Brake rotors/ discs

Delta

Well-Known Member
Hi fellers, have any of you guys tried any of the cheap rotors from ebay via China ?
I've been looking at them all from silly price to how can they be that cheap..
It looks like a lot of even to branded ones come from China. I see some from M factory stating quality stainless steel rotors and aircraft grade aluminium carriers. All laser cnc cut and heat treated. 2 front and 1 rear at £160 inc postage.
Too good to be true or a company trying to break into the market?
Has anyone tried these or any similar?
Thanks guys your input would be appreciated..

Delta.
 
I also have been looking at ebay brakes but to be honest, cheaply priced disks, scare me.
The last thing I would want to have fail, at any speed, are my front brakes.
 
don't touch those. the weak link in your brakes is not the rotors. stock fz1 brakes do suck, but a better mc, braided lines and proper pads will go a long way with those caliipers and rotors and will take care of most street riders just fine
 
I use braided brake lines already, I just like the look of the wavey discs. Many folk say don't use them but I've not heard of any bad reports yet and I've looked on many forums. I've read one good report so far on s cbr600 forum and this guy tested them on the track and it was all good. I just would like to know if anyone has actually tried them on a fz1. I want facts not just what people think. Lots of stuff is China made and not all of it is bad so it seems. To be sure though I'd like more feedback on these China rotors.
 
Has nobody tried these rotors then? The ones I looked at was M factory they look nice for the price. I'm tempted and at that price I'd replace them every few years.
Here's some details

M-Factory High Quality
Front & Rear Brake Disc Rotor Set

This is brand NEW aftermarket Front & Rear Brake Rotors Set made by our company. On the rotors work, we have recently been given merits for the laser cutting technology, rotor cooling technique and for using some of the most durable materials. 100% new, factory packed and never been used. Made in high quality stainless steel.

We've tried those rotors on the road & track and to be honest, they worked better than we thought they would. Its technology allows expansion and contraction of the rotor and carrier when braking, therefore providing much better braking response, feedback, reduced drag & heat, full pad contact and always perfectly aligned.
- Generally 15% to 20% lighter than OEM brake rotors
- Made of Low-carbon high grade stainless steel (SUS420 J2)
- 5mm thickness (high performance)
- carrier is made of Aluminum 6061-T6 with Anodized finish
- Feedback and perform better than most OEM rotors
- Designed by CAD/CAM system
- Hi-end laser cut technology, heat resistance test on each disc
- Expandable and contactable, offer great friction during brake
- **One set : Front - 2pcs (left and right) & Rear - 1pc **

Any comments guys?
 
I too want a set of Wavys, but can't really afford the prices on the EBC, Galfer, etc brands. While I have M-Factory levers and fork sliders and don't have any issues with them, brake rotors are a different thing entirely. I like the price and now I see that they have a 30 day money back guarantee. The problem is when you read the small print is that you can return any item within 7 days from the date of your delivery. What happened to the 30 day money back guarantee???
M Factory.JPG

I don't think I could install and test them thoroughly enough in 7 days in order to make a decision whether to send them back or not so basically if you buy them your stuck with them. The write up seems nice but then again, everyone's product write ups sound great. They are writing them! If they offered a "true" 30 day guarantee I might be swayed into making the purchase but not at 7 days.
 
I'm tempted to buy a set and test them out. At £160 delivered I could swallow that if they turn out to be poop.
I'd still like to hear from anyone that has done it though.
 
The thing with Chinese steel is that it varies greatly. They might work well under most conditions but might literally shatter if your going hard in the twisties or on the track. The numerous heat cycles harden your rotors while removing material, so all rotors will eventually be at risk of cracking. Which is why there is a minimum thickness (among other things). So be careful. Ask them what standard they test to? ASTM, SAE ( J109), GB (Chinese equivalent, and can be cross referenced)? If they can't give you and answer I would be very weary. Maybe only mount on the rear and go hard for a few weeks? At least if it fails you'll still have primary braking up front. Just my 2 cents. Good luck.
 
