Front brake upgrade?

[pscook]

Is this worth it?
Floating oversize rotor.
I need a front rotor, anyone think it's a legitimate option or should I go for this rotor?

 

[Elvis74]

I had the Motomaster Flame Rotor on my old one
http://www.moto-master.com/productnow_details_bdfl.php?id=110237
combined with Lucas Racing pads, I got a one finger brake

 

[Mazikeen]

Not got into cross referencing front pads yet, but a popular upgrade for late yamaha units is to put factory honda boxed front pads on it, hundreds of reviews state instant noticeable improvement, next step is to install the actual Honda hydraulics my guess is different bore sizes for a hydraulic advantage over the factory yamaha setup. As my bike has the nissin caliper I am guessing the pads will fit. Not sure about the hydraulic advantage as gasgas may have the same bores as honda out the gate. Personally I can't imagine needing more as the brake is so powerful as it, can see some may want a lighter pull for the same effect, not myself, as even after hours of playing in the yard riding around with the front wheel locked getting used to it, my first drop was my hitting the front brake in a light left bank when I spotted a football size rock ahead, blew my front end out in a microsecond......

If you hang on a decision for a bit, I have some pics and measurements going out today to midwest mountain steve pohl is going to review and see what of his products if any, will work for the gasgas. I have used the shorty Sun dehandler design for so many years I just don't care for anything even remotely but a shorty. His levers are shorty by design, but beyond that he has designed them for a mechanical advantage to greatly increase the feel of the pull. If they have anything I'll order some in and post it.

oops, if you want some more reading on the brake upgrade, check out the yamaha forums 2 stroke section on thumper talk

 

[socalgasgas]

I had a complete honda front end on my bike for 1 day while my forks were getting serviced and I can honestly say that was the scariest day of my life riding. The bike would not stop at all. Honda front rotors are e250 mm and gas gas rotors are 260. I know that when it comes to the front brake rotor and caliper I will stick with the gas gas set up.

 

[Eric]

My 03 came with 2 front wheels one has the stock rotor and one has a stock size galfer wave rotor, the wave rotor has alot more stopping power and better control and feel. The bike will do one finger stopies but they're often face plants with me at the controls lol.

 

[stainlesscycle]

anyone have experience with www.racediscs.com rotors? they are dirt cheap - any good?

 

[Tim H]

anyone have experience with www.racediscs.com rotors? they are dirt cheap - any good?

I just got a set. I haven't put the front one one yet, since the front rotor isn't too bad and the pads were only about 1/2 worn out, but the rear replaced my toasted Tusk replacement rotor. I ran the new rear (solid disc) for the 90 mile Shelton Valley Enduro, and Roscoe's Meet-and-Greet ride last weekend.
My initial impressions are very favorable. Good finish on the braking surfaces and laser cut edges. Nice clean sharp edges around the rotor (cleans the pads better). Good progressive feel and power after the first few minutes of riding seated the pads. BTW, I also switched to a set of $9.99 Neutron pads from RockyMountain MC, which seem to also be working just fine. As a reference, I'm a 210 pound 53 year old Senior A rider (pretty fast and pretty agressive from chasing my 19 Y.O. AA son around) with about 45 years or riding experience and a pretty good feel for how a bike is working. This is a really nice rear brake combo. I'm looking forward to trying out the front one too.
Time will tell how they wear, but for the price they seem like a great deal, even if they wear semi-fast like the Tusk disc did. To be fair, the Tusk disc worked well and lasted me for a few hard years, and I would have put another one on the bike but I stumbled across Race Discs on e-Bay, and took a shot. So far I'm quite satisfied.

Tim H

 

[Jakobi]

I agree with Mazi re Yamaha vs Honda after owning the Yamahas myself (250 and 450). The internals in the Honda Master Cylinder are different and definately provide better stopping power. Externally they look the same. Judging by feel I'd say the Gas Gas already runs the Honda like MC and coupled with the braided lines gives fantastic feel.

There is zero doubt that an over sized rotor will pull the bike up better. More area to grab and more area to cool.

I have used Metal Gear on the Yamaha and seemed to work well. http://metalgear.com.au/view_model_details.php?model_id=2832

Those racediscs are cheap. I wouldn't expect much from them, but at that price what do you have to lose.