Speed Twin - Has Anyone Sorted The Squeaky Brakes?

Free Spirits, the company that is marketing the Speed Twin front brake upgrade (they also have a straight replacement), responded to my query whether or not their product was created due to the known squealing problem. Their response as follows.....

We know of this problem on models that have (solid) type brake discs eg. T120, Street Twin etc. and usually our kits solve the problem you are referring to.

But we have never heard of this problem on SpeedTwin, have you tried to degrease the brake discs and change the pads?

Our kits are primarily designed to increase fatigue resistance, our brake discs are constructed of high quality materials and come with dedicated brake pads

Kind regards​

 

I came across a thread where member Skip765 reported changing to EBC brake pads solved the problem - anyone else do same?
The thread is titled
Street/Speed Twin Squealing Brakes - Testing Solutions

 

It's only my rear brake that squels but more than enough to make heads turn for the wrong reason,. Why would we need the Triumph logo on the cricket box ..... I thought we all had Triumph tattooed accross our balls !!!! Haven't we.

 

Picked up my bike yesterday; dealer cleaned the calipers and rotors...it’s still squealing

 

I'm not surprised....

 

Well,finally the Newbie from south florida gets to reply-To Something-lol,So your brakes are sqealin,REALLY!!?!!-if the bike stops Safely,LIVE WITH IT(NO OFFENSE). My honda rebel 250's front brakes did the same thing when the bike was new;after puttin some lower end ebc CHEAPER pads on it the noise went away\NOW,ON MY CURRENT RIDE,A 2017 KAW 650 VULCAN S-after changin out my rear brake pads(Aftermarket junk off e bay),my new pads are semi-mettallic,&Yes,they are noisy@times(Alot);but as far as I'm concerned,if they stop my bike in an adequate manner(&They do)-Then I'm ok w/that. Besides,my 17 'ol dog kaw 650 Does'nt have ABS(a-B.S.!-LOL) brakes,&No,You could'nt pay me all the tea in china or all the lbs. or quids or whatever you all call em where you guys are(No offense,Please ) -My ride is over3 years old&Quickly runnin up to 34,000 miles,as long as it runs&stops when it needs to I can live w/a lil brake noise-Ignore the sqealin&Enjoy your ride-1 of these days I'm hopin to purchase a Triumph twin-900 or 1200;Just Curious to see how comfortable/reliable these Triumphs are\RIDE SAFE&KEEP THE RUBBER ON THE ROAD

 

Not sure about your assessment mate. I paid over £11,000 for my speed twin and the brakes squealed from almost new. In my mind this was not acceptable and eventually I got so p!ssed off with it I convinced thriumph to take the bike back. I have owned many different triumphs over the years and I still own two (thruxton and tiger) and niether have squealing brakes

 

First of all,if all your other Triumph models(Older I'm assuming),did not have this problem,it sounds to me like the Newer models brakes are made out of Cheaper materials-The Rotors would be my first guess-my second guess sounds like a piss poor caliper. I work in a bicycle shop as a manager/mechanic,&I see alot of sqealing- sqeaking brakes-disc brakes I meant too say,some will quiet up over time,others will be Noisy whatever you try.....It seems to me that Anything w/wheels;THE MANUFACTURERS ALWAYS FIND SOMEWHERE TO CUT CORNERS ON PARTS,&I DO BELEIVE THAT *ALL* THE METALS IN PARTS IS GETTING CHEEZIER/WEAKER BY THE DAY!?!-ANY More I DUNNO KNOW *WHAT* THERE MAKIN THESE CHEAP ALLOYS OUT OF.... I've always said,IF ITS Got WHEELS or a Skirt,It's gonna need Maintenance&Some TLC Just look@these Crazy coatins they're usin on the inside of the engines cylinders now,you Can't even Hone them out when they get worn!..Also,I remember back in the 80's an auto mechanic once put a grinder(Kinda like a makita)to my brake rotors to smooth them out to make the brakes grab more/Which they did,W/Alot of noise&Squeaking:I also Applaude the fact that you actually got the Triumph dealership to take back the bike;Too bad they did'nt have a mechanic or tech to solve the problem\Sounds to me like they oughta be takin those brakes off of there bikes if they can't fix em!!?!! Too bad,Now you got me Questioning(?)Triumph's twins durability-quality workmanship!-By the way,Does Triumph make a 750 model? Also,I once saw a Triumph on Craigs list here in s. florida,The gentleman was selling it because he said that sometimes it would only crank over whenever it felt like it;&after goin to *2* different dealerships,neither1 could figure out the problem;I guess every vehicle has its "quirks". I've heard from friends that Triumphs are Very Fast bikes,I just Don't Trust any of these 'Throttle by Wire' Bikes-SORRY,I'M OLD SCHOOL. Personally,if I did have a Bike that had a problem the dealership Could'nt fix,I'd find a small shop,Usually those old timers in those shops can fix just about anything-If they can't,Then Yes,'Get Rid of it! I KNOW WHY MY REAR DISC BRAKES MAKE NOISE,IT'S FROM THE OIL COMIN OFF MY CHAIN,&I OIL MY CHAIN *ALOT*....If,& I say IF I had the Money'$,I would probably try changin out the Caliper to another brand along w/another brand of Brake rotor-HEY,YOU WANNA HERE SOME SHIT?Here's a Good 1 for you guys who don't like Rice Burners-So 1 day I decided to change my rear brake pads(This was the First time-Nissin caliper),in any event,I loosened the Wrong pivot bolt,&No the brake caliper Won't work once this particular bolt is removed-IT LITERALLY MAKES THE CALIPER PERFORM IN A WRONGFUL NON ADJUSTABLE PISS POOR MANNER!!!;So after ordering a New rear caliper for my 650 kaw($200Later),when the caliper Finally came in,after a week or so,My Front rotor had Warped from usin the fornt brake so much,&Oh yeah,Another$200!!!....Kawasaki Rotors Suck,To put it Mildly.......@the end of the day,My 'ol dog' 650 kaw v s will Still lock up the Front or Rear Brakes,If Need Be,Squeakin or Not-LOL*&by the way,As Much as I Love my ride,These Kawasaki's are a Royal Pain to order parts for,&Not Cheap!....So,@the end of the day,Every Bike has its issues Sorry for the Long Drawn out Conversation/Tale-LOL RIDE SAFE&KEEP THE RUBBER ON THE ROAD

