Can You Fix Warped Brake Rotor.

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dkawa I have a warped front brake rotor and it's getting worse. The calipers are regularly maintained and I'm not sure how it warped. Maybe the construction road accident I had last year in mud? Can these be fixed like you can do on car rotors or what is the best after market solution without costing major money? #1 · Sep 20, 2008 I have a warped front brake rotor and it's getting worse. The calipers are regularly maintained and I'm not sure how it warped. Maybe the construction road accident I had last year in mud? Can these be fixed like you can do on car rotors or what is the best after market solution without costing major money? Sort by Oldest first Oldest first Newest first Most reactions #2 · Sep 20, 2008 I believe I read in the factory manual that they are too thin to be repaired. It may have been for another Kawasaki I have, and in a Clymer or Hanes manual, but nevertheless that seems to be the consensus. Does anyone know different? Jack #3 · Sep 20, 2008 Nope it's trash, too thin to be turned and can not be straightened. #4 · Sep 20, 2008 several years ago I spoke with a guy who does disc brake machining at a local machine shop about re-surfacing the discs for another bike I had (the discs were thicker than the ZR-7). He said that basically ALL motorcycle discs were too thin to be machined safely without the heat warping them further. #5 · Sep 25, 2008 The only thing I'd add is get a dial guage on the rotor to make sure that it is a warped rotor and not any other problem. Then buy a new one. Rob #6 · Sep 28, 2008 I don't even need to use a dial gauge on the rotors. It's very clear that there is a high spot on both of them. Why would this happen? The calipers were always lubed and the pistons were cleaned as regular maintenance. Just bad luck?:mecry: #7 · Sep 28, 2008 Hi Dkawa, Two reasons are: 1/ Mechanical knock/bump 2/ Hot disc spashed with water, that is local rapid cooling and distortion. OK down to the dealer and pick up a pair of discs, also you might as well do a brake fluid change, some would change the pads as well for a fresh start. gg would stay with the old pads if they are in reasonable condition. gg@bb, ava good day gg@bb,ava good day #8 · Sep 28, 2008 (Edited) Thanks GG, that's the only thing I could think of causing the problem. I've heard of some people in the past with floating rotors having one of the floating spots getting seized or stuck. I looked at that and all is good. The calipers slides were always lubed and I've cleaned the pistons with an old tooth brush and some brake clean in the past also. This is just to get rid of the ring of crude that builds up on the piston. The pistons seem to be okay. I know when they have been seated for awhile just like on car it takes a bit of force to push them in, but they are moving fine by hand once this is done. I know I have been riding in the past and have hit rain on more them one occasion. Also had a drop with the bike on a muddy construction road beginning of this season. I think I will see if I can get a better deal on EBC rotors over OEM and yes, I'm changing the pads & brake fluid flush. I may end my riding season early this year as I'm short on funds to do this right now and also too busy with other things. A high speed panic stop could be disastrous with the way the brakes are now. I was going to look into kevlar pads that I think are not as hard on the rotor. I almost forgot, I gave my front tire to the dealer to put on my new tire. I was careful with the rim trying not to put any pressure on the rotors. I had the tire on some 2 x 4 pieces of wood in the trunk of the car. Not sure if something could have happened when the rim was out of my control. #9 · Sep 30, 2008 Ok, so I have a set of EBC Pro-lite rotors on the way. I'm changing the pads to EBC double - H pads. They are supposed to be good pads without being to hard on the rotors. I could have used my old OEM pads, but looking at the rotors I think they are very hard on them. They last a long time, but groove the &T%^% out the rotors. I'm also going to the Kawa dealer to buy new lower pins for the pads on the caliper. I find it stupid that the manufacture of the calipers made the bottom support pin out of material softer then the brake pad that it supports. They eventually were a groove into the pin and cause the pad to possibly hang up from time to time. Going all out on this as rotors are worth $500. bucks. OEM Kawasaki are even more. http://www.ebcbrakes.com/motorcycle.html #10 · Oct 2, 2008 There are far worse places to spend $500, most of them being in Nevada. I too, am considering this upgrade along with some others. Jack #11 · Oct 12, 2008 (Edited) I installed the new rotors and pads. I know they need to seat in and they recommend urban use with light braking to seat the pads and rotors. I did a full brake maintenance cleaned pistons, lubed sliders, etc... I know the pistons need to settle in after being pushed back all the way in, but how much drag is supposed to be on the new rotors and pads. Seems like they are very noisy and lever feels spongy like when you have air in the system.. I heard the EBC HH pads apparently have a little more drag noise from other site posts. Is it normal with all new stuff up front for the brakes to sound like there dragging until seated in? #12 · Oct 15, 2008 Yup. Insert Quotes Post Reply
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