riding with 1 front rotor

[rdj6107]

as i am thinking about upgrading to a 240kit one of the thoughts is to want to show them off. can anyone comment on braking changes if i lose the right side rotor so that i can show off the rim.

NOTE: i will be riding busa to work 1-2 days a week. this is not a bike for shows.

 

[kromdom]

i do not have firsthand experience with a bike that only has one front rotor. But I just upgraded my lines/pads to IMPROVE braking performance. Loosing a rotor for looks is too risky IMHO.

 

[rmodel65]

you will lose a little braking power percentage wise couldnt tell you how much...

 

[jphilipson]

you will lose a little braking power percentage wise couldnt tell you how much...

Well, if you front is giving you about 70% of your braking power, then removing one rotor would theoretically reduce your total breaking power by 35%.

I would never suggest doing such a thing, or say it would be a good idea

 

[rmodel65]

Well, if you front is giving you about 70% of your braking power, then removing one rotor would theoretically reduce your total breaking power by 35%.

I would never suggest doing such a thing, or say it would be a good idea

no it wouldnt remove that much...theres only so much braking power before the tire will lock up and you will start flipping forward or over come the traction of the front tire and it will slide....and a single rotor setup will do both

 

[afterhours]

stop with the bad math formulas......

yes, our bike has 3 rotors.....but its not as simple as dividing by 3.

your total braking comes down to lots of things, mostly available traction from the front tire. you may want to look into another master cylinder that is madd for a single brake caliper. when you remove one caliper with the stock master cyl. it tends to get hard to pull. it will still stop you, but you will have to grip the h#ll out of it.

 

[SLEEPERBUSA]

no it wouldnt remove that much...theres only so much braking power before the tire will lock up and you will start flipping forward or over come the traction of the front tire and it will slide....and a single rotor setup will do both

Thank you for saying this.

I have been preaching this for years, and all the people that have never done it, say it can't be done.

YES, loosing a brake rotor WILL affect braking.
You have to use a little more hand and a little more distance, but it WILL still stop.

If you are installing a 240 kit, that says that you probably aren't gonna be railing thru traffic.
You'll be fine, just ride defensively, like a sportbike rider should be doing anyway.

 

[RMS2005]

done on the old zx11 and it was not enough difference to shatter my peace of mind.I didnt go runnin around at 150 all the time either though. Those brakes aint near what the busa's are either. If I ever put wheels on this one the right rotor will be gone in a flash.

 

[rdj6107]

thanks for all of the input. and yes it is a true statement that i am not a speed freak. i am more about the looks of my busa than i am the speed. even at my fastest, which i wont post cuz most of you would laugh (1??), i was definitely faster than the average car.

my mechanic suggested that i go with a steel braided brake line vs. stock. is this correct?

 

[Commuta_Busa]

Most people who go to one rotor fail to remember that they also need to change the master cylinder for the single rotor setup to work properly. If it were me, I would switch to a Gen1 rotor (+1mm diameter) and add a spacer for the brake caliper. Then I would switch to an adjustable ratio m/c. I'm not sure which one, but the math would help determine this. Realize that your signle rotor setup will be doing more work than a dual setup.

 

[djsin]

Well, if you front is giving you about 70% of your braking power, then removing one rotor would theoretically reduce your total breaking power by 35%.

I would never suggest doing such a thing, or say it would be a good idea

not true u lose surface area true but not power your still using the same master cylinder and moving the same amount of fluid...
BTW I actually stop faster with one then my 3 friends on busas do with 2... less sprung weight, but i also have way better break pads too

 

[FlatlandBusa]

Why would you want to detune your brakes???

Besides a busa looks incomplete with only 1 rotor.

 

[SLEEPERBUSA]

Oh, here we go..............

 

[kml]

not true u lose surface area true but not power your still using the same master cylinder and moving the same amount of fluid...

Sorry, but this incorrect.

Read these for an easy to understand hydraulic physics lesson on master and slave cylinder ratios.

http://www.tpub.com/fluid/ch1j.htm
Note that the pressure set up by the force applied to the input piston (1) is transmitted undiminished to both output pistons (2 and 3), and that the resultant force on each piston is proportional to its area. The multiplication of forces from the input piston to each output piston is the same as that explained earlier.


HowStuffWorks "Brakes: Leverage and Hydraulics"

Again sorry....

cheers
ken

 

[Blake051300]

When I bought my bike it was like that. I can tell you it didn't stop for sh*t. I would advise against it.

 

[Nicholas]

not true u lose surface area true but not power your still using the same master cylinder and moving the same amount of fluid...
BTW I actually stop faster with one then my 3 friends on busas do with 2... less sprung weight, but i also have way better break pads too

so ur saying that u brake better with 1 rotor? not being disrespectful or anything but u cant compare the way u do something to the one other people do something.. best comparisons is for u to ride with 2 rotors in a controlled environment then ride with 1 rotor.. and u will clearly be able to tell that u lose alot of stopping power...

 

[rdj6107]

sorry for the debated subject. i was enteratining the idea cuz if i spend $4000K on a 240kit, i dont want the bling hidden. obviously safety outranks showing off. i just see so many pics of single rotors on the front wheel so i was curious of the ramifications of going with 1 rotor vs. 2.

 

[SLEEPERBUSA]

rdj,
you'll be fine!
You have already stated your riding habits.
Out of all of the engineers on this thread, only 1 person has actually DONE it and didn't like it. He didn't elaborate on if he tried to work with the brake system and bleed it and change the pads, or not. That's cool tho. He didn't like it and gave you real world experience. He changed his and he's cool with it now.

I don't speak on what I've read or heard, but what I've DONE.
I've been over 200mph on quite a few occasions with 1 front rotor and never had a problem.

You'll be fine.
Enjoy your bling.

 

[afterhours]

you cannot use all of the brake systems abilities....due to traction.

what is the difference if you have a single caliper, working at 70% of its max capacity or if you have two rotors working. the limiting factor will still be traction.

dual rotors are used for a simple reason, they hold up better for racing conditions. the single rotor will have to work harder, it will get hot...and the braking will fade. with two rotors and calipers, they are less stressed, they can do the same job with less heat and perform better for longer periods of time....multiple laps.

none of this matters for a street bike, where you are not maxing out the braking system.

as has been discussed, for the best set-up you will need a new master cyl. that is designed for a single caliper....with a properly set-up single caliper system you will be fine.
If you choose to use the stock piece, it will be hard to squeeze...and will not work as good.

most people have never done this,never ridden a bike set-up like this...and are full of B.S. on this subject. my bike has a single disk, i ride it on the street all the time.

 

[SLEEPERBUSA]

most people have never done this,never ridden a bike set-up like this...and are full of B.S. on this subject. my bike has a single disk, i ride it on the street all the time.

Just because this deserves repeating.

People that have only read or heard, shouldn't even speak on certian subjects!