Aftermarket brake disc choice

[shaggs147]

Hi all,

I have written to Kawasaki regarding the poor lifespan of the front brake discs. The bike is a 2010 model and covered 23000 miles. I basically got the reply I expected, saying that the discs are a consumable item and there are many factors regarding wear rates etc..... the usual bollox, although the problem with mine is that one has cracks at two points on the same disc, so quite dangerous and a MOT failure. This to me is not acceptable for 23000 miles, the pads and callipers being in good nick, ant the bobbins free to turn.
I'm not expecting Kawasaki to do anything about it, so I was wondering if anyone had tried either Viper or Armstrong discs?
I would've tried the Chinese discs on ebay due to their reasonably good reviews, but I need them within the next two weeks, making the import option out of the question.

Regards
Mark

[viper]

ive had the Chinese discs in the past , on a zzr1200, and was very happy with them . In your situation Id buy some used zzr1400/gtr1400 discs off ebay  ( some on now ) to get me legal and then id buy the Chinese ones, keeping the OEMS as a fall back.  try to find the Arashi brand

[nightrider]

I have fitted Armstrong wavy front discs ,and they seem fine ,the Chinese ones you would have to sure that they was going to be good ,they could be made out of anything at least with a reputable brand you have some comeback ,mine last 8000m the kawasaki ones before they warped,

[viper]

I have fitted Armstrong wavy front discs ,and they seem fine ,the Chinese ones you would have to sure that they was going to be good ,they could be made out of anything at least with a reputable brand you have some comeback ,mine last 8000m the kawasaki ones before they warped,

when I received my first set of arashi branded discs , I soaked them in a high salt solution bath for a few days to test the level of Stainless steel in them, there was no rust signs at all. My oem ones at the time had slight rust traces on them . I figured at the time that cheap Chinese was a bit better than cheap Japanese that kawa no doubt use !

[vfrtom]

This does seem to be an ongoing problem. You may recall I went through the OEM discs in 15000 mile Big K basically said PO!!!
I went with OEM again and have currently done another 18000 with no problems
Tom

[shaggs147]

I've written to Mr K twice now, not expecting anything though. They admitted that they had some warping issues, but no issue with wear rates! I've told them that there are a lot of people on the forum that have had to get new discs due to them wearing out prematurely. Mine have also cracked. I have been asked to offer my opinion of what's wrong with them, and I have said that they're either made of poor quality materials, or they're underrated for the size and weight of the bike..... I await their reply!

[Ant]

My Arashi discs have now done 20k, although i probably brake less than most.

At £120 a pair thats not bad if i chuck them away now, but theres loads left on them.

[Lonewolf]

Kawasaki are well aware of these problems, over the years I've genuinely lost count of the number of GTR owners who've commented & complained about 'defective' discs, whether through warping, cracking, or excessive and premature wear. Some owners have even had multiple issues re the same problem, i.e. warped discs and still Kawasaki dig their heels in and cause people untold grief. 

[shaggs147]

It might be of some use if they actually read some comments on here. Certainly head in sand comes to mind.

[shaggs147]

I've been having a think about the reply I got from Mr K, so have asked him to come onto the forum, and ask for some real life honest feedback, after he asks for Asif's permission of course. Can't see it happening though.

[bmk12s]

Don't know if it's o.k. to post a link to another forum (if so feel free to admin delete) abeit a zzr1400 one but there's loads of info re discs in this link -

http://www.zx14r.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=524

I personally tried the Stealth discs (sh*te) & ended up with a pair of PFM's. Was more than happy with them for the 30,000 miles I used them on the ZZR, no wear to speak of etc. So impressed in fact that I put the warped OEM ones back on when I traded the ZZR in & have the PFM's sat on the shelf ready to fit very shortly as at 28,000 the GTR discs are about shot.

[Lonewolf]

Shaggs, trust me...I happen to know for a fact that those at Kawasaki UK have previously been on this forum, cant say any more on here. 

[O.C.]

Shaggs, trust me...I happen to know for a fact that those at Kawasaki UK have previously been on this forum, cant say any more on here. 

I'm amazed that  any member..should think that Kawasaki (in this case) don't take note of what owners say about their product through the medium of a forum.

It's good factual and free of charge information providing valuable research data to them, why would they ignore it .....  cummon guys get a grip       

[Lonewolf]

I'm amazed that  any member..should think that Kawasaki (in this case) don't take note of what owners say about their product through the medium of a forum.

It's good factual and free of charge information providing valuable research data to them, why would they ignore it .....  cummon guys get a grip       

You say that but the new style shock has been on the GTR since 2010, we're now 2/3rds of the way through 2014 and yet despite numerous warranty claims and disgruntled customers there have been to the best of my knowledge no suggestion of changing the design of the shock.
Then there's the screen, the top box rack, the TPS system and probably numerous other aspects of the bike. I certainly wish our voice wasn't ignored.

[Ant]

Its certainly showing your no longer an owner !