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Drilling your discs,worth it.

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    Drilling your discs,worth it.

    This was one of the few things during my restoration that went perfectly.
    After 100,000+mi. my front discs ('79 GS1000EN)were in good shape but squealed the whole time. The rear was galled badly so I bought a new one. Over the years I tried several kinds of pads,cleaning, and Suzuki brand copper based grease to fight the squealing. The grease worked but only for a few weeks.I remembered an article in Jan.'81 Motorcyclist mag about disc drilling.
    The benefits are:no more galling,(but you should always check pads for 'burrs'.) Squealing is virtually gone and if they do make a small squeak it means there is something on pad,which usually removes itself because the holes make the disc 'self cleaning'. Better braking if they get wet,they actually run cooler, reduce unsprung weight and make your bike look better. They also give you another way to lock your bike with a disc lock that fits 1/4'' disc holes.
    I recommend the shop that did mine, Spec II, in Pacoima,Calif. 818-837-1313 ($60 ea.disc in'00) They do job the way Motorcyclist says to. They use cobalt bits to assure no warpage,they use a '3/2' pattern,which actually looks like 5 holes in a row but in an arc, completely around disc, like the angle of a circular saw blade. They do NOT chamfer the edges of holes,this results in better braking and self cleaning of pads.
    It's been 2 1/2 years and 11,000 mi. so far and they're great! It's nice to not be embarrassed to use the front brakes. I called them and they are still at the same place,I did'nt ask if price has gone up. I'm not related or anything,just thought I'd pass on something that works and is worth the cost! KK.
    And on the seventh day,after resting from all that he had done,God went for a ride on his GS!
    Upon seeing that it was good, he went out again on his ZX14! But just a little bit faster!

    #2
    <img src=http://www.bigblocksix.com/whittey/gs1100e/DSCF0087.JPG>

    This is what mine look like. They don't squeel or anything. Fronts are the same. More of a cross-slot than anything. Weird.


    -=Whittey=-

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      #3
      Many of the earlier bikes had solid discs,'77-'79.It does'nt really matter what hole pattern is used,the squeaking will stop.The disc you pictured is off an '80 or later/factory'slotted'.
      And on the seventh day,after resting from all that he had done,God went for a ride on his GS!
      Upon seeing that it was good, he went out again on his ZX14! But just a little bit faster!

      Comment


        #4
        Drilling your rotors, is it worth it?

        I had mine drilled on my 78 GS1000E more for looks than anything. Don't be surprised if you get some noise, almost a chatter from the front brakes, it's no big deal, as expected. No one else hears it and it's a lot better than the sqeal. I use SBS pads, and I installed Russell braided stainless lines and a Yamaha R6 front master cylinder and I real happy with the way the brakes work and feel. They'll pull that big old heavy girl down real well. Good Luck

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          #5
          Thanks for the pic Whittey,

          I have the same rear brakes on my 1100 and was wondering if there was something wrong with them. For some reason our brake pads don't make contact with the disc near the centre where the inner most slot is. It seams to me that Suzuki burned us if they didn't feel it was important to give use pads that use up all of the disc like they do up front :?

          Steve

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            #6
            They gave it a smaller contact area so it doesn't lock up too easily.

            Comment


              #7
              That would make alot of sense Don. I know its pretty easy to lock her up as it is on clean dry pavement.


              -=Whittey=-

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                #8
                I use the 1100 factory slotted discs on the front of my 78 GS1000. The pads use the entire dic area...great design I reckon! The discs are far lighter than the older solid ones. I had to slightly space out the calipers from the forks with a single washer to get the disc/caliper eelationship right.

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                  #9
                  The older discs are made of a very, very hard metal and have that shiny appearance. The newer ones are much softer and easier to drill. I had my old disc drilled for my dragbike and It took the machine shop 3 hours labour to drill a few holes. They tried to charge me $180 until I protested and they reduced it to 60. The new ones have a dull finish. I'd try to find a disc already drilled that would fit my wheel if I were you.

                  Paul

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                    #10
                    3 hours?

                    They were'nt using the proper bit,or it was worn.
                    And on the seventh day,after resting from all that he had done,God went for a ride on his GS!
                    Upon seeing that it was good, he went out again on his ZX14! But just a little bit faster!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I drilled the front one myself using a pattern my friend used on a warped disc. DOH! 8O That took quite a while with a hairy bit a machinist friend laid on me using a drill press. Seems to work ok. I put a Katana disc with the oblong holes on the rear. 8)
                      Kevin
                      E-Bay: gsmcyclenut
                      "Communism doesn't work because people like to own stuff." Frank Zappa

                      1978 GS750(x2 "projects"), 1983 GS1100ED (slowly becoming a parts bike), 1982 GS1100EZ,
                      Now joined the 21st century, 2013 Yamaha XTZ1200 Super Tenere.

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