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Rear Rotors other than OEM

2K views 26 replies 9 participants last post by  Petre 
#1 ·
I'm thinking of changing my rear rotors to 'other' than BMW. I had BMW change them to the 'floating' kind 40K ago trying to 'cure' :( the squeaking rear brake and of course that didn't fix the problem and now the float has become sloppy and it's noisy slow speed over bumps..

I figured that I would try another brand because I'm don't like doing this now and surely won't like swapping out perfectly good rotors again three years from now..

My problem is I can't seem to locate any 'rear' rotors online.. Seems that everyone selling EBC or Ferodo online has the fronts but not rears.. Has anyone bought them online.. I have spent a few hours looking and I just might stop in M/C shop and try to order them...

The EBC part number is MD615 but when I called a few suppliers they don't stock or sell that part... :confused:

Or has anyone found a workable and safe fix to the excessive play. :)
 
#2 ·
Jack, not sure if you got this straightened out, but I was just reading a threat the other day on the ceramic pads fixing the sqeaking problem. Thought I'd mention it.
 
#5 ·
KMC1 said:
Jack, not sure if you got this straightened out, but I was just reading a threat the other day on the ceramic pads fixing the sqeaking problem. Thought I'd mention it.
I believe that I have the problem under control... as far as the squeaking.. I use a thin paper box from a 'Wheaties' carton as a backer plate.. that works all season.. Not sure that ceramic pad expense will cure the problem.. My problem is basically how I use the brakes... I am to gentle.. :( But that is how I ride... I took an Advanced Riding course last weekend and I may change how I brake after I practice and get some real world experience... :D
 
#6 ·
NOGILLS2 said:
I have a rear rotor on order from www.cyclebrakes.com Ask for Shirley, should have been in the mail last Monday. I think $132.00, it does not come with the abs ring, you will have to swap it over. Also new pads with order $15.00.
Thanks that was what I was looking for... I tried a few M/C shops over the weekend and they all agreed that EBC made one but their supplier did not carry that disk..
 
#7 ·
blkswan said:
The other day I was on Bikebandit.com and saw they sell aftermarket rotors, pads made by EBC. The rear is $132. I don't know about stock.

http://www.bikebandit.com/partsbandit/productlist~section_dept_id~1170244~terrain_dept_id~1202994~cat_dept_id~2158117~product_dept_id~2158146~selection_Path~3.asp

Will Hedgspeth
Hmm... Now I'm confused.. looks like that is just the rotor applied to my retainer.. and I thought that I would have to buy the whole thing and then just transfer the ABS ring.. This part looks like I will be transferring much more... This looks like it is a replacement for my original 'fixed' rear rotor... :confused:
 
#8 ·
jackd said:
Hmm... Now I'm confused.. looks like that is just the rotor applied to my retainer.. and I thought that I would have to buy the whole thing and then just transfer the ABS ring.. This part looks like I will be transferring much more... This looks like it is a replacement for my original 'fixed' rear rotor... :confused:
I don't know if EBC is offering something different than they were a couple of years ago or not. However, when I was looking for a replacement rear rotor at that time, EBC did have a rotor replacement but it was just that, a rotor. It didn't include the center hub which is riveted to the rotor and I'm not aware that there is a method to transfer the old hub to the new rotor. Those two parts are attached with heavy duty rivets that when properly swagged allow the rotor to "float". Don't think anyone but the factory is set up with the tooling to accomplish that.
 
#9 ·
blkswan said:
The other day I was on Bikebandit.com and saw they sell aftermarket rotors, pads made by EBC. The rear is $132. I don't know about stock.

http://www.bikebandit.com/partsbandit/productlist~section_dept_id~1170244~terrain_dept_id~1202994~cat_dept_id~2158117~product_dept_id~2158146~selection_Path~3.asp

Will Hedgspeth
The pictures of the LT rotors cannot be right. The front rotors on the LT have no carrier, but the rotors pictured do.

The rear LT rotor is riveted to a carrier, the pictured one is not. Wondering if they got the pictures reversed?
 
#10 ·
My rear disc was ridiculously loose. It actually looked pretty dangerous to me.

The retaining clips that fit around the large rivets that the disc "Floats" on were almost all damaged or missing.

What a horrible design. :mad:

I took mine off and ..... :think: .... WELDED IT :D

I now have a solid rear rotor. Maybe not the best plan , but I was REALLY getting sick of my bike sounding like something was going to fall off the rear end.

I may look into the after market for alternative rear discs , but , I sure am not interested in buying a new rotor every few 1000 miles to get rid of that noise. :mad:
 
#11 ·
Lynn_Keen said:
I don't know if EBC is offering something different than they were a couple of years ago or not. However, when I was looking for a replacement rear rotor at that time, EBC did have a rotor replacement but it was just that, a rotor. It didn't include the center hub which is riveted to the rotor and I'm not aware that there is a method to transfer the old hub to the new rotor. Those two parts are attached with heavy duty rivets that when properly swagged allow the rotor to "float". Don't think anyone but the factory is set up with the tooling to accomplish that.

Well I guess I'll wait to see if NOGILLS2 gets his and if it is what is pictured... or it is what it should be... :confused: I will send him a PM just to find out...
 
#12 ·
Petre said:
My rear disc was ridiculously loose. It actually looked pretty dangerous to me.

The retaining clips that fit around the large rivets that the disc "Floats" on were almost all damaged or missing.

What a horrible design. :mad:

I took mine off and ..... :think: .... WELDED IT :D

I now have a solid rear rotor. Maybe not the best plan , but I was REALLY getting sick of my bike sounding like something was going to fall off the rear end.