I don't have experience with these chinese rotors, of varying brands (if any)... i too must admit i've been tempted, as my stock rotors are looking a bit shabby, and who doesn't like wavy rotors?

I, like you, delta, have searched different forums for feedback. i cannot say that i've really found anything negative (of note). there is the typical balking by many concerning quality & safety, but again, there doesn't seem to be any negative experiences posted.

the brand that i keep hearing is positives about is arashi. seems to be a decent amount of zrx utilizing arashi rotors.while dimensions/tolerances may be apparent right out of the box, the true quality of the metal may not be so readily apparent. But, i suppose any brand rotor can break.

i'd say that testing the rear rotor only/first would be the safest route, but really front vs. rear = apples vs. oranges. plus, you probably wouldn't be getting quite the deal as you would buying the whole package. another thought is that even if one breaks, you'd still have the others (this is in the case where the broken rotor doesn't jam things up and send you ass over tea kettle).

dunno what to tell you, delta. i'm all ears for another review on these things though!
 
Ok then I've found a very good company in the UK called Black Shadow that actually make quality wavey rotors at very good prices. Only £40-50 more than the China cheapo's

Here's some info from the site...


Brake Vibration (Causes and solutions)
Many riders confuse rotor warping, or warped rotors, with a condition called DTV (disc thickness variation). DTV occurs when a vehicle brakes are serviced and the brake rotor has runout in excess of 0.08mm . This runout causes the pads to contact the rotor when the vehicle is being driven "off brake" and after 3-4000 miles( Sometimes Much less), a thin spot develops on the rotor. The rotor runout itself does not actually cause a vibration. It is the effect of the thickness variation of the brake disc or brake rotor under braking that causes pulsation. Even small thickness variations such as 0.012mm or 0.0005" will exhibit itself as pulsation. A warped rotor is a very rare occurrence and in many years in business, we have seen no genuine cases of warped brake rotors.
The general guideline is that if the vibration happens immediately after install, there is a quite severe runout problem that needs looking into. Brake discs or rotors should be mounted on flat smooth rust and dirt free hub flanges without the use of coppaslip which includes small particles which have the same effect as dirt. Remember that even a small particle of 0.001" under the rotor surface can cause a deviation of 0.005 at the pad contact point.

An Example
Your wheel turns once every 1.9mtrs thats 842 turns per mile or
842104 turns per 1000 miles. If there is any runout Irregularity, on every turn of the wheel,
a minute amount of material is taken off the high spot as the caliper does not retract the pistons fully
each time the brakes are applied. In Time this will wear a thin spot altering the Parallel flatness
which then CANNOT be remedied, only by stripping and Re-machining the Rotor
Even a particle of DUST can measure .0005"

If the vibration happens after 3-4000 miles and sometimes Much less, this is a clear indication that DTV has occurred which is not a warranty condition. The only solution for this is to remove the brake rotor, have it re-machined if possible, or replace it with a new rotor.
Every case of "Warped Discs" reported to us has been caused by NOT checking the Run-out when fitting.

Here's the web page http://www.blackshadow-uk.co.uk/index.html
I think I will buy from Black Shadow. Each rotor disc is tested and serial number stamped.
They do replacement rotors for most of the top brands too.

Thoughts guys?

Cheers Delta.
 
I'll buy decent branded disc's warping happens with cheap discs just read kawasaki and other mfr's bikes that warp disc's all down to a budget.
 
I'll buy decent branded disc's warping happens with cheap discs just read kawasaki and other mfr's bikes that warp disc's all down to a budget.

I'm going with black shadow rather than the chinky Al cheapo's.
Read back 3 posts on what I posted from the site about warped discs. It's not warping what happens it's DTV. Have a read fella.

Cheers Delta.
 
I had two sets, both showed up warped. Total junk.

Stock r1 discs for me now.

Ok that's bad news fella I'm sorry to hear that.
So was these the Al cheapo chinky rotors??
As I said in an earlier post I'm going to try Black Shadow. My mate got some for his yam fzr thou and I was impressed with the quality and the fact they serial number each rotor.
Cheers
Delta
 
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