K9 Rear Brake caliper Bracket Question

Energy One
SMCT

SMCT

Active Member
As I am going back together with this 06 K9, it appears that there is some excess slop between the rear swing arm tab and the rear brake caliper bracket. It's almost like it should have some sort of rubber boot to fit over that swing arm tab. Is this normal? i can understand that when the bike is moving in a forward situation, as it normally does, the top side of the brake caliper bracket is against the frame tab. I don't recall taking any sort of rubber protector or nylon protector off this swing arm tab, that would take up the play. I don't want to button it up if it is missing a tab sleeve or something.

As it is now, it appears that there might be .080 to .095 per side of area that is not taken up. The bracket is not worn or distorted and the tab looks fine as well, not distorted or mashed out and the paint is all in tact on the swing arm tab.

Thanks.
 
SMCT

SMCT

Active Member
Going to run back to the shop now and grab some adhesive nitrile rubber material that I use on the custom dry sump brackets, between the tank and bracket. I'll cut it into the same tab shape for the upper and lower. The clearance measures .069 per side, so that's .138 of slop. Something is not right here. Just don't want to hear this clanging sound of the floating caliper bracket when hitting a bump.
 
HMAN

HMAN

I just like my Freedom
Nope. The spacers are not in correctly if the caliper moves. Or you dont have the correct sizes. I had the rear caliper on the Pit flopping around for a long while until Doug n Will @ C.A.Jones spotted it and put in the correct size spacers. No more slop. I did in fact add rubber to the tab just to quiet the clanking of the caliper. Get ur spacers right and no issues.
 
SMCT

SMCT

Active Member
The spacers are correct, and yes, when you tighten up the axle shaft it will load the ears of the swing arm onto the spacers, onto the caliper bracket and onto the inner portion of the bearing race and axle tube as well, of which tightens the caliper bracket.

This above has zero to do with how poorly this area is mis-engineered. It's just wrong. That much slop or area left between the tangs of the caliper bracket and the frame tab is just wrong.

Just ask yourself this question, on any vehicle application, you don't see any sort of slop such as this in a caliper or a caliper bracket, especially when that bracket is made out of aluminum. regardless of aluminum, cast iron or steel. There should be no slop such as what is found in this area.
 
Jwooky

Jwooky

Well-Known Member
The intention is to be floating, its only function is anti rotation during braking. Im sure it could be tighter, but no real need.

Conversely, if it is too tight, it could cause the caliper to bind and drag and make service and assembly more difficult.
 
SMCT

SMCT

Active Member
I don't dis-agree that it should have a little play in it, just in case there is some mis-alignment, but in my personal opinion it seems to be somewhat excessive. Once again, just an opinion. In an overall view of what it takes to fix it, or remedy it, that fix was a matter of an additional 10 minutes for me since I had it apart. To cut two strips of material and glue them into place. I probably would not just remove the axle to do this procedure, although if the tire has to come off for a change or some other reason as to remove the back wheel, than I can't see it hurting, only helping. After I glued the two cut strips into place, the bracket went right on without issue.

The gap per side was around .070. These pieces of hard rubber where .067 to .068 thick.










 
Th3InfamousI

Th3InfamousI

Administrator
Staff member
This whole time I thought you were talking about the caliper mounting to the bracket.

I was wondering how the hell the axle was even in play here. Pictures are worth 1,000 words!

Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk
 
HMAN

HMAN

I just like my Freedom
No I'm not confused. I did the same stupid fkn thing myself until Doug corrected the problem. The bracket is designed to fit multiple configurations. IF the spacers are worn OR not the correct sizes, the bracket will flop around and clunk once in a while. It is NOT designed to float. But fk, what the fk do I know....
 
Th3InfamousI

Th3InfamousI

Administrator
Staff member
HMAN said:
No I'm not confused. I did the same stupid fkn thing myself until Doug corrected the problem. The bracket is designed to fit multiple configurations. IF the spacers are worn OR not the correct sizes, the bracket will flop around and clunk once in a while. It is NOT designed to float. But fk, what the fk do I know....
Click to expand...
You have spacers on the bracket that sits on the frame?

I'm trying to understand how that works without them falling out?

Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk
 
HMAN

HMAN

I just like my Freedom
Th3InfamousI said:
You have spacers on the bracket that sits on the frame?

I'm trying to understand how that works without them falling out?

Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
No. Axle spacers. If they are a.bit short the bracket will move on the axle. It should be tight with NO movement
 
Th3InfamousI

Th3InfamousI

Administrator
Staff member
HMAN said:
No. Axle spacers. If they are a.bit short the bracket will move on the axle. It should be tight with NO movement
Click to expand...
Okay ...gotcha I agree.

I also agree with the OP shouldn't have much room there but if axle spaced correctly should be enough to keep the bracket from flopping


I'm sure glad I don't have a floppy brake bracket...haha

Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk
 
SMCT

SMCT

Active Member
Harry, I understand what you are saying about the spacers and it wouldn't baffle me if there where inconsistency from one bike to another, whereas some spacer combos will clamp it together correctly and others which might fall shy and not completely compress the spacer, axle tube and bracket together, as you eluded to with your application. My spacer, axle tube, bracket combo was fine in it's total measurement, in relation to the swing arm i.d. measurement. My total stack together left maybe .020 to .025 of air gap. .020 to .025 on my combo didn't concern me because the arms would easily pull in .0125 per side to clamp it together without stressing the swing arm.

Not that this matters, and some will venture to say "who cares" but if you roll the bike backward and hit the rear brakes, that bracket as it was, even clamped and loaded properly, will jockey in reverse leaving that major gap on the top of the tab rather then the bottom.
 
Jwooky

Jwooky

Well-Known Member
That looks good I have to say. As you stated, you would have to be rolling backwards and hit the brakes, pretty hard to shift the bracket, then the next time you hit bakes it could shift back and mak a clunk I suppose.

Thanks, now I'm goi g to have to try it. Lol

At any rate I appreciate you thought into it.
 
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