New Brake Pads!

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Edfury828 said:
Oops, new guy mistake! I accidentally hit post prematurely and can't undo it.


As I was about to say, I do have over 50,000 miles that I've ridden, (that's nothing compared to many, I know) so I do have some understanding of what is adequate for me. If I can brake like a 2015 Royal Enfield, or Bonneville, I will be content with that.

I am a bit put off at the prospect of rusty rotors on my Norton however. Maybe I'll get used to it, or maybe it's not that bad? It just seems there would be a sensibly priced non- rusting rotor for a Norton which also stops reasonably well. What ever happened to Free Enterprise?

Meanwhile, I will remove my chrome as soon as I know what that means.

I do appreciate all input, and am grateful for the lifetimes of experience and wisdom which is so freely offered here on this board.
Thank you,
Ed
Click to expand...
See Gregs post No 15 for a company that will grind your disc for you. I made the equipment to grind the chrome off in a lathe. The problem with the chrome std discs is that the chrome wears off unevenly so causing a pulsing brake.
 
dobba99 said:
See Gregs post No 15 for a company that will grind your disc for you. I made the equipment to grind the chrome off in a lathe. The problem with the chrome std discs is that the chrome wears off unevenly so causing a pulsing brake.
Click to expand...
Thanks dobba99 and Greg! I will check into that, and give this some thought. Although, the Girlings above are really tempting!
 
Edfury828 said:
Oops, new guy mistake! I accidentally hit post prematurely and can't undo it.


As I was about to say, I do have over 50,000 miles that I've ridden, (that's nothing compared to many, I know) so I do have some understanding of what is adequate for me. If I can brake like a 2015 Royal Enfield, or Bonneville, I will be content with that.

I am a bit put off at the prospect of rusty rotors on my Norton however. Maybe I'll get used to it, or maybe it's not that bad? It just seems there would be a sensibly priced non- rusting rotor for a Norton which also stops reasonably well. What ever happened to Free Enterprise?

Meanwhile, I will remove my chrome as soon as I know what that means.

I do appreciate all input, and am grateful for the lifetimes of experience and wisdom which is so freely offered here on this board.
Thank you,
Ed
Click to expand...
There are several firms that offer the service of Blanchard grinding the rotor so it is perfectly flat and devoid of chrome where the
pads touch it, drilling holes to lighten the unsprung weight of the front wheel, and painting the center portion not touched by brake pads. They look
like new and with shipping should cost around $150-200. With the chrome gone, they will rust. BUT, if the bike is actually ridden
your new Ferodo pads will keep then looking new and shiny as well as stop you. All this said, while the new pads make a difference along
with the sleeved MC, don't expect a modern brake. They are still pretty doggy but judiciously used along with the rear brake
stop a Commando well enough but not as well as a modern RE or Bonneville. You want modern motorcycle stopping power, plan on
spending quite a bit of money for a conversion. There are numerous threads on this forum discussing this. If I were an urban rider I would
definitely do a replacement front brake system. But since 95% of my riding is rural twisty roads I feel no need and I am addicted to
somewhat stock looking bike.
 
kommando said:
Dot 3, 4 and 5.1 are not silicone, DOT 5 is silicone.

What I found when using DOT 5 was water still got in and gathered at the lowest point in one glob and corroded anything close by.
Click to expand...
I have had Silicone brake fluid (Dot 5) in my MG for 42 years! Topped up after working on slave cylinders, but never changed! I haven't detected corrosion, or found a good reason to change it!

Of course, it is a different system. But I haven't heard anyone report your experience. The only question I would ask is, did you disassemble 'everything' and clean the Dot 4 etc out 100%?
 
SteveA said:
I have had Silicone brake fluid (Dot 5) in my MG for 42 years! Topped up after working on slave cylinders, but never changed! I haven't detected corrosion, or found a good reason to change it!

Of course, it is a different system. But I haven't heard anyone report your experience. The only question I would ask is, did you disassemble 'everything' and clean the Dot 4 etc out 100%?
Click to expand...
Yes including a flush through with fast evaporating solvent, but I am on West Coast of Scotland where the air is always humid.
 
SteveA said:
I have had Silicone brake fluid (Dot 5) in my MG for 42 years! Topped up after working on slave cylinders, but never changed! I haven't detected corrosion, or found a good reason to change it!

