EBC Rotors: A Report

[mieczkow]

True to my word, about one year has elapsed since I replaced my pulsing brake system's rotors and pads. I also rebuilt the calipers, and added a rear stainless steel brake line to the system - which had ss brakelines on the front when I purchased it. I used EBC copper sintered pads, front and back and EBC rotors front and back. My decision to use EBC rotors caused some controversy - some believed it was a good choice, others not - in one case, as I recall, the rotors were referred to as "junk".

Well, 6k miles and about one year later I am happy to report the brake sysem is working just fine, no pulsing has ever returned, nor have the frightening loud screeches that were occurring with the stock rotor/pad set up on the bike when I bought it. I won't recall all the attempts I made to salvage the original set-up. But I put a fair amount of work into trying to correct the problem without success. Hence I decided to replace everything, but not until after a lot of work trying to get the originals to behave properly.

I would not hesitate to recommend EBC rotors to any K75 owner based on my experiences. And no, I don't work for them (nor my wife or kids, etc), I don't have any stock, etc. So this is just my opinion based on my experience. I have made a couple of long trips, driven in rain, driven under a fair amount of temperature conditions (last fall, for example, low 30's going out of Atlanta in late October) and they have performed admirably.

So, for what it's worth, there's the promised report on how it all worked out.



Tom Mieczkowski
1987 K75S

 

[kbasa]

Thanks, Tom! I may wind up putting new rotors on my airhead and I've been looking at the EBCs.

 

[GRANTMACEACHERN]

Thanks, Tom! I may wind up putting new rotors on my airhead and I've been looking at the EBCs.

I put EBC rotors and pads on my '83 RS this Spring. They're still getting worked in, but they stop real gooooood.

 

[DHairgrove]

Rotors

I installed a rear rotor on the wife's '99 K1200RS, and it certainly cured the stock rotor pulsing problem....It was reasonable in price, and fit like a charm. No regrets and by golly it works as advertised.......unlike the stock item.

As miles pile up on the rest of the herd, I plan to use EBC items.

I do not own stock in the company either

 

[MICHIGANMIKE]

EBC for me too!

I put a new EBC rotor and pads on my 93 R100GS this Spring and have been very pleased.

On the K75, I was supporting the local shop and went in for a couple sets of pads for the K75 front end. All they had in stock were SBS pads. Put them on and now I have a low squeal most of the time. They stop well and all that but it was a mistake I won't repeat.

 

[johnpeter]

I put a new EBC rotor and pads on my 93 R100GS this Spring and have been very pleased.

On the K75, I was supporting the local shop and went in for a couple sets of pads for the K75 front end. All they had in stock were SBS pads. Put them on and now I have a low squeal most of the time. They stop well and all that but it was a mistake I won't repeat.

Might try a very light circular smear of high temp silicone grease on the backing plate of the pad. Drawing lines with a carpenter's pencil on both sides of the discs about 1/2" apart will killl the squeal....temporarily. Grafite is a minor componet of many braking material formulas.

 

[breyfogle]

All they had in stock were SBS pads. Put them on and now I have a low squeal most of the time.

I have EBC rotors and SBS pads on the front of my K75S. No squeal and good stopping power.

 

[rkoch]

RaleighK

Tom,
I am very interested in your post. I have a '91 K75S with that pulsing problem, and have seen a lot of talk and conjecture about it. I replaced my discs about 10 years ago, and the pulse came back after a few thousand miles, and then recently replaced the front bearings and replaced the pads. It helped some, but it's still there. I have even seen some suggestions that the wheel itself may cause the problem. I had a K75S which was destroyed in an accident, and it never had this problem, but the one that I replaced it with has always had it. Strange, to say the least. I went to EBC's website, and see that replacing the rotors would be cheaper than going BMW OEM. I've never had the problem in my rear brake, do you think it best to replace them all? Did you use the MD404LS/RS for the front? Are they lighter than OEM?
Sorry for all the questions, I live in Germany and if I order everything, I want to make sure I've got it right. It's too expensive to purchase here due to the conversion rates. I know a top notch mechanic that can do the work as well.
Thanks!
Raleigh

 

[deilenberger]

I'm not Tom, but I did go through about 6 sets of rotors, several sets of wheel bearings on my '87 S trying to solve this (and no one understands exactly why the S is more prone to this than any other model K..)

