Brakes for 1984 GL-1200

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Brent1984

Active member
Joined
Aug 18, 2012
Messages
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Location
Vancouver BC
I have been looking for rotors for my bike. Front and rear...can I get them turned like you can for cars?? Wow are they expensive!! I don't want to cheap out on brakes but...$300/per rotor is very expensive!! I live in The Vancouver area of BC...can anybody help we with ideas?? My buddy has a performance type...crotch rocket and his high end rotors are less than $80!!
 
I sell them on Flea Bay and to be honest most are only slightly above the minimum for safety check (4mm front and 6mm rear) if the rotor is only 4.6 or 4.7 turning them down would put them below the throw away mark. And the bad news is most of the disaster-market rotors are soft and wear out quickly.

Sorry not what you wanted to hear
 
I had this crazy idea to shim the back of one of the brake pads with a piece of flat steel cut to fit and JB Weld it together...Is that crazy or what..I probably won't do it but I thought to myself, what if... If a Rotor is beyond Specifications what's it gonna hurt....Think about it, it would bring the pad back in a little and that would tight stuff up, if it's too tight just sand down the pad a little to fit it perfectly....Yes.... :shock: Has anyone tried this nutty idea...Or will I have to try it first..??? :Egyptian:
 
Hey Joe, I just ran down to Home Depot and got a flat piece of aluminum, I took a photo of my lay out, I shall cut it with my band saw, I have the power :smilie_happy: ....and I shall glue it was mention using jb weld and I shall place it in a vise overnight and sand the edges or vile them if needed in the morning and I shall try this as an experiment...If it works I wil get more use oout of my rotors,, I am not sure if I want to do both brake pads or just one..It all depends...I just want to see what happens... I used a fine tipped marker to draw it out...
 
??
Why are you needing to shim them?
The pistons will push the pads out down to bare metal even if the rotor is at spec, maybe even worn below spec.
Mine are at spec minimum and the pads DO wear down to metal.
Get down much thinner than spec minimum on those rotors I think they can crack and it's possible for them to shatter, at least that's what I've read about car rotors.
 
Less travel Dan, I think the more the rotor is worn down the more travel it takes to apply the brake tight at the pedal, the shim will make that travel less..It's either going to work or it won't work, I shall find out..Only because nobody else has...That I know of..It should make my brakes like power brakes :smilie_happy: :clapping: Or I will crash and burnn.. :smilie_happy: My God it's 80 degrees out and clear and no wind hardly,, Hill Country here I come again...who thinks this will work? Joe does...I do..anyone else...I want my brakes to work to their fullest.. Dan you asked why???? Because I can...ha ha :clapping: :clapping: :clapping:
 
I'm all for trying unusual stuff, when it comes to brakes I'm hesitant and like to question any mods to make sure they're safe.

I could be wrong, often am but I think the master cylinder won't know the shimming has been done and the pedal won't raise any more than if you were to simply adjust the MC adjustment rod to raise the pedal.
 
littlebeaver":2qebbhra said:
Less travel Dan, I think the more the rotor is worn down the more travel it takes to apply the brake tight at the pedal, the shim will make that travel less..It's either going to work or it won't work, I shall find out..Only because nobody else has...That I know of..It should make my brakes like power brakes :smilie_happy: :clapping: Or I will crash and burnn.. :smilie_happy: My God it's 80 degrees out and clear and no wind hardly,, Hill Country here I come again...who thinks this will work? Joe does...I do..anyone else...I want my brakes to work to their fullest.. Dan you asked why???? Because I can...ha ha :clapping: :clapping: :clapping:
Beav....put the fruit juice down before you get hurt!

The brakes are hydraulic! The hydraulic fluid fills the cylinder and will push those pistons right out of the caliper if needed (no shim required). That is the great thing about hydraulic systems; whether the cylinder is half full or nearly full based on the wear on the pads, the system works the same.

If the rotors end up below spec (I had one on the rear) they warp REAL FAST!
 
NOOOOOOOO...You can not bust up my bubble...I will make it work...You will see..silly rabbit...It's cool aid.... :smilie_happy:
 
joedrum":2gvhfcpw said:
nah beav you aint the first for this ...
Joe, does it help or no? Spill the beans sir..I'm out nothing if it doesn't work well but if it helps and I see a difference I shall report it,,I'm one of those people that have to learn the hard way..I never listen to logic...Brakes work fine on the bike I'm just bored..
 
Think your a tad off on this Beav.
Dan is right when he says the travel is the same regardless of the wear on the pads. Not like the old shoes that used to retract all the way and we used to have to adjust the travel. The reason for the minimum width of the rotors has more to do with heat causing hard spots on the face and warping both of which affect the ability to stop.
 
beav it works there no way to make the brake pads thicker without the piston being move back in the caliper witch is what your trying to do here ...and yes there are shims in regular brake pads stock ...im not the first one who have had these come off ...this is a good temp fix for shot calipers ...that will work if they were in the caliper deeper ive don e this before and it works ...i had to do it to some junkyard calipers for the mongrel and it worked fine ...no problem at all :mrgreen: :builder:
 
Brake seems much tighter now,,, By gosh Joe you are correct.. Hey I was going to have my brake rotor turned or resurfaced, then my pea brain went to work again....what if I glued some fine metal sandpaper to the two extra brake pads I have put them on the bike and start it and put it in gear and get the wheel a spinnen :shock: , then just apply the brake until it sands a new surface, think this will work... :shock: Or should I pay 300 to have a machinist do it.. :shock: Oh hey fella's, just because I'm crazy enough to try this don't mean you should go do this.. It is after all you're brakes you do the safe thing and please don't go do this..
 
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