Stainless Steel Front Rotors?

well nuts. i can't seem to get the top clutch side (left if sitting on the bike) allen bolt to loosen to remove the calipers. i've got 110k on her and i'm supposing the rotor bolts aren't going to be easy to take off either without heavy duty tools that i don't have. The brake lever side just has the two hex head bolts like in the service manual.


Just called a shop in town and they want 127.00 to replace the rotors and pads. They also state the pads must be replaced with the rotors because you don't want uneven wear patterns due to using preexisting pads. my pads have about 500mi. on them so that would be a bummer to have to toss them.

In reading other posts i'm hearing about people getting front wheels off in about ten minutes once they know what they're doing (read: 45mins as i learn what to do while doing it). Is the shop trying to make extra money off me in parts or are they being honest about pads and rotors being replaced together?

riddmkidd said:

well nuts. i can't seem to get the top clutch side (left if sitting on the bike) allen bolt to loosen to remove the calipers. i've got 110k on her and i'm supposing the rotor bolts aren't going to be easy to take off either without heavy duty tools that i don't have. The brake lever side just has the two hex head bolts like in the service manual.


Just called a shop in town and they want 127.00 to replace the rotors and pads. They also state the pads must be replaced with the rotors because you don't want uneven wear patterns due to using preexisting pads. my pads have about 500mi. on them so that would be a bummer to have to toss them.

In reading other posts i'm hearing about people getting front wheels off in about ten minutes once they know what they're doing (read: 45mins as i learn what to do while doing it). Is the shop trying to make extra money off me in parts or are they being honest about pads and rotors being replaced together?

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Those allen socket bolts are usually a pretty hard grade, meaning they can take a lot of torque. Shoot a little PB blaster on it and let it sit a while. Then use a ratchet with a 6mm allen (IIRC) driver attached. If that doesn't work, buy a longer ratchet. That bolt shouldn't be difficult to remove. If you're currently trying with a regular allen wrench then put that down and go buy the allen socket for your ratchet.

If your old rotors have a significant lip on them, be prepared for a little wiggling to get the brake caliper off. On a non-ABS bike the left caliper sweeps to the edge of the rotor IIRC, so that one is probably going to be easier than the right one, which may have a lip.

Rotor bolts are low torque, not going to be a problem, but pay attention to the little paper/cardboard spacers that fit between the wheel and the disk.

Pads normally bed into the rotor, not the other way around, and pads with 500 miles on them should be reusable. In theory new pads and disks would be optimum, but if it were my bike I'd just put the same pads back on it. If you see any significant ridges on the pads, use a file to get them flat again before re-installation (avoid sandpaper, it could leave some grit in the pad)

Very important to have decent, proper sized tools for working on the bike, which avoids rounding off bolt heads, etc. That Allen bolt should only have 20 ft/lb of torque on it, so it should come out easily enough, unless a gorilla last worked on your bike.

The rotor bolts take 31 ft/lb, so they should come out without too much difficulty. As I said, quality tools will fit fasteners better and help to avoid problems.

Those pads are still like brand new, I assume, so I wouldn't agree with the shop about replacing. The grooves cut across them (on OEM pads) indicate when to replace them. If the grooves are gone, the pad is done. If the pads are still usable, but worn irregularly due to a worn rotor, you can place them on some medium grit SANDPAPER on a flat surface and smooth them out somewhat. Once back on the bike and in use, they will quickly wear into the flatness of the new rotor. BTDT.

thanks for the feedback folks, i'm off to the hardware store to check out allen bolt sockets.

Bush said:

The rotor bolts take 31 ft/lb,

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When I loosened them they didn't seem all that tight to me, so I tightened them back to something like 23-25 IIRC, and that seemed like it was at least as tight as they felt on removal.

For an 8mm bolt going into aluminum 31 ft-lb sounds really high, so I got a bit chicken with that spec and backed it down, does everybody torque them to that spec? For a generic 8mm torque application something around 16-20 ft-lb is more commonly suggested, so I was surprised to see that high a number.

In the past, I've had some rotor bolts (and lots of other bolts) that were pretty corroded (bi-metal corrosion) and along with the thread locker, guite difficult to remove. A hand impact driver, such as this, and good bit, will usually loosen a stuborn fastner with a few whacks of a hammer. A fairly inexpensive tool that every mechanic should have in his or her toolbox.

For stuck bolts, I've often had success by alternately tightening and loosening. Several cycles has gotten them to come loose without having to use excessive force.

riddmkidd said:

thanks for the feedback folks, i'm off to the hardware store to check out allen bolt sockets.

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For any questioning re-using those pads, a sheet of 80grit emory cloth clamped in vice around a block of wood and a bit of elbow grease will have them flush across contact surface.

riddmkidd said:

The rotors arrived nice and quickly however one is painted black and one isn't.

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I ordered the same ones and both were painted. They are magnetic, so that makes them 400 series stainless.

Bush said:

Very important to have decent, proper sized tools for working on the bike, which avoids rounding off bolt heads, etc...

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Amen to that...
Attacking stuck bolts with improper tools can not only get expensive really quick, it also bears risk of injury...

If the pads are still usable, but worn irregularly due to a worn rotor, you can place them on some medium grit SANDPAPER on a flat surface and smooth them out somewhat.

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+1 on nearly new pads, also bevel the edges a bit to smooth the "running in" process.

For an 8mm bolt going into aluminum 31 ft-lb sounds really high, so I got a bit chicken with that spec and backed it down, does everybody torque them to that spec?

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I observe the difference between "dry" and "lubed" torque... so when I have to apply a small drop of threadlock on rotor bolts and such, I too rather "round down" the numbers, especially when the bolts go into (expensive) aluminium parts...
Same applies on the calliper mounting bolts which I treat with a touch of copper-slip, which spares me extra efforts like fancy language upon removal in the future... ;-)

Well no luck today. Got an Allen bolt socket set and that made all the difference in getting the caliper bolts off. But I couldn't remove either side calipers without taking out the brake pads for some wiggle room. The left/clutch side calipers just hit the rim on the way out. Ran out of time and will have to try again later this weekor after my impending move.

riddmkidd said:

The left/clutch side calipers just hit the rim on the way out.

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They won't just pull straight off the rotor, the rim gets in the way, that is normal. You have to wiggle them a bit to get them to clear the rim, keep trying and you should get it.

Update: turns out I didn't have all the right tools (nor experience) for the job. Ended up taking her in to a shop to do the rotor swap.

We lucked out that the rotor mounting bolts were all reusable. The service manual recommends replacing the bolts. I thought the dealer was just trying to make more money off me...

I didn't replace the pads at the same time as they had 800mi. On them though they were rounded from the previous rotors. Ended up with a wobble in the front end during braking like I had a warped disc. Installed brand new pads with only 37miles on the rotors and 90% of the wobble went away. I checked with the seller and they claim they test all the rotors before they ship them so hopefully quality control is actually up to snuff. The interiors are painted black which should help with rust prevention and match the black body parts nicely too. In hindsight I would go with ebc or save up for OME rotors but these are working out so far. Updates to follow...

On and I learned service Honda in Indiana has much better prices than in the sf bay area. Our dealers sell everything at list price!