The EBC rotors/pads did the job - finally. The current owner of my S has no pulsing, and the brakes are working just fine. That was after trying everything suggested - and spending endless hours trying to sort out what the problem was. I suspect the real problem is a rust-surface pitting on the stock rotors causes a change in frictional coefficient, and for some reason the S is hyper sensitive to the problem. The EBC rotors aren't plain stainless steel - and that seems to be the key. I tried "Braking" rotors - which are stainless, and the problem returned after 6,000 miles or so.

The EBC are on my recommended list - and it's a bonus that they are available to use with the ABS ring.

 

[mieczkow]

EBC Pro-Lite Rotors

The part number for the 1987 K75S front rotor was MD604 (RS for right side/LS for left side). It will be a different part number if you have a newer K75S with ABS. I can't find the invoice for the rear rotor, so I am sorry that I cannot give you the exact part number - but this should be easy to determine from the EBC catalog.

They are very easy to install - if you have any talent at all with mechanical tasks it is a very straightforward job.

I have been and continue to be very pleased with the rotors. The fronts were about $160 each and the rear, as I recall, was a slight amount less. I replaced the rear because the oem rotor was quite ridged, the cost of the new rotor was relatively cheap, and I was so happy with solving my problems with the front brakes that I just felt that this would be a good thing to do. I rebuilt all the calipers and put on stainless steel lines, so I felt I had a virtually new braking system. And I have always considered brakes a rather inportant part of the motorcycle!

Good luck. I hope you will be as pleased as I was with the EBC should you decide to purchase them.

 

[jobee58]

am riding an 87 K100 LT and I deal with that pulsing thing as well. Nice to know there's a fix for that. Pulsing makes the front end feel unsettled and makes it a bit nerve-wracking to practice or perform what David Hough refers to as "maximum effort stops"

 

[rkoch]

Tom,
thanks for clarification...it's a '91 with ABS. I looked it up and it's a bit more expensive, but not too bad. Will make the conversion this winter.

Don,
I know who you are and have seen your postings and all your work on that beautiful K75S of yours...and really appreciate your input. It was your original thoughts on those rotors that made me seek one more opinion and I think you and Tom have made me a believer. Funny about that pulsing, never had that problem on my first S. I too tried replacing with stock rotors only to have it return a few thousand later. Nevertheless, the new bearings did help, perhaps they had gone to far, though. I think those EBC's are calling me....

Thanks again, guys!

 

[rkoch]

Hey Tom & Don,
I started looking at the fitting charts for EBC and am a little confused...it lists the K75 series several times, the 75s's twice. I have a '91 with ABS and can't really tell whether I need the MD603 (I think that one is right) or the 604 and for the rear it's either the 661, or the 611. both sets of years seem to be listed twice with different part numbers. I tried emailing EBC and have gotten no response. Also, I'd like to order them from the US as stuff like that is very expensive over here (germany), the euro to dollar has improved, but not much. If you know a good mail order dealer, please let me know.
Thanks again!

Raleigh

 

[deilenberger]

Hey Tom & Don,
I started looking at the fitting charts for EBC and am a little confused...it lists the K75 series several times, the 75s's twice. I have a '91 with ABS and can't really tell whether I need the MD603 (I think that one is right) or the 604 and for the rear it's either the 661, or the 611. both sets of years seem to be listed twice with different part numbers. I tried emailing EBC and have gotten no response. Also, I'd like to order them from the US as stuff like that is very expensive over here (germany), the euro to dollar has improved, but not much. If you know a good mail order dealer, please let me know.
Thanks again!

Raleigh

Raleigh, PM me off-line with your email address. I don't have the paperwork on where I ordered the EBC rotors, but the current owner of THE K75S should (he got "the book" a looseleaf binder with ALL the documentation on the bike from new..) - so I can ask him to send you the info.

Best,

 

[mieczkow]

EBC Rotor Data

K 75 S (Non ABS) 85-09/88 MD604LS MD604RS MD611

K 75 S (Non ABS Model) 09/88-95 MD604LS MD604RS MD611

K 75 S (ABS Model) 85-09/88 MD603LS② MD603RS② MD611②

K 75 S (ABS Model) 09/88-95 MD603LS② MD603RS② MD611②

Here is the data on the rotors. On my 1987 KL75S (non-ABS) I used a 604R and 604L for the front and a 611 for the rear.

