
  • Blackwood, SA
Wow.  :eek  That sounds like a failure of a major suspension component.   I'd drop it into a dealer just for a quote, and let them investigate and find the problem for you.
IBA #59146   OzLapper 2012 & 2019

Yamaha XS650  (The Black Wobbler)
Yamaha XJR1300 (Rocket Ship)
Honda ST1300 (Beautiful Bike)
BMW R1200RT (Technically Perfect)
 

Offline DougieNZ

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 7
  • Thanked: 4 times
  • ST Legend
Yes - I am getting similar feedback from the STOC.com site. They think design should mean the spring bottoms out before the calliper hits the pannier. Makes sense to me too.
 

Offline Biggles

  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • "Top Dog" 10000 club
  • *
  • Posts: 14026
  • Thanked: 2474 times
  • Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane
Very odd that no one else has ever experienced it, especially when it appears to be new to the highly experienced US site contributors.
Perhaps yours has a defective spring- one that wasn't heat-treated properly during manufacture.
For the modern man who lives in the city, riding a bike might be one of the only ways to escape the humdrum monotony. To take off and ride. To be both at one with nature and one with the bike. To feel masculine. Adam Piggott

OzSTOC #16  STOC #6135  FarR #509  IBA #54927
 

Offline STeveo

  • Legendary "1000 Club" Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1639
  • Thanked: 406 times
  • ST Legend
Mine used to bottom out with a full load, and it never hit the pannier. Are your pannier mounts bent, allowing the caliper to hit it?
 

Offline Scarlett Thunderbolt

  • Walkerston Qld
  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 490
  • Thanked: 397 times
Hey Dougie, I had similar sounding problem... i.e - the brake calliper blowing a hole in the left pannier.

  I discovered, embarrassingly, that I had fitted the rear brake calliper incorrectly. I had not put the front bolt, that secures the calliper to the swing-arm, through the calliper. The result of my error was that the rear brake calliper sat too far to the rear to avoid the inside corner of the pannier... i.e - big hole.

  With the rear brake calliper located correctly, it will not hit pannier. The rear brake worked just fine, even though it was 'floating'.... & bashing a hole in my pannier. Cheers, John & Kate.
John, Kate & Miss Scarlett
Candy Red ST1300
 
The following users thanked this post: STroppy, Sicman, ST2UP, Abe

Offline DougieNZ

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 7
  • Thanked: 4 times
  • ST Legend
John - you are a LEGEND! That was exactly the problem! I feel like a bit of a doofus now, but I'm rally glad this forum exists! 10 minutes later I am good to go... :-)

I was wondering how Honda could have designed a bike like that - the easy answer is they didn't!

Thanks so much everyone for your help and I have updated the thread just in case someone else has this happen! I will update STOwners.com also.

Regards

Adrian
 
The following users thanked this post: Sicman

Offline StinkyPete

  • Defected to a BMW
  • NR2016 Group
  • UNBELIEVABLE "5000 Posts" Member
  • *
  • Posts: 6533
  • Thanked: 2946 times
  • Blackwood, SA
That's a good pickup by Scarlett Thunderbolt, a lesson for all of us to be vigilant, and a very expensive lesson for DougieNZ.
IBA #59146   OzLapper 2012 & 2019

Yamaha XS650  (The Black Wobbler)
Yamaha XJR1300 (Rocket Ship)
Honda ST1300 (Beautiful Bike)
BMW R1200RT (Technically Perfect)
 

Offline alans1100

  • 1999 ST1100A
  • UNBELIEVABLE "5000 Posts" Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 6250
  • Thanked: 1161 times
  • Alan, Peterborough, SA
Hey Dougie, I had similar sounding problem... i.e - the brake calliper blowing a hole in the left pannier.

  I discovered, embarrassingly, that I had fitted the rear brake calliper incorrectly. I had not put the front bolt, that secures the calliper to the swing-arm, through the calliper. The result of my error was that the rear brake calliper sat too far to the rear to avoid the inside corner of the pannier... i.e - big hole.

  With the rear brake calliper located correctly, it will not hit pannier. The rear brake worked just fine, even though it was 'floating'.... & bashing a hole in my pannier. Cheers, John & Kate.
If you left that location bolt out (it's a pain on the 1100 to undo/do up) wouldn't the calliper move forward with the disc as the pads grip when braking? Though I haven't checked mine for clearance but I suspect the calliper to be stopped by the swing arm so it won't rotate around the axle.
1999 :bl11  2004 :13Candy

FarRider #921- BR15, BR17, CR1

 

Offline DougieNZ

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 7
  • Thanked: 4 times
  • ST Legend
Hi Alan,

Certainly if I had left it out it would have done less damage than getting it wrong like I did. The calliper may have rested on the swing arm. I think the best way is definitely to use the bolt as designed (so that the calliper is secured in position correctly and cannot move in either direction) and get it right. It is a wee bit fiddly on the ST1300, but easy enough with a ring /open ender spanner. I just put a couple of drops of blue loctite on when replacing it.

Adrian
« Last Edit: January 09, 2016, 01:18:11 PM by DougieNZ »
 

Offline Scarlett Thunderbolt

  • Walkerston Qld
  • NatRally 2018 - Mackay
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 490
  • Thanked: 397 times
  Glad to help solve the mystery Dougie... kudos to JC for pointing me the right direction. Cheers John.
John, Kate & Miss Scarlett
Candy Red ST1300
 

Offline Rob Dunlop

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 19
  • Thanked: 2 times
Very interesting guys on a recent FarRide I also had the left pannier part company with the bike, unlike DougieNZ I didn't loose it but it did receive a fair scratching. Will be checking  the caliper tomorrow.