I ordered a set of rotors and they just arrived yesterday. I had intended to order Arashi considering the research indicates that owners are happy with the Chinese brand. I realized that I didn't like the petal design and instead favored a different design. I found a seller offering what was advertised as an American product. The seller contacted me saying that the US warehouse was out of stock but they could ship right away from China. Red Flag #1.
Deciding to go forward with the transaction after being assured of similarly high-quality and fast shipping, they finally arrived via UPS as verified by the email notification I received because I wasn't home. Upon my arrival home, the packaging didn't appear stout enough to package the rotors in such a manner as to protect them in shipping. Red Flag #2.
I haven't even opened the package, but I could feel that there are rotors inside :frown:.
Is there a way to check the rotors for true before I mount them? I really would not want to go through the hassle. I heard about putting them on plate glass, but that's only one part of the story. We have a glass table, and I'm sure my wife would only look at me sideways for just a few minutes- I can take that.:grin2:
Any other suggestions?
My alternative would be ordering a new (or used) OEM front right rotor, but I suppose my challenge would be the same and brakes are quite important to me.
If you have access to a spindle and a dial indicator, you can measure walkout (how concentric the rotor is to the hub) and flatness.
I'd be curious to know how the rotor was made (cast vs. forged), especially with non-slotted rotors. If the material isn't strong enough, it will fatigue and you'll wish you hadn't gone with them.
Check around... other people may have faced the same situation and you can see how the rotors worked out for them.
There's been a few threads on this forum about Chinese rotors. Not sure if your particular brand was covered, but if IIRC, a lot of people recommended against using them.
Dang I missed that part. Well as someone who has worked in the motorcycle repair business for almost 10 years I would recommend avoiding Chinese rotors. I have seen too many issues with them.
I would use stock rotors over Chinese rotors. Stock cost $100 on Ebay used. I can't imagine you are doing anything to outbrake the OEM rotors.
Easiest way to check whether they are straight is to mount them (takes 10 min) and spin the wheel while on a front stand. Use some reference tool to hold (or secure) next to the rotor, and see whether the distance between the rotor and the tool changes as the wheel spins - hold it very close. There is some tolerance built into rotors so it may move a tiny bit.
But honestly just being straight is not good enough. They need to dissipate heat well, not overheat and melt your pads or cook your fluid. Especially if you ride track or race, I would not trust these.
Sorry I got the message late, but I've got good news...for now.
What I was feeling through the packaging was the packaging. I cut open the shipping wrapper to find inside ARASHI brand rotors, which is what I wanted in the first place! They LOOK GOOD!
It will be soon (couple days) when I can mount them up; I'm going to bypass table checking them. Right now, my stands are being used on my wife's bike and I'm nearly done with that and can then focus on my ride.
You get what you pay for with cheap rotors. They will be straight at least for a little bit before the poor thermal properties cause them to warp, but you will also have reduced overall performance due to the same reasons. Many of them also have very sharp edges in the slots or holes that will wear pads down at an alarming rate since they usually lack any type of bevel or directional chamfer inside the slots. Don't worry though it is only the most important system on the entire bike that you are being cheap with. Stopping is way over-rated anyway.
I'll probably end up buying another set of rotors anyhow. These are 310mm :beat::cussing::iconspank8bm::slap2::banghead: :violent1:
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