I may look into the after market for alternative rear discs , but , I sure am not interested in buying a new rotor every few 1000 miles to get rid of that noise. :mad:
I sure would like to do that myself but I don't have the expertise or the equipment... I'll have to pay.. for a replacement.. :(
 
#14 ·
Looking in the manual it appears to be quite simple. there are two bolts holding the assembly, rotor, abs ring to the hub. three bolts to the abs ring. When I spoke with the dealer he gave me instructions on how to change and assured it will be very simple. He did say that all the bolts will be difficult to remove, as they are attached with loctite and from the heat of using the brake, said it will take some patience. I told him I would be using EBC rotor. I will post results when I get the job completed. Dealer did say that all bolts are allen head bolts.

cyclebrakes also gave me the same instructions and checked with EBC and replied that the procedure would be the same. So all three vendors involved gave me the same report. We'll see!
 
#15 ·
NOGILLS2 said:
Looking in the manual it appears to be quite simple. there are two bolts holding the assembly, rotor, abs ring to the hub. three bolts to the abs ring. When I spoke with the dealer he gave me instructions on how to change and assured it will be very simple. He did say that all the bolts will be difficult to remove, as they are attached with loctite and from the heat of using the brake, said it will take some patience. I told him I would be using EBC rotor. I will post results when I get the job completed. Dealer did say that all bolts are allen head bolts.

cyclebrakes also gave me the same instructions and checked with EBC and replied that the procedure would be the same. So all three vendors involved gave me the same report. We'll see!
I took mine off ... was very easy . No Difficulty removing even with the locktite which was only on the 2 Rotor screws.

On a side note ... my newly welded disc is a big time SQUEEEKER!!! :mad:

But no more sounding like some stuff is going to fall off the back of my bike :D

Time for some ceramic pads ??? :confused:
 
#16 ·
Petre said:
I took mine off ... was very easy . No Difficulty removing even with the locktite which was only on the 2 Rotor screws.

On a side note ... my newly welded disc is a big time SQUEEEKER!!! :mad:

But no more sounding like some stuff is going to fall off the back of my bike :D

Time for some ceramic pads ??? :confused:
It's going to be interesting to see if the ceramic pads help... If it does maybe that is the next real fix... :cool:
 
#17 ·
Petre said:
I took mine off and ..... :think: .... WELDED IT :D

I now have a solid rear rotor. Maybe not the best plan ,
That will not be good for any length of time!

ALL disk brake systems have either floating disks, or floating calipers. One or the other has to have compliance in it. Most car disk brake systems use floating calipers (all that I have seen), but that takes more room and weight. I think typically the lighter of the two is made to float. On cars with big heavy disks, the caliper is the lighter item, Motorcycles tend to use floating rotors, since the thin rotors are lighter than the caliper assemblies.

If both are solidly mounted, you will have "juddering"/pulsing problems if the rotor gets any warp or buildup areas on it.
 
#18 ·
dshealey said:
That will not be good for any length of time!

ALL disk brake systems have either floating disks, or floating calipers. One or the other has to have compliance in it. Most car disk brake systems use floating calipers (all that I have seen), but that takes more room and weight. I think typically the lighter of the two is made to float. On cars with big heavy disks, the caliper is the lighter item, Motorcycles tend to use floating rotors, since the thin rotors are lighter than the caliper assemblies.

If both are solidly mounted, you will have "juddering"/pulsing problems if the rotor gets any warp or buildup areas on it.
That is interesting... I thought that the original BMW rear rotor was fixed and they went to a floating rotor as an attempt to reduce or eliminate the squeak..???
 
#19 ·
jackd said:
That is interesting... I thought that the original BMW rear rotor was fixed and they went to a floating rotor as an attempt to reduce or eliminate the squeak..???
ALL the rotors on LTs have been floating. Never has been a fixed one.

They changed the design of the rotors once to try and lessen the squealing, seems that they changed the number of rivets or something like that, but the floating feature of the design has never changed.
 
#20 ·
Mine have squeeked since day one!

:( I have had my 05 back to the dealer 3 times, drove the tech nuts. The first time He told me to just ride it and it will go away. The next time I was told that they all squeak to some extent and that it has to do with the very hard metallic pads they use and the design of the wheel is what causes the harmonic?? The last time i brought it back very frustrated, this thing squeaked all the time while moving, at 35 mph you could not hear yourself think. This time he found the real caliper was sticking so he replaced it. Now for the most part it only squeaks when stopping, however to day it started a very high pitched scream at while riding I am hoping a few hard stops will break the glaze or what ever is causing the new noise??
 
#22 ·
dshealey said:
ALL the rotors on LTs have been floating. Never has been a fixed one.

They changed the design of the rotors once to try and lessen the squealing, seems that they changed the number of rivets or something like that, but the floating feature of the design has never changed.
Thanks for clearing that up.. that makes sense. Mine was swapped out by a BMW shop after I put only a few thousand miles on. Silly me.. :) I thought I was getting 'the' fix'..
 
#23 ·
For what it is worth, my 2006 does not squeal--yet. I have 4600 miles on it so far. I do on occasion brake hard hitting the rear brake first at a high speed (60-70mph) as a routine method of trying to avoid the problem. So far it seems to have worked. This action must reduce the glaze from slow speed braking over time?
 
#25 ·
There has to be a way to have the brake not rattle around back there sounding as if my entire exhaust is about to fall off!!!! :mad: This is driving me crazy, the rattle is loud enough that it actually echoes off houses as I drive past. The dealer just shrugs and says they all do that, it's "normal".
There must be a way to maintain the float, but isolate the metal, O-Rings maybe?
Anyone try to tackle this and win yet?
 
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