Front discs interchangeable?

ST Gui

240Robert
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There are plenty of bikes that have only ONE front disk. That's about as unequal as you can get. And there is no problem with these one front disk bikes.

Save you money and run whatever disk on whatever side you want !!
That never even occurred to me. My second bike had one front disc and I converted it to duals with reversed calipers. Every bike I've own since then has be dual discs in the front since. (No dual discs in the back for me. That's just overkill.)

Single disc front bikes are still made today. I never woulda thunk it.
 

ST Gui

240Robert
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ST1100Y said:
But only up to a particular weight/displacement...
Good God how could I have forgotten to qualify my statement. This changes everything!
 
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IMHO, those angled slots in the disks are to reduce disk weight and the shape and direction is for styling only and placing a left disk on the right side, or visa-versa will not pose a safety problem. And to prove that, on my next tire change, I will swap the two disks side-to-side.

If I die as a result, I will have my widow report back on this Forum. But I'm certain that won't happen, even when using Volar Kevlar brake pads ( $16 w/shipping for a full set, front & rear ).
 
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Uncle Phil

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IMHO, those angled slots in the disks are to reduce disk weight and the shape and direction is for styling only and placing a left disk on the right side, or visa-versa will not pose a safety problem. And to prove that, on my next tire change, I will swap the two disks side-to-side.

If I die as a result, I will have my widow report back on this Forum. But I'm certain that won't happen, even with using Volar Kevlar brake pads ( $16 w/shipping for a full set, front & rear ).
And I bet you run with scissors too ....:eek: :D
 
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Hey, I won't even take a bath until at least one hour after I eat. But swapping those disks is no big deal !!

And I will swap those disks side-to-side before next spring after I get both disks re-surfaced. I hope the disk police don't object.
 
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Byron

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Hey, I won't even take a bath until at least one hour after I eat. But swapping those disks is no big deal !!

And I will swap those disks side-to-side before next spring after I get both disks re-surfaced. I hope the disk police won't notice.
Good luck finding a shop that will resurface a motorcycle disc.
 
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You are welcome. I know a few guys in the MC Beemer's Club in the Detroit area who have used this guy's service and they have been happy with the results.

My disks aren't that bad, but I'm planning on getting them "touched-up" so they are like new again. For $90 , it's a lot cheaper compared to the cost and then depreciation on a replacement bike.
 
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I've never had m/c disks wear unevenly, why pay to touch them up? When my ST rotors finally wore out after 100k miles, I found a set of replacement rotors for $60 that were well less than 50% worn.
 

Byron

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I've never had m/c disks wear unevenly, why pay to touch them up? When my ST rotors finally wore out after 100k miles, I found a set of replacement rotors for $60 that were well less than 50% worn.
Visually they may not look uneven but they usually are to some extent. Most of us ignore it and just put new pads on. The more uneven they are the more they eat up the new pads until they are mated again. Try laying a GOOD straight edge on the disc the next time you change pads and you might be surprised. :)
 
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I am a fanatic when it comes to preventative maintenance. Yup, I'm certain too that they are slightly worn. In my mind, a touch-up is in order - why not ?? Better safe than sorry ( except when it comes to swapping disks side-to-side ).
 
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Visually they may not look uneven but they usually are to some extent. Most of us ignore it and just put new pads on. The more uneven they are the more they eat up the new pads until they are mated again. Try laying a GOOD straight edge on the disc the next time you change pads and you might be surprised. :)
I run a micrometer across mine fairly often and have never seen any ridges or uneven wear that would require pad bedding in. Maybe I'm lucky.
 

ST Gui

240Robert
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dwalby said:
Maybe I'm lucky.
I'd say you are. Every bike I've owned had uneven wear and grooves in the factory rotors. The only bike that had very little (visible) unevenness was my Duc and that might have been because the rotors were cast iron. Or not.

When converting my 750-4 to dual discs (and reversing the calipers) a friend with a bike-oriented machine shop dressed and drilled the used and OEM rotors on a lathe. They looked great: for awhile.

There used to be a ride up Hwy 1 outside of Mill Valley CA called the Sunday Morning Ride. A few of the bikes had custom made discs that were "plasma coated" aluminum rotors on steel carriers. The "coating" whatever it was looked like industrial hard chrome but I'm sure it wasn't.

Riders swore they had thousands of miles on them but there were no signs of wear. I mean these looked like they just came off the shelf. They were supposed to be very light weight (less unsprung weight) and stop better than OEM. Never tried them but they were the only discs I've ever seen that always looked fresh and passed the fingernail test.
 
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