It has been brought to my attention that my left front rotor is warped. Not badly, but it's there. Has there been any sort of consensus on the "best" rotors are? I don't mean best as in the most expensive though, I mean just for the average rider. No track, no hardcore aggressive riding... just good rotors for a good price. Maybe I should just say, "What are the most popular replacement rotors?"
I have seen some people using DCM rotors, how did those work out? I know it sounds redundant, but it just sounds dubious!
It has been brought to my attention that my left front rotor is warped. Not badly, but it's there. Has there been any sort of consensus on the "best" rotors are? I don't mean best as in the most expensive though, I mean just for the average rider. No track, no hardcore aggressive riding... just good rotors for a good price. Maybe I should just say, "What are the most popular replacement rotors?"
I have seen some people using DCM rotors, how did those work out? I know it sounds redundant, but it just sounds dubious!
We had a similar problem with a bent rotor. I probably happened during a tire installation. I got a used pair of OEM rotors off of ebay for cheap ($70). Given the price I was willing to take the risk. If they were bent, I would probably not pay to ship them back for a refund but just trash them.
I had good luck with that approach -just a thought
Is the carrier warped or the disk? If it's the carrier you could try to straighten it a bit. I've done it before, though not sure about the results as they are a spare set of wheel/rotors for project stuff. But checking with an indicator they were all within 0.002". How much life do the rotors have left on them?
You can straighten discs too, I've done it to a couple, remove wheel, mount on a spindle bar in a vice or whatever, just somewhere you can get a pointer to it to work out where the bend is, then use a large adjustable spanner to tweak the disc straight. Then work out what warped it, usual suspect is sticky pistons in the calipers !
Got a set of EBCs. Haven't had any problems with 'em other than a slight bit of cold rotor grabbiness. Nothing serious but noticeable, and they are holding up well.
Had the same issue. Warped or bent rotor. Lot's of vibration. Went with EBC contours rotors and EBC HH brake pads. Still working well 4 years later. They were a big improvement over stock and Honda pads. Every brake pad change the rotors get a thorough 3m abrasive scrubbing with brake kleen wash.
I used these to replace a warped disc which I couldn't get perfectly straight again. So far so good. Brake feel is good. Straightforward fitting. Good delivery time and much cheaper than even 2nd hand down here. There are many resellers of this brand from memory I followed the highest feedback score. Great to have brakes which don't vibrate again.
I did what the guy on this thread did. I bought used rotors that were bent for $60 and for about $30 more I fixed them. My left rotor was out of round by over 2mm...it is now well within spec...no vibration. Before you could barely get the wheel over the high spot.
I have recently straightened one rotor which, in my infinite wisdom, have bent during tire installation.
Worked perfectly
Dial is required though but it can be had for next to nothing on eBay.
Cheap Chinese one is all you need.
When I first bought my 5th, I did have one rotor bent and one was fine and in spec. - I just bought ONE stock rotor and replaced the bent one. Worked out fine. - Just an idea for you. :cool:
When I first bought my 5th, I did have one rotor bent and one was fine and in spec. - I just bought ONE stock rotor and replaced the bent one. Worked out fine. - Just an idea for you. :cool:
That's an idea, but I am kind of persnickety about those kind of things. I can't replace just the one. It's the same with my computers. When I had a RAM stick come up short, I replaced all of them. Just in case.
Maybe if I was just going to sell my bike I would go that route, but not if I am keeping her. And as we both know mello, only way she is going anywhere is if someone trades me an anniversary edition!
Says they are Japanese - NOT Chinese - and of better quality than Galfer. Now, I don't know about that, but if it is just as good as OEM I may bite the bullet on these.
Corrosion-resistant JFE 410-DB stainless steel friction disc is heat-treated and hardened to retain toughness (fracture-resistance) and hardness (wear-resistance) through repeated high temperature braking cycles. 410-DB stainless steel is manufactured in Japan by Kawasaki/JFE for motorcycle brake rotors and provides superior performance to less expensive SUS 420 high-carbon stainless which lose strength and hardness after high temperature cycling.
Has anyone ever heard of Sixity Sport-Slot rotors?
Says they are Japanese - NOT Chinese - and of better quality than Galfer. Now, I don't know about that, but if it is just as good as OEM I may bite the bullet on these.
Corrosion-resistant JFE 410-DB stainless steel friction disc is heat-treated and hardened to retain toughness (fracture-resistance) and hardness (wear-resistance) through repeated high temperature braking cycles. 410-DB stainless steel is manufactured in Japan by Kawasaki/JFE for motorcycle brake rotors and provides superior performance to less expensive SUS 420 high-carbon stainless which lose strength and hardness after high temperature cycling.
Has anyone ever heard of Sixity Sport-Slot rotors?
Just found this on S3 Performance's website:
S3 Performance motorcycle brake discs are manufactured using 420 stainless steel. 420 is far better suited to brake disc applications thanks to its higher carbon content when compared to 410 grade.. When fully hardened it is the hardest of the family of stainless steels.
I found a few different forum posts where people say 420 is better than 410 because higher carbon content, better thermal conductivity etc, but that's without any proof, just word of mouth.
Which is a fairly detailed report on the properties of 410 for it's use as a brake rotor:
410 is easier to quench properly but nowhere does it say 420 can't be quenched to the same hardness, just the tolerances are smaller
410 is better for rust resistance
420 is better for pitting
There's a lot more info there for those who like a bit of metallurgy reading.
My final conclusion would be that both variants are being used by manufacturers so even if one is better than the other for certain purposes.. they both work
For a street bike under pretty tame circumstances I'm ok with that