Brake Rotor refurbishing done by a US based business

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flyin900
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Brake Rotor refurbishing done by a US based business

#1

Post by flyin900 »

I recently sent off my front rotor on the CB350F project for a resurfacing, as it was looking tired with grooves in the disc area.
It was very quick in turnaround for the actual machining of only two days and the rest was shipping there and back. The surface is done on a Blanchard grinder and the owner answered all my questions. Cost was $45US vs about $200. Cdn for a repop new rotor.
Given the quality of the finish and quick turnaround, I can say I am very pleased with the final results. The company is Michigan based, so for the US bike guy's a real in your back yard supplier. Not much you can get done these days mechanically for $45 bucks. :-D

Here are a few before and after pics of the piece.

Before:


P1070592.JPG
P1070592.JPG (121.46 KiB) Viewed 317 times

After: A nice clean crosshatch in the finish and a flat smooth surface again. I repainted the centre black again to match the factory finish.


P1070621.JPG
P1070621.JPG (91.2 KiB) Viewed 317 times
Current Bikes:

1966 CL77 - Honda 305cc - Dual purpose - "Gentleman's Scrambler" was a period moniker.
1967 CL175K0 - Low production number with #802 engine serial- winter 2019/2020 full restoration.
1972 CB350F - Baby Four with low mileage - Cosmetic refresh to the next level 2021/2022.
1978 CB550K - Very original bike with only 7499 Km. from new - light cleanup and refresh done.
1983 CB1100F - Canadian model - DOHC Supersport in pristine low kilometre condition from new.
1984 GL1200 - Standard model in showroom condition - two owner bike from new.
1984 CX650E - Restored summer 2017 - a rare Eurosport model - excellent one owner bike.
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Sidecar Bob
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Re: Brake Rotor refurbishing done by a US based business

#2

Post by Sidecar Bob »

The cross hatching looks nice but they don't look like that for long if you actually use the bike. I don't think I've ever seen discs with more than a few hundred Km of use that don't have at least some light grooving (caused by harder and softer areas in the pad material).

Besides, I always thought that as long as they aren't too deep, circumferential grooves in brake discs are a good thing because if the pads are bedded to them they increase the surface area for the pads to grip. And grinding the discs to remove them (actually to remove the ridges between the grooves) not only decreases the effective pad to disc contact area but also reduces the thickness of the disc, effectively reducing its life expectancy.

The only time I would consider having a disc ground is if it was warped and even then I would probably replace it unless there was no possibility of a replacement because warping is usually caused by a heat event and if it heated enough to warp the temper is probably altered too.
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tomk1960
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Re: Brake Rotor refurbishing done by a US based business

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Post by tomk1960 »

That looks like Tom Tokarz's work from TrueDisk. I've used him many times and am very impressed with his work and quick turnaround. I do this with EVERY brake system that goes onto a full restoration.
1986 VFR750F Interceptor
1983 Honda CB1100F Super Sport - Red 1123 Resto-Mod
1978 Honda GL1000
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flyin900
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Re: Brake Rotor refurbishing done by a US based business

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Post by flyin900 »

tomk1960 wrote: Thu Nov 11, 2021 12:19 pm That looks like Tom Tokarz's work from TrueDisk. I've used him many times and am very impressed with his work and quick turnaround. I do this with EVERY brake system that goes onto a full restoration.
You have it. A really nice guy IMO and very helpful. My project bike needed a refresh, plus I had an early CB900C done years ago with no issues after 5 years of service. So this was round two.
Current Bikes:

1966 CL77 - Honda 305cc - Dual purpose - "Gentleman's Scrambler" was a period moniker.
1967 CL175K0 - Low production number with #802 engine serial- winter 2019/2020 full restoration.
1972 CB350F - Baby Four with low mileage - Cosmetic refresh to the next level 2021/2022.
1978 CB550K - Very original bike with only 7499 Km. from new - light cleanup and refresh done.
1983 CB1100F - Canadian model - DOHC Supersport in pristine low kilometre condition from new.
1984 GL1200 - Standard model in showroom condition - two owner bike from new.
1984 CX650E - Restored summer 2017 - a rare Eurosport model - excellent one owner bike.
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