696 squeaking

[ottoatom]

Hello,

I am not sure were the squeaking sound is coming, but I can definitely hear 2 types of squeaks..

1st one is continuous and I can hear it whenever I ride slowly. It goes away some times but I definitely hear it in the beginning.

2nd one is when I brake and I hear two types of squeaks:
- one coming from the brake handle itself, it squeaks when I press it
- the other one coming from the brakes.

I am bit worried about the first one as it can be the bearings that need changing and that sounds a bit more expensive than the second type...

There is really a lot of squeaking going around my 696.. Can you guys help me here? I am not sure how to solve this.

Thanks!

[MrsC_772]

Very likely to be worn out wheel bearings.

Wheel bearings are a notorious weak point on the 696. I'm on at least my 5th set of front and rear wheel bearings in just under 52,000 miles on my 696 (ridden all year round in all weather). I'm not the only one whose 696 eats the wheel beraings. Definitely worth checking out and probably replacing.

[jonzi]

I had a squeak on my 796 which turned out to be the swingarm.

Took it off, greased it up and haven't heard it since.

I thought it was the brakes at first, as it happened when braking, but it was the swingarm moving under braking.

Can you replicate it by pushing the bike and hitting the brakes? with the engine off

[ottoatom]

Thanks for your replies.

The bearings then.. damn. How much do you think it costs to replace them?

About the brake squeaking, this happens with both back and front brake. I dont think it is the swing arm. Is there a lube that I can apply somewhere to stop the squeaking? Should be simple to fix that one I guess..

Cheers

[BLUNT]

I'm on at least my 5th set of front and rear wheel bearings in just under 52,000 miles on my 696 (ridden all year round in all weather).

Either incorrect fitting or poor quality unbranded bearings would explain that.

[Nottsbiker]

Thanks for your replies.

The bearings then.. damn. How much do you think it costs to replace them?

About the brake squeaking, this happens with both back and front brake. I dont think it is the swing arm. Is there a lube that I can apply somewhere to stop the squeaking? Should be simple to fix that one I guess..

Cheers

Bearings aren't that expensive but I'm guessing you'd need to pay for them to be fitted so a rough guess would be £40 plus labour maybe £100 or so if an easy job.

I'd do my own so the above is a total stab in the dark.

Brakes could be anything from contaminated disks needing a clean to the calipers needing the once over. If your wheels need new bearings the calipers would need to be removed for this job so combining the two jobs could make it cheaper.

[Dukedesmo]

Brakes could be anything from contaminated disks needing a clean to the calipers needing the once over.

The infamous copper-grease-on-the-back-of-the-pads treatment may help?

I very much doubt I'd hear any squeaking from any of my bikes, simply because there are too many other noises going on... :eyepopping:

[slob]

clean out any dust with brake cleaner (CAREFUL NOT TO INHALE ANY)
you could try chamfering the leading (rearward) edge of the pads slightly with a file (AGAIN: MIND THE BRAKE DUST)
A thin smear of copper grease on the BACK of the pads (MUST BE COPPER GREASE, WHICH MELTS AT VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE, REGULAR GREASE WILL CONTAMINATE THE BRAKING SURFACES)


REMEMBER: BRAKES ARE SAFETY CRITICAL, IF IN ANY DOUBT SEE A QUALIFIED MECHANIC

[BigOz]

Either incorrect fitting or poor quality unbranded bearings would explain that.

The bearings Ducati supply are well known brands but the 696 relies on the bearings rubber seal to keep out water and road muck, there is no outer seal as you find on many motorcycle wheels. This tends to mean frequent failures for those ridden all year round and in all weathers as Mrs C certainly does.

I've also had more then my fair share of bearings initially all supplied and fitted by Ducati.

Andy

[BLUNT]

BigOz - you're saying that they are not 2RS bearings then?

[Mr Gazza]

The guys have covered the brakes nicely..My pads squeaked when they where bedding in but they're fine now.... But do check the tightness of the caliper and disc bolts.

As to the other squeak..The rear hoop can be a source of squeaking sometimes. You won't have one of those, but there are still rose joints on the link rod and pivots in the rocker which might benefit from some lube of some sort...I used some silicone spray on mine last time, I couldn't work out which joint was making the noise, so I gave them all a squirt and I got it by default...That stuff seems to take a few hours to seep into where it's needed.

I also had my speedo cable chafe in the wire hoop that guides it past the mudguard...It made a godawful howling and was a swine to source. Again, a squirt of silicone silenced it.

Now you won't have a speedo cable either but look out for anything rubbing against something else when the suspension moves...It could be a bit of wireing harness or brake line or summat.
In desperation you could just spray silicone on anything that might be the culprit, it can't really do any harm. EXCEPT if you get any on the brake discs...This is not a reccomended method to stop squeaking brakes....Seriously! Discs and pads should always be spotlessly clean...Use brake and clutch cleaner on them to remove any contaminants.

btw..I've never heard a wheel bearing squeak.

P.S. Oh and the cush drive rubbers or pins can make some odd noises sometimes...I had this on just one of them...Guess what I squirted it with to cure it..

[BigOz]

BigOz - you're saying that they are not 2RS bearings then?

They are 2RS but other bikes, the 1098 for example have a proper seal on the outside. I stripped the last set that failed apart and water had definitely got in and rusted it quite well.