For as long as I've owned my SS the front brakes have squealed when braking normally towards a standstill, resulting in a bad habit of switching to the rear brake for that final few metres (to avoid the embarrassment). The discs appear to be fine and I've tried changing the pads but it makes no difference. The only brief respite was after cleaning the discs themselves with chrome/stainless steel cleaner. But the results didn't last long and it was soon back to the same. Any ideas?
As far as I know the Brembo brakes (at least on my SSie) don't use shims behind the pads (unusual I think), or a "stepped" piston (an alternative approach to applying the pressure more to the trailing edge of the pad to reduce the risk of squeal). If there is a "step" in the piston it should be easy to feel for, and if so, it is important for the pistons to be positioned correctly in the caliper (relevant when rebuilding, for calipers which have this feature). Interestingly, there is a suggestion here that adding home-made shims could help: Ducati Suite- Brake Pad Replacement Last time I had the problem was on a Volvo, when an independent garage fitted non-OE pads (even though I had asked them to fit the genuine article, knowing that the car was sensitive to this). I wouldn't automatically blame alternative parts though - I have had no problems with EBC on bikes or PAGID on cars.
I'm using EBC HH Sintered pads, with a small wipe of copper grease on the back..........no squeal from mine, although I sometimes get a slight 'clonk' when wheeling the bike backwards or forwards as the pads take up the small tolerance in the calipers. Perhaps you have too much fluid in the reservoir, so there is no air space and the pads can't fully move back....although I can't see why that would cause a squeal as you were slowing down.
What kind of cleaner ? Probably a daft question but I'm hoping it wasn't a chrome "polish" used on the disc surfaces. It might be a tad dramatic, but I'm thinking that you could perhaps try filing a small chamfer/lead on the leading edges of the pad material (to mimic the effect of shims to relieve the leading edges). Wear a face mask and do it outside on a windy day while facing downwind so the dust blows away from you..... though there's probably no asbestos in them these days, but it never hurts to make sure.
One thing I did / do to my discs when I clean them is to run an appropriate size drill bit through the holes..........that way any oily crap picked up from the road which could soak into the brake dust in there doesn't get spread over the disc surface. The muck and rust can also build up and get quite hard, so the hole size is reduced.
reading this I had an odd thought are they floating discs at all is there a possibility that the bobbins (or whatever they are called ) are worn or seized
They will be Semi-floating then, I think. That is, they are able to float on the bobbins, but this is restricted by little spring washers so the discs don't rattle. Full-floaters lack the spring washers and rattle around at will. My Trailie has non-floating discs (solid with no bobbins at all) and that always squeals at low speeds too. Which kinda suggests that yours may not be floating properly. Are you familiar with the technique for cleaning the bobbins where you turn them while spraying liberally with brake cleaner ? Insert a longish allen bolt through each bobbin in turn, tightening on to the bobbin each side with a nut and washer. Then you can turn the bobbin using an allen key in the bolt head. Its worth draping an old towel over the lower part of the wheel to catch the crap which comes out ... and there will be a surprising amount. After this your discs may float a little more freely, which may stop the squeal. No guarantees that it will work mind, but its well worth a try and your brakes well be better for it anyway. For a job like this, where no rubber seals etc are involved, I'm happy to use cheap brake cleaner from the local pound shop.
Thanks for the comprehensive reply, sounds like I've got some studying to do as I don't know anything about bobbins