 

Wow @john drehobl that is a whole lot of stuff that does not make any sense to me in regard to the squealing brakes on a speed twin.

 

I guess all I can say is this,Any motorized vehicle,Car or Motorcycle,if they can't fix what their sellin,Then they should,nt be sellin it-Almost sounds like they're sellin B.S.-Ride Safe

 

IN OTHER WORDS,IF *SOMEONE*(ESPECIALLY THE TRIUMPH DEALERSHIPS)Can't fix it,Then it is'nt Worth $pending any of mine(or Yours) Hard earned Money,I$ it? Sorry Lads,I'LL STICK W/MY KAWS&HONDA'S,&Yes,Triumphs May be a Good Lookin Sporty&Fast bike;But I'm More inclined to stick w/my Rice Burners-Heck I might even try a Harley 1st before a Triumph,&I don't even Like Harleys-*American made* or not......Hope I Seriously Did'nt Offend Any of You Triumph Riders,I'm just not Rich enough or Equipted enough to ride something thats Not repairable,as I do ride my bike 7 days a week,Weather Permitting....RIDE SAFE Again,No Offense intended to All You Triumph Riders-KEEP THE RUBBER ON THE ROAD ALL

 

Yep I definitely agree with that.

 

I've just put the fork Brace back on the bike (bolts tightened in the correct sequence this time so as not to force the forks out of parallel) and the brake squeal has abated - which is what happened the last time I had the fork brace fitted. I’m not a fan of the visual shortening effect it gives to the stanchions but to me this is preferable to the noise that used to be generated by the brakes.

However every time I've tried something different like setting the forks parallel, trueing the rotors, cleaning the rotor buttons and the discs or adding copper slip to the rear of the pads, the silence has only lasted for some 3-400 miles at most. However this is the only change that dampens the resonance felt at the bars so may prove to be the best answer/cure short of purchasing EBC- HH pads which appear to have worked for several other owners which is what I’ll be replacing the stock items when they’re in need of replacement.

 

I think I'd Really Consider purchasin a Triumph twin/*Squeaky brakes OR not-lol I gotta test ride 1 one day;AS LONG AS IT AINT A THROTTLE BY WIRE-NO SIREEE.......&I gotta say,that Triumph Thunderbird looks like a Sweet ride that once you get on it you Won't wanna get off-lol Triumph OR not,if they make it,they oughta be able to fix itRide Safe&Be Well,Keep the rubber on the road

 

You won't be buying one then I'm afraid as it is (in common with most new bikes (apart from my R nine t) a ride by wire throttle.

 

There's Plenty of Older bikes out there that are'nt throttle by wire-I"ll Gladly purchase an older bike(5yrs old or older?) that is'nt throttle by wire, w/low mileage/Sorry,I just can't fathom being stuck out in the middle of Nowhere because the throttle by wire mis functioned!!?!! 'Guess I'm just ol school &Yes,I actually know a good friend of mine who had to turn in his BMW Motorcycle because after he would start his bike the Bike would cut off After he touched the throttle.The bmw dealership could'nt figure out the problem&Eventually had to refund him his purchase price for the bike-Again,Sorry,but thats too much Drama/Aggravation for me\Like I said,I'd Much rather have a bike that IS'NT ride by wire RIDE SAFE&BE WELL

 

Not heard of anyone having problems with any of the Triumph ones. Had my Tiger xrx for over four years and covered 35000 miles without a hitch.

 

Been riding triumphs for many years. From cruisers, sports, touring, modern classics and adventure bikes without any problems....