sport bike technician on the board? front brakes

[kpc01]

I have an 07 R1 I bought a while back and just now getting around to messing with it. the front brakes were nasty from sitting so I cleaned the calipers and put new pads on it and cleaned MC etc etc. I can only get 3 rotations out of the front tire and seems like the rotors are warped. will these "break in" some or should I go ahead and get new rotors? its got about 12k miles on it and probably original rotors but they don't look bad. I'm thinking one must be warped but didn't know if they will work out by riding it some with the new pads or if I should go ahead and replace rotors?

[dsrtuckteezy]

i can almost guarantee the rotors arent warped on a 12k mile bike. this is very common with new pads. they will wear down and bed in. even after they bed in, they can still make a faint dragging sound, this is no big deal.

edit: if the rotors are warped, under moderate to hard braking, the front end will judder. you will know right away if theyre warped

[TeeShock]

Were they doing that before the new pads?

[kpc01]

Unfortunately I never got to ride it before so I can't say what it was doing. I had issues right off the bat so haven't really rode it much just to be safe. I've put about 0.5 miles on the new pads .

I've gone about 40 and let go of the handlebar and it stays straight (read other places that will show warping too). Also I've gotten to about 40 and killed it so I could hear them well. you can definitely hear them rubbing (not terrible but there is definite friction). I just don't want to ride too much if I shouldn't. on the stands I get about 3 turns out of the front wheel when I spin by hand.

[dsrtuckteezy]

if the rotors are warped, under moderate to hard braking, the front end will judder. you will know right away if theyre warped

^^^ again, try this. .5 miles is not even near enough time to bed new pads in. is this your first bike, first time putting on new pads? ive done this many times, everything you describe is normal procedure.

and like i said, even when the pads finally bed in, they can/will still make a slight dragging sound. unless you pull in the clutch and coast the bike and you slown down rapidly, then the pad arent dragging any more than they should.

tip: next time you ride, hold the front brake slighly WHILE accelerating. this will bed/wear them down quicker

[kpc01]

this is not my first bike but is my first time to do brakes. I didn't really think that distance was far enough but at the same time didn't want to put uneven wear on them if I shouldn't be. I will go ahead and put some miles on it and see if I can get it back to normal. One thing I do know is I don't want to be riding with bad or no brakes for sure!

[dsrtuckteezy]

go ride a bit, try what i suggested, then report back. in reality, if you go out and buy new rotors, depending what brand, they could possibly be thicker than your stock rotors (since theyve worn down a tad by now) and you could hear even more resistance lol

if youre rotors arent molten hot after a mild ride around town, everything is a-o-k

[kpc01]

thanks I'll give it a try when I get back in town and let you know. the small trips around the neighborhood they got warm to the touch but not scorching hot....but I'll see what it does with more miles.

[bird_dog0347]

Most all modern sport bikes have floating rotors. You will see where the rotor disk attaches to the hub with "buttons" and they should move at least some right to left and keep it from warping. IF they are stuck on one side or the other then it's possible it'll seem warped.

As others have said though, it's likely you just need to bed them in. Do as suggested and accelerate with the brake on some to bed them quicker.