Wilsons Sandbox

Would like a report from those that have oversize rotor in use.Brakes are a great thing to upgrade if it really performs. Thanks

I have the oversized front rotor kit on my KLR650 A12. I decided I needed to do something after we had a braking distance shoot-out in MSF Advanced Class. Everyone was riding their own motorcycles and we all had to perform maximum non-lockup braking from a set speed (probably 20 mph but my memory has faded) with the instructors measuring how far we went before we stopped. The Honda 600 racer replicas won with some nicely executed stoppies. The BMW 650 dual-sport was next best. Even the huge Triumph touring bike (with hard bags, no less) stopped only a little more poorly than the racer-replica Hondas. My KLR650 with stock rotors and brake pads was dead last by a factor of two. That is, it took me twice as far to stop as the next worst motorcycle. The instructors were sufficiently negatively impressed that they let me try the stopping drill several more times trying to improve my results. I was squeezing the front brake lever as hard as I could and chirping the rear tire as it threatened to lock up. After the braking distance shoot out one of the MSF instructors took me aside and gently suggested I might want to do something about my motorcycles brakes, as my motorcycle's exceptionally poor braking performance might tend to get me killed in stop-and-go traffic. He also observed that my KLR650's stopping performance was the worst he had seen in all the years he had been teaching the MSF Advanced Course. I took his suggestion to heart. I ordered an oversized front rotor kit from Fred Hink at Arrowhead Motorsports. I installed it (very easy installation even for non-mechanics like me). I love it and am never going back. As Fred predicted, I had about a 150 mile break-in period to get the rotor scrubbed in and the new brake pads broken in. I now can do stoppies (but only if I want them) on the street with Galfer green brake pads. With the puny one-pot stock front KLR650 caliper and normal 2-finger squeeze forces applied to the front brake lever I still have excellent modulation on dirt and loose surfaces with no front brake lock-up problems. Other than the high purchase price this rotor kit is all win and no lose. With the now-significantly reduced prices due to the group buy (good job, Mike and Fred), even the hideously high purchase price has come down. Very highly recommended if you ever ride on the street in traffic (particularly at highway speeds with idiots ahead of you suddenly slamming on their brakes), and ought to have been on the bike as it comes from the Kawasaki factory. Pathetic 1986 dirt-bike braking performance on motorcycles being ridden in today's aggressive traffic is not acceptable. Extreme front fork dive with the significantly improved braking due to the bigger rotor will soon have you wanting stiffer fork springs if you do not already have them. -- Marc, KLR650 A12, Loveland, Colorado USA Date: Fri, 05 Mar 2004 22:24:44 -0000 From: "weave7112003" Subject: Oversize Rotor Would like a report from those that have oversize rotor in use. Brakes are a great thing to upgrade if it really performs.

I'm happy with the stock brakes-----but I'm usually riding in loose dirt and rocks. I don't want a stronger front brake---but I can see where guys that burn up the pavement would. Mark Sampson www.bigdogadventures.com