I have one of the RGM floating 12" discs. It performs very well with a Lockheed calliper but a while ago it started rattling. I am aware of the design of floating discs, that they are intended to move, but the rattle continues to get worse, particularly over the last 12 months or so. I do not ride hard so the disc is not unduly stressed, but it has become an irritating noise when riding slowly over even the slightest of rough tarmac surfaces.
Oddly enough the stainless bushes appear snug in their alloy centres, all the play appears to be between the bushes and the iron disc itself. Does this imply that the stainless bushes are winning out over the iron of the disc in terms of wear?
The question is of course how much is too much in terms of play and hence noise? I can see a replacement set up being the thick end of £200 including new bushes clips etc (and VAT) so this is no cheap call - but it is a critical issue.
No experience with the RGM…
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Thanks for your comment. My…
Thanks for your comment. My disc set up has no wavy washers, so the disc is free to rattle sideways - so that's something I will explore. Because my bobbins appear tight in the aluminium carrier and slack in the disc, I now suspect that the braking force has tended to drag the disc into the carrier, (stainless v aluminium) so all the tolerance is now on the disc side? Today I will attempt to (gently) dislodge the bobbins from the carrier - and also look at the availability of wavy washers.
The disc set up has been on the bike a long time, but not done a high mileage - and neither has it been used heavily. The fact that corrosion will occur between stainless and aluminium leads me to suspect that as the likely cause. So maybe I need to repair or replace the aluminium carrier rather than the disc?
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Belleville washers would do…
Belleville washers would do a better job than wavy washers in my opinion.
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Although my RGM disc does…
Although my RGM disc does not have wavy washers it does have wavy C clips, which hopefully you can see in the photo? There isn't room to fit wavy or Belleville washers as the C clip is still required and the other washers wouldn't fit under them. The problem appears to be that although the wavy C clip is pretty well tight up to the aluminium rotor base, it is a full 15 thou shy of the disc at best, that is to say when the closed part of the C clip is over the disc, and the disc is pushed away from the clip. When the opening in the C clip is over the disc there is even less restraint provided to lateral movement of the disc.
In hindsight this was probably not the best engineering solution - or if it was - it should be lifed with some kind of check criteria applied when too much play develops? It doesn't seem as though the problem might be solved with a new set of buttons and clips - although a comprehensive strip down and measuring session of all of the parts might show otherwise? ?
The question remains - how much is too much rattle?
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Wavy washer orientation
David,
Great photo. Looking at the top washer in close up it appears to bear on the hub and the disc. As required.
The washer in centre does not load the disc at all because it is oriented differently. No good for your rattle.
These wavy c-clips could all be put on as the top one. Some will want to be turned over, and some rotated to get them loading the disc like the top one.
Peter
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I had one of those...
... RGM discs and I don't remember it moving laterally. I can't agree that wavy circlips are a good engineering solution - a better one might have been to make them so there's no clearance and use washers and ordinary circlips.
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Actually...
... ignore my post as I've just realised that the disc needs to move laterally to provide the floating feature.
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I agree. The really supadupa…
I agree. The really supadupa Ducatis and my friends Magni have floating discs that rattle about all over the place. Makes sense really.
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No experience with the RGM discs, but J have a Laverda SFC1000 with floating discs that are prone to wear and rattling. Cast iron discs are held by aluminium alloy bobbins, and the disc carrier is also aluminium alloy. In this case it is the carrier that wears, eventually creating excessive radial movement. The bobbins are secured by a circlip and have a wavy washer to minimise disc movement. If the wavy washer flattens, this can cause the disc to rattle, particularly when combined with carrier wear. One solution was to get oversize bobbins in stainless and boring the disc and carrier to suit. I bought oversize bobbins, but struggled to find anyone to do the boring, and then surprisingly found a good secondhand pair of discs (hens teeth), so have not yet attempted to get the originals repaired.
in your case, if your bobbins have a form of spring washer, have they perhaps relaxed and allowed the disc to take, which could exacerbate disc wear?
If wear is limited to the cast iron rotors, could they be replaced rather than getting complete replacement discs?
Andy