How do I determine when to renew or change my brakediscs (not the rotor ) ?
I got the feeling my dealer is doing that by age/milage and I do'nt think that's the right way to determine things.
Henk

 

Disk = Rotor....They do not need to be changed unless they are at minimum thickness, which is stamped on the side of the rotor. You can easily measure the rotor yourself with a set of dial calipers. Your rotors should last many tens of thousands of miles.

 

My `89 Softail has the original rotors, 125,000 miles. I will be changing them this winter. I think they have earned a vacation...

 

Henk, You do need to present usable information so members can answer your question accurately. Why are you thinking that you are going to need to change your friction ring/rotor, disk? Warped, pulsating, worn down, what? Thanks

 

You cant use a dial caliper because the wear ring is in from the edge of the rotor. You will be measuring the edge NOT the wear surface. You need to use a micrometer!

 

I think that he is asking about when to change his disk brake PADS, not the rotors. You will have to inspect them for wear and replace them if they have been worn down close to the metal backing plate. Inspecting and replacing the disk brake pads is not a hard job to do. A service manual is a GREAT thing to buy to help you do simple maintenance issues on your bike and you DO NOT HAVE TO buy the stock Harley disk brake pads as there are other, better disk brake pads out there to purchase like EBC. Good luck with your project and ride safe out there.

 

Henk, not to be disrespectful but you have to know the terminology when asking for help. Like said, the disk is the rotor. The brake 'pads' are in the caliper which is attached to the rotor. Usually the pads 'wear' and need replacing, and the rotor usually lasts a long time.

Here is a scematic of the rotors (#30) which you can see attach to the wheel-



and here is a breakdown of the pads (#30) in the caliper which attaches to the rotor-