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152 Posts
My ST3S (ABS - important) was experiencing an increasing problem with vibration/shudder when braking from highway speeds, and a little pulsing when stopping at slow speeds, which looks to be pretty common from posts here. I tried the simple fix - brake cleaner and scotchbrite on the rotors with no change at all, so I booked a visit with the local dealer (GP Motorcycles in San Diego).
They pulled the rotor, pads and calipers and lubed and made sure all the moving parts are moving, which improved the situation considerably, but there's still some vibration, just less, so apparently there are multiple problems. GP had the rotors on their flat plate and tell me they are a little out (references I saw on the web said .001-.004 is enough to cause a vibe), so apparently the first owner (8k miles for him, 2 k for me) bunged them somehow. That said, there are no genuine Duc rotors available nearby and they are ~$500 each, so we're now looking for alternative sources. A call to everybody's favorite BrakeTech says they don't have one for that supports the ABS 'tone ring' on the left rotor. Probably not impossible too drill and tap mounting holes on a plain rotor if there's rotor material in the right place, and BrakeTech's don't look like they'd work for that. Reportedly the aftermarket brands sell a pair for less than one OEM.
EBC web site says they have rotors for the 3S, as does Galfer. I know EBC has a good rep for pads, and that seems to be GP's favorite source after BrakeTech. Does anyone out there have experience with either or both of those sources? Recommendation(s)? I'm not trying to do this on the cheap...brakes = staying alive, so I'll pay what I need to in order to get full functionality.
They pulled the rotor, pads and calipers and lubed and made sure all the moving parts are moving, which improved the situation considerably, but there's still some vibration, just less, so apparently there are multiple problems. GP had the rotors on their flat plate and tell me they are a little out (references I saw on the web said .001-.004 is enough to cause a vibe), so apparently the first owner (8k miles for him, 2 k for me) bunged them somehow. That said, there are no genuine Duc rotors available nearby and they are ~$500 each, so we're now looking for alternative sources. A call to everybody's favorite BrakeTech says they don't have one for that supports the ABS 'tone ring' on the left rotor. Probably not impossible too drill and tap mounting holes on a plain rotor if there's rotor material in the right place, and BrakeTech's don't look like they'd work for that. Reportedly the aftermarket brands sell a pair for less than one OEM.
EBC web site says they have rotors for the 3S, as does Galfer. I know EBC has a good rep for pads, and that seems to be GP's favorite source after BrakeTech. Does anyone out there have experience with either or both of those sources? Recommendation(s)? I'm not trying to do this on the cheap...brakes = staying alive, so I'll pay what I need to in order to get full functionality.