As you can see the ABS systems have different rotors. It looks to me that you need the 603's for your bike on the front, and the same 611 rotor that I used for the rear. They show production years, but it looks like regardless of the year, the rotors do not change. The only factor is ABS or non-ABS and even that only applies to the front brakes. The rear take 611 on all K75S's.

Double-check with Don's buyer who can verify this by reference to the invoice he hopefully still has.... but if my memory serves me this is correct info.

 

[rkoch]

Don, thanks for the help, pm is on the way. Tom, I think you confirmed what I thought, I got a little sidelined with one of the listings. I will confirm with Don's buyer, though to make sure. I found a place that sounds like they may be able to help me with the right part numbers, but may not be able to ship to APOs. However, if I get the right part #s, I can order them here, just hate paying so much more for them.
Thanks again for the help!

regards,
Raleigh

 

[rkoch]

Tom,
Don checked with his buyer, sadly, no record. However, these guys were able to help me: http://www.cyclebrakes.com/
I queried the tech rep (Melissa) and she did some checking. It turns out that the 603s are good for the front (ABS) and the 661 is ABS rear, 611 is non-ABS. HH double sintered are front FA171 and FA18HH and cheaper if ordered with rotors. rear I had suspected as much but wasn't sure. I plan on ordering them now, but will wait until early spring to put them on, will post if there's any kind of part problem. I had a pm asking me about part numbers too, so I think there's more interest out there. I'm pretty anxious to see how they'll work out. Thanks again to you and Don for the help!

Regards,
Raleigh

 

[deilenberger]

Raleigh,

Good move. Now that I see the name - that's where I got mine.. Good people, and good advice. I had a longish chat with them before purchasing about the pulsing problem, and they contacted the EBC people who said the rotors should fix it..

At the time I ordered the rotors - the left and right front ABS ones had a different price for some reason - the right side that holds the ABS ring cost more. When I received them - the only visible difference I could find is the spiral drillings on the two disks went in different directions. Somehow I doubt if the bike would know one was reverse from the other.

If you haven't done the R&R of the ABS ring - heat and cold are your friends. I heated the ring with a propane torch - gently and evenly - probably to around 200F or so. I then put some ice in the center of the rotor hub to cool it. The ring lifted right off.

For reinstallation - heat the ring in the oven to 200F, cool the new rotor assembly in the freezer for an hour or so. It should drop right on.

Don't try to pry the ring off - it's some sort of cast metal that like to fracture. A friend managed to kill several that way.

 

[rkoch]

Don,
Sorry it took so long for a reply, have been a bit busy with work. Cycle Brakes have been extremely helpful and I will be ordering front and back this week. Also, thanks for the great tips for installation. I am making a slow go of this, our winter has locked me down anyway, probably 'till March I'm guessing.
Tom had mentioned rebuilding the brakes and adding braided lines. I don't really want to go that far, but am afraid to leave out a possible critical part of that may leave me where I began. The pulsing is not really that bad, mostly annoying, and has caused me to brake badly. I took an MSF refresher a couple of months ago and the instructor said that I was not utilizing the front brakes as much as I should have. That was a shock, I hardly used the rear brake in the past and feel that I would return to safe braking practices if I had more confidence in my front brakes.
Thanks again for the advice and help!

Raleigh

 

[mieczkow]

Rebuild?

I have never had a BMW with ABS, so as far as the rebuilding of an ABS system I'm not in any position to give an opinion on what is involved with the calipers, bleeding, etc. I know one is bound to have some extra complexity with an ABS system. I can say that rebuilding the old-fashioned non-ABS calipers was pretty easy. The calipers separate into halves, you pop the piston out with air pressure, you replace the rubber seal on the piston and a small rubber o-ring which seals a drilled passage between the caliper halves and that's about it Swapping the brakes lines is also, at least in non-ABS - very simple. You do have to bleed the system, but I've always found that to be a quite easy task. I do remember the cost of the "rebuild kit" for the calipers being pretty shockingly high, even by BMW standards. Something like $30 each - and for that you get the rubber ring for the piston, a little o-ring for the caliper passage, a little lubricant, and that's about it.