Of course, it is a different system. But I haven't heard anyone report your experience. The only question I would ask is, did you disassemble 'everything' and clean the Dot 4 etc out 100%?
Click to expand...
Well you've heard one guy now.
 
concours said:
Well you've heard one guy now.
Click to expand...
Did a quick Goggle and I am not alone, I found a single droplet of water which was a rusty colour not far from a bleed nipple.

Do not be tempted to use Silicon fluid in your Seven. Sure it does not absorb water but moisture will get into your calipers and master cylinder, with conventional fluid the small amount of moisture will be absorbed into the fluid slowly degrading its boiling point. However with silicon the moisture can lurk in the calipers in small droplets and when you work the brakes hard these droplets will boil at 100c and expand rapidly into steam. Its not uncommon for total loss of braking and even small explosions using this suff. From my own experience the silicon fluid has a thicker viscosity than standard fluid and this makes bleeding the system even more difficult than normal. Its also very difficult to rid your system of silicon fluid once you have put it in. If you want a good high performance fluid try Castrol SRF its expensive but less hydroscopic than most other high performance fluids.
I am not saying do not use it, just be aware it will need a complete flush as often as normal DOT braking fluids as moisture will get in as it does with normal DOT fluids hence the need for fresh fluids every 4 or 5 years.
 
I suggest with disc pads, you need to keep buying them until you find some which work. Your front brake is the difference between life and death. The first Suzuki RG500s had chromium plated aluminium discs. The chromium used to spall. So Ross Barelli's father made two discs out of grey cast iron which gave much better stopping. The discs exploded off the bike as Ross was approaching Murrays Corner at Bathurst. He died in the spectator area.
My Seeley 850 has two Suzuki high speed steel discs with Lockheed AP callipers, up front. The only pads which are really effective are ancient asbestos type. I tried a few different types. There is a cast iron disc on the back of my bike which needs to be replaced, but I rarely ever use it.
 
Edfury828 said:
Yes, I was told that the master cyl. was sleeved down to 13mm using a kit. I can only assume that it was done properly...

I am familiar with the process of "turning" a rotor on a brake lathe. I've done it myself thousands of times with cars. Is this what is meant by removing or grinding off the chrome? If not, what is the method of achieving chrome removal, and what is meant by The Chrome?

Are the rotors chrome plated? I have never heard of that specifically. The chrome could not be removed if it were an alloy, so these stock rotors must be plated? How deep or thick is this chrome plating?

The totality of my motorcycling experience has been since 2015 when I purchased a new Royal Enfield Classic 500. People on the internet said the brakes sucked, but they seemed fine to me. The same year I added a new Bonneville T-100. Again, people on the internet said the brakes sucked, but they seemed fine to me. Same for my 2012 Triumph Scrambler with a DMC M72D sidecar, although it does have an additional dic on the tub.

I currently hav
Click to expand...
Yes, hard chrome plated (not triple plated). Generally not turned on a lathe, ground.
 
"Your front brake is the difference between life and death"

Truth.

OP, If you don't yet understand that, then you haven't yet understood the physics, and, haven't yet looked the grim reaper in the eye, and muttered "not today you bastard"
 
concours said:
"Your front brake is the difference between life and death"

Truth.

OP, If you don't yet understand that, then you haven't yet understood the physics, and, haven't yet looked the grim reaper in the eye, and muttered "not today you bastard"
Click to expand...
Agree and since the OP rides multiple bikes and is a vintage bike rider, it's even more important.

I have a customer with a T140V with aftermarket dual front discs and a good master cylinder. After fixing a problem I took the bike out for a test. My right hand forgot it wasn't on a Norton. What's scarier than your first unintended stoppie? A high-speed stoppie and a hopping front wheel! Conversely, if you're used to any modern bike's front brake and you grab a handful of Norton brake too late - well let's hope you enjoy pain!
 
I believe DOT 5.1 silicone fluid was developed for military applications to avoid regular fluid changes out in the field from water contamination. Though somewhat popular with sports/classic car owners (no risk of paint damage from spillage & no water absorption), it does have issues with water separation, leading to potential for corrosion in the lines. Also been found to froth more than the gycol based fluids...potentially a serious issue for ABS systems.

If changing to a different fluid, very important to replace all the rubber seals in the MC & calipers as they will not work so good when switching between gylcol and silicone types of fluid.
Maybe worth looking for a way to test/verify what you have in there currently before just replacing with DOT3 or 4?
 
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