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Quick question about a brake rotor.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Billy_Oliver880
  • Start date Start date
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Billy_Oliver880

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Can a front brake rotor be turned or not? I have a guy here in town telling me that it is impossible and I want a second opinion. I only have one front brake rotor and it is off of a 93 intruder 800. Let me know your opinions.
 
Brake rotors can be turned, with the correct set-up equipment and if there's enough "meat" left on it to turn it without making it tooo thin to be safe.:-D
 
DanTheMan said:
Brake rotors can be turned, with the correct set-up equipment and if there's enough "meat" left on it to turn it without making it tooo thin to be safe.:-D
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I have been told by two different dealers out here that it is not possible...](*,) ](*,)
 
They want to sell you a new rotor. Go to an Automotive machine shop with the rotor, see what they've got to tell you.
 
DanTheMan said:
They want to sell you a new rotor. Go to an Automotive machine shop with the rotor, see what they've got to tell you.
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Alright man...thanks for the advice...even if you are a minnesotain. :lol:
 
Ditto, I've also had trouble finding a shop to turn bike's rotors. I have also found local machine shops to be very helpful. Ask them to take off as little material as possible to true them up.
 
Billy_Oliver880 said:
I have been told by two different dealers out here that it is not possible...](*,) ](*,)
Click to expand...

I've been told by dealers and read on this forum that it is not possible either. Whether its true or not I don't know....certainly a widely held view.
 
The rotors I've seen on bikes often have "wear" or "service limits" that just won't allow much, if any, turning.
My '79 1000 front rotors for example, come brand new at about .22 or maybe .23". The factory service manual states that the service limit is .21". So even when new, you could only remove .02" max. I don't question safety related recommendations/warnings as to what will happen if you ignore them.
If you remove too much material from an already thin rotor design, you'll build up heat quicker and it will be easier to warp the rotor.
I wouldn't turn them.
 
Hrm... A local non-dealer affiliated service shop offered to turn my rear rotor for 40 bucks. It is pretty scored, but if they can't turn it more than .02" it might not make sense to do it
 
Billy_Oliver880 said:
Can a front brake rotor be turned or not? I have a guy here in town telling me that it is impossible and I want a second opinion. I only have one front brake rotor and it is off of a 93 intruder 800. Let me know your opinions.
Click to expand...

It can be turned with the right equipment, but most shops don't have it. If they do, it will be expensive. This is because the rotors are made of stainless steel, which has a higher tensile strength and is typically harder than cast iron. Cast iron rotors are used in practically all brakes except some motorcycles and ATVs. Ordinary brake turning equipment is designed for cast iron rotors, and the automotive setups don't work on motorcycle wheels.

Used rotors are frequently availble on eBay, and are inexpensive and serviceable. New ones are spendy.
 
I went ahead and just ordered a new one. Some fat coin but I need the bike to be reliable....and not kill me. 8)
 
Billy_Oliver880 said:
I went ahead and just ordered a new one. Some fat coin but I need the bike to be reliable....and not kill me. 8)
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KEITH KRAUSE said:
The rotors I've seen on bikes often have "wear" or "service limits" that just won't allow much, if any, turning.
My '79 1000 front rotors for example, come brand new at about .22 or maybe .23". The factory service manual states that the service limit is .21". So even when new, you could only remove .02" max. I don't question safety related recommendations/warnings as to what will happen if you ignore them.
If you remove too much material from an already thin rotor design, you'll build up heat quicker and it will be easier to warp the rotor.
I wouldn't turn them.
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what they said....

brakes n rubber is worth spending the money every time....;)
 
I think you did the right thing. The front rotor provides something like 70% of the stopping force. Brakes are just too important.
I'm sure some don't agree about how much material you can turn off, but it's a very small amount that most of the time wouldn't be enough to make the rotor true again. If you can check a factory manual about the service limits for your model, I'm sure you'll find that it won't allow much loss due to wear or removal.
If the factory has a built in safety factor here and you possibly could remove more material than they say, I'm not willing to take the chance.
 
I'm still going to bring the rear in. Considering the rear is used so rarely, (And I don't see minimal heat build up as being too likely an issue) I'll be curious to see if it can actually be done. 40 is a lot cheaper than 180 if they can remove the scoring.
 
When I went looking for my 3rd set of rotors I found the whole front wheel, 2 Rotors, and Tire from someone who made a frankenzuki drag racer. $75.00 complete. Check out the "Parts wanted section"
 
KEITH KRAUSE said:
I think you did the right thing. The front rotor provides something like 70% of the stopping force. Brakes are just too important.
I'm sure some don't agree about how much material you can turn off, but it's a very small amount that most of the time wouldn't be enough to make the rotor true again. If you can check a factory manual about the service limits for your model, I'm sure you'll find that it won't allow much loss due to wear or removal.
If the factory has a built in safety factor here and you possibly could remove more material than they say, I'm not willing to take the chance.
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I ordered a NOS rotor from flatoutmotorcycles.com. It was less then 150 bucks and it should do the trick. I am not willing to test the limits of the motorcycle brakes that I have. The pads are worn out and the rotor is grooved. If its my safety and others on the road that are in danger of this becoming a catastophic failure then I will just replace things and start fresh.
 
Lightly scored/scratched rotors are common in normal use and are not a safety hazard. The Clymer manual recognizes this and advises not to be concerned unless the grooves are deep enough to snag a fingernail. The Haynes manual recognizes light scratching to be normal and inevitable. If a disc is not excessively scored and is within thickness and runout specifications, it is perfectly OK for service.
 
I fully agree with Boondocks about lightly scored rotors being safe.

One way to avoid excessive rotor wear is to have spare wheels handy, with new tires fully installed on them, at any given time.

I have two rear wheels, a 17 and the stock 16, for my GK. Each has its rotor (the 17 has a solid rotor, since it's off my old 79 GS850). Each also has a different driven gear, allowing me to alternate on items that wear.

I have three front wheels, each with a set of rotors, from past GS850's I've owned. Alternating this way assures me of many more years and miles of enjoyment.

One can find complete front and rear wheels on eBay, reasonably priced.
 
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