Brakes - vibration

[gatesy]

New to Hondas and their linked brakes so forgive me if sounding a bit vague. When braking from speed using front lever there is a vibration, short, sharp pulses and not too severe. Almost like ABS cutting in but I'm not braking nearly severely enough. At low speed, say approaching a junction, braking is smooth and does not pulse through the lever. Foot brake is smooth at all speeds. So Q is does it appear I have a problem or is this a feature of the linked system.
As a footnote I have come from BMW where brake judder is well known but always gentler rather than harsh as with the XR.

J'ai besoin une bonne idee, merci.

[Smeagol]

No that's not normal.  C-ABS just distributes the braking front to rear, no pulsing just steady pressure.

Are you feeling it through the brake lever? or the bike?

Juddering on braking could mean warped discs, worn wheel bearings or a few other issues.

As the bike will still be under warranty get a dealer to check it.

[gatesy]

Many tks for the useful replies. Dealer says it's the right hand disc only! Asked me if I used a disc lock or U lock on front wheel. Interesting. Now booked for replacement on 12/6. Just in time, due to be off to Spain on 17/6 to play in Picos and Pyrenees for 10 or so days.

[Smeagol]

Are they doing it under warranty?  Is it warped disc or problem with the floating disc mounts?

A lock on the front wheel can damage various bits if you ride off without taking it off, normally ends up with you on the floor as well    It quite often misaligns the ABS sensor as well, but this will show up as ABS light on when over 6KMH.

[gatesy]

Sorry don't know the details other than dealer said it was the right hand disc. I presume they will check all the bits at the same time and road test the bike before they hand it back, and yes it is under the guarantee. An interesting point as the bike was bought in Darlington last year and has 1 yr left to run. It was one of the first Qs they asked me!

I had a v bad experience getting guarantee work done on a BMW 1200GS under similar circumstances 2 years ago. Too depressing to relate here.

Here in France most dealerships are franchised, both sales and servicing separately, which means that you deal with the head mechanic in person rather that some flunky in the showroom. It also means that your French is tested in full!