LocalRoadKing Posted October 30, 2021 Share Posted October 30, 2021 Hello VFRer's, I bought by VFR1200F this year and one of the reoccurring problems I've had is the left front brake caliper sticks, even after rebuilding the calipers and flushing the system. I noticed today that the caliper wants to mount at an angle that isn't flush with the radial mount. I measured the mount and noticed the left one is 3mm farther from the rotor than the right one. How is this possible?? The only thing I've noticed is that there seems to be more space between the fork and the wheel on the left side than the right, as evidenced by the pictures below. My question is, is this normal? Am I following the right path to fix this issue? If someone could let me know that this amount of asymmetric spacing is normal in also on their bike, or even better take some pictures to compare with mine, I would greatly appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer ducnut Posted October 30, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted October 30, 2021 Pull your forks together, while snugging your pinch bolts. That’ll center everything. I’ve had to do that on various bikes, over the years. During your next fork service, chuck up the tubes in a lathe and check runout, just be sure of their straightness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalRoadKing Posted October 30, 2021 Author Share Posted October 30, 2021 Hmmm, ok, I guess I can get out some ratchet straps and try pulling them together so they are equidistant, but wouldn't this cause the axle bolt to stick out from the caliper mount? Currently they sit flush with each other (picture below) if I pull the forks together, wouldn't it cause this to stick out? Or is it supposed to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer ducnut Posted October 31, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted October 31, 2021 You shouldn’t need a ratchet strap. Just reach through the wheel and grab onto the opposite fork leg. The axle is only going to thread in so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted October 31, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted October 31, 2021 HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalRoadKing Posted October 31, 2021 Author Share Posted October 31, 2021 Thanks Skids, you pictures look the same as mine, which seems to suggest that my forks are properly spaced apart, but the caliper mounts and the caliper itself seems to suggest they're not. I have no idea what's going on here. When I try to mount up the left caliper, here is a picture of how it want to center itself on the rotor vs how the mount wants to sit: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted October 31, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted October 31, 2021 That is definitely not right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalRoadKing Posted October 31, 2021 Author Share Posted October 31, 2021 Figured it out, the left rotor is warped, but in a way that has made it cone-shaped. I've never seen warping like that before, I drew a picture below to help illustrate it. Time to go shopping I guess, might roll the dice on used OEM since new is about $1000-1100 for the pair. But thanks for the advice and pictures everyone, I would have kept going down the wrong path otherwise and who knows what I would have done then. Related, has anyone put aftermarket rotors on these bikes and has had a good experience with them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted October 31, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted October 31, 2021 Are they that expensive over there? I paid <$200 each for mine. Buy EBC Brakes X Motorcycle Brake Disc - MD4012X | Demon Tweeks (demon-tweeks.com) Either way, glad you figured it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V4 Rosso Posted October 31, 2021 Share Posted October 31, 2021 2 hours ago, Skids said: Are they that expensive over there? I was surprised too but checked local prices and yes,over €1000 a pair 😬 EBC is fine, so is TRW Lucas that are in the same price range: <$400 a pair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer DannoXYZ Posted November 1, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted November 1, 2021 What would be helpful is figuring what caused rotor to warp like that? Worried that new rotor would get warped like that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFR750F3 Posted November 1, 2021 Share Posted November 1, 2021 I would swap the bolts to the other side and see if the caliper is cocked that way. I think the bolt is bent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Viffy Posted November 4, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted November 4, 2021 Ive seen it before in the UK, The Disc is warped as you said. Proabably got that way with sticking pistons in the past. Also rarely, the master cylinder return hole inside the reservoir under the small deflector plate, can be bad from new, causing the brakes to drag badly. The bike is so poweful its difficult to feel a dragging brake when on the move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalRoadKing Posted November 18, 2021 Author Share Posted November 18, 2021 Update: I bought some used OEM rotors from eBay, but they were in much worse condition (gouged, pitted) than what the seller described so I returned them and bought some EBC MD1176X rotors instead. After swapping them out and testing the brakes they feel 100 times better than before. The root cause of my problem was definitely the warped rotor, the wheel spins freely now and the lever has firmed up dramatically now that it's not trying to push on a warped rotor. Thanks again to everyone for the advice, I haven't bedded in the rotors completely so I'll reserve my judgement until then but they fit great onto the wheel. The takeaway? Even if you've flushed the brakes thoroughly and have checked over all components 10 times over, the cause of your problem may be nothing to do with the system you're servicing. Check your rotors! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer bmart Posted November 18, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted November 18, 2021 Nice fix...but you'll surely want to find out how ti got warped. If it was leaned on something (some discs are delicate-GSXR), then you can stop doing that. But if it was from use, you'll want to find the root cause so that they'll work properly when you need them. Also, I believe that the proper term for what you described as your rotor shape might be "dished." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer DannoXYZ Posted November 18, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted November 18, 2021 Yeah, symptoms of problem is warped disc. But actual cause... we'll see... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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