Question For The "Braking" Experts

[BIG GUY]

Let me help you guys out a tad here. Stainless steel wave rotors preform no better better than the stock rotors for a street rider. The only advantage to a wave rotor is more efficient cooling. On the streets or back road twisties you won't create enough heat to make a difference.

However, on the track where the brakes are heavily used there is an advantage when it comes to brake fade toward the end of a session.

I am suspicious your brakes have a little air left in the system. Bleed them thoroughly and install a set of aftermarket pads. I use EBC HH Extreme Pros. These pads don't grip any better than the standard EBC HH pads but the feel is fenominally better. If you are a late braker and trail brake into the corner, you'll like these pads. A bit spendy but I think they are worth it!

Your Pazzo levers have no effect on the vague feeling. You should have a nice firm lever with the SS lines. Once the pads make contact with the rotor the lever should firm up very quickly. If they don't firm up quickly, you most likely have air in the system. Use a good Dot4 fluid with a very high boiling point. Motorex makes really good fluid!

One other thing, when you break in new pads you need to burn them in. Use the brakes heavily, get them hot and seat them to the rotor.

This is some really good info. Could the pads be one of the problems that is causing his issues? In my thinking it sounds like the pads are worn for the stock rotors and not the Galfer's. The new levers might also need to be adjusted.

 

[BIKE DUDE]

The old pads could have gotten contaminated in the bleeding process if the old brake fluid ran down the sides of the caliper and made contact with the pads. Vacuum bleeding with a catch reservoir will prevent this. Just a thought that nobody else mention???but still requires new pads now.

 

[Wag]

The old pads could have gotten contaminated in the bleeding process if the old brake fluid ran down the sides of the caliper and made contact with the pads. Vacuum bleeding with a catch reservoir will prevent this. Just a thought that nobody else mention???but still requires new pads now.

Good point. Completely missed that.

--Wag--

 

[GPW]

I will ride the bike when it gets here but his system was bled very well. Zero drag on free-spin wheel rotation, air in the line always creates pad based drag on a free spinning wheel he has none, instant application of pads to rotor with minimal force on stand. All four pads are contacting at the same time. There is even wear marks on the rotors, no ridges or high-low spots.

I agree with the bedding process, not done correctly or without enough force and heat. I will sort this out in minutes when I see the bike again. Good for you to make these posts John. I am not perfect and if you can't understand whats going on a second opinion is always good. See you whenever you get the bike up here. Like someone else suggested regarding broken bolts. I would leave the bike alone until then.

 

[Spkrdctr]

Quit babying the brakes and grab a fistful of front brake! If it locks the tire, then you have all the braking you need. Come on and MAN UP!!!! Then Greg can heat up those pads......

 

[goblinsix]

Thanks Greg....I know you know your stuff, I wasn't second guessing you...not at all. I know that you can't diagnose things over an e-mail.

I just wanted to bounce some things off of other people here so I could learn the process myself. In the last few days I've learned a lot. Sooner or later I've got to be able to learn how to do this stuff myself. By posting here I get to see approaches that others use to troubleshoot issues. Might seem strange or the long way around---but it does help me learn.

 

[GPW]

No issues John, I understand totally.

 

[btbusa]

I think you'll find it's definitely down to using the old pads..

If you looked at the surface of the pad magnified, you will see all the peaks and troughs - which would have perfectly matched the old rotors (or discs as we call 'em over here!)

The new Galfer surface would be uniformly flat - hence your rotors would have only been making proper contact on all the high spots of the old pad.

The longer you run with them, the better the relationship the pads and rotors will have, but in all honesty I would swap them out for either the matched Galfer pads or a decent set of carbon lorraine (dunno if they are called the same in the US?)

Please excuse the crude drawing, but hopefully you can see what I'm getting at.
They may 'look' flat and uniform - but they ain't.