| Author | Message | ||
     Reepicheep |
So I assume a rounder profile leads to a little better handling, slightly softer ride, and easier transition into turns, at the cost of increased wear down the center strip? No idea why the previous owner would have switched the tire to a 180/55. It may look a shade more aggressive... but not enough to go out of your way for. I know that when I went from 30 or so pounds to the recommended 35 pounds, I was amazed at how different the handling was. It will be interesting to see how the switch to the right size tire effects the ride. | ||
| Peter |
There was some talk awhile ago about NOT mixing Dot 5 brake fluid with Dot 3,4 and 5.1. I found this today at a shop that used to race Yamahas in GPs. He swears that this is compatible, as it says, and he has been using it for years without any problems. Just to add to the confusion.....  PPiA | ||
| Buelliedan |
Reepicheep, I know Court is saying that no Buell ever came from the factory with a 180 but I have seen other folks post on here that their brand new Buells did indeed have 180's on the back when they bought them. So the original owner might not have been lying to you and 5,000 miles is about right for the 205 Dunlops to be getting used up. 7,000 miles seems to be about max life for these tires. As for Buell putting wrong parts on bikes. DVNT swears that when he got his 01 X1 it had the 2 inch European exhaust on it. Maybe with the push to make the bikes cheaper by HD the parts supplies aren't being as closely monitored? | ||
| Skeptic |
On my 1500 miles (but out of warranty) 2000 Buell M-2, I'm getting a little headshake, especially noticable if I loosen my grip. I assumed it was a front wheel balance problem. Today I lifted the front to get the wheel off, and it appears my rotor is warped. The wheel is somewhat out of balance, but I think the warp is the main problem. a) Does anyone have a spare 2000 rotor? b) how much does a new one cost? c) any chance this would be covered even though bike is out of warranty? d) can the rotor be fixed? the carrier seems to be warped as well. Weird. Bike never down. Skeptic | ||
| Buelliedan |
Skeptic, The bad news is that rotors are not a warranty item and they cannot be straghtened out. The good news is that the new rotor only cost $106!! One of the best bargains going. Most UJMs rotors start at $200. By the way, see the top of this post for the rotor part number | ||
| Skeptic |
Buelliedan: How come it warps? I don't think I overheated it, and why would the carrier be bent too? is this common? Skeptic | ||
| Buelliedan |
Skeptic, I can't really answer your question since my rotor was bent due to owner stupidity(I dropped the bike while loading it into wheel chocks) If i had to guess why rotors would warp I would think it is due to extreme heat cycles like getting it real hot during a brisk ride then hitting a puddle or something like that or could you have possible leaned your rotor against something while it was in the garage or something like that? It sure shouldn't have warped with only 1500 miles!! Dan | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Dan, My M2 (9000 miles) goes in tomorrow for a new rotor under warranty. I'm still under the 1 year, the extended doesn't cover rotors. The real crummy thing is I have to pull the front wheel or leave it over night for them to do it! They wanted me to leave it tonight and "We should probably have it done tomorrow". Man, do I wish I was closer to Modesto! I'm dropping in a new set of pads at the same time. Going to use the stock version. They seem to work pretty good for me. I don't ride all that hard. If the rotor wasn't hatched, I would have gotten around 10K on the stock pads. Not too bad! Brad | ||
| Leeaw |
I am betting my 99 rotor warped because the inside pad was low. It just happened to another person this weekend. Cheap enough, but sucks anyway. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Got the (correct) 170 rear dunlop put on by F&S in Dayton. They had it in stock, put it on while I waited, had a good price. Amazing how good it feels to have a real live dealer! The bike now initiates turns much easier then the 180 allowed, and seems to turn sharper. With the 180's, the bike always seemed to want to run wide and took a lot of lean to overcome. With the 170's it feels much better. It also feels a lot less neutrally balanced though, so if you wanted a bike that felt "overstable" for whatever reason, the 180's will do that for you. The 180's were worn flat down the center when I bought the bike used, so I don't know if the oversize tire is more prone to the flat center stripe or if the previous owner caused it, so that might be something to watch for with the 180 as well. Time will tell. But in general, if you like to turn, definately go with the stock 170 over the 180. Course, this is likely not news to anybody but me  Bill | ||
| Aaron |
Bill: keep in mind that a new tire will handle significantly different that a squared off old tire, even in the same size. AW | ||
| Bigslug |
I have a question about brake rotors. My 00' M2 that I bought used this spring has a different style rotor and carrier than the manual shows. Having looked through the Pics section, it seems to be used on older Buells. It is round and has 9 mounting rings holding the rotor to the carrier. My question is, could this have come stock, or did the previous owner swap it out? The bike was bone stock when I got it, other that a braided front brake line. I can't imagine changing to a old style rotor & carrier, unless you had a buddy who needed one for a older bike and you were selling yours anyway. Guess it's time to pony up for the new rotor and carrier. Mike | ||
| Court |
Sir Slug: There exists a chance that the prior owner elected to forgo the asthetic benefits of the alloy rotor and avail him/herself to the superior braking provided by the older cast iron set up. If you have a photo of the rotor, I can tell you precisely what year it's from. Court | ||
| Court |
General qustion: I purchased a set of spare wheels and want to "special'em up". I'm fairly sold on the new Buell front rotor but have no thoughts on the rear one. Any suggestions on what rotors and tires (I'll keep these for playing, no distance work on these "skins". Court | ||
| Hans |
Mike, my (early) 2000 M2 has a braided frontbrake line. The carrier has three double "spokes" within a closed circular round ring, just as in my service manual, and it has nine mounting rings. Happy again? Hans. | ||
| Leeaw |
Hans, If you have allen screws holding the rotor to the rotor carrier, it is a 99 and earlier. If there are open rings and you cannot separate the two parts, it is the newer style. | ||
| Hans |
Leeaw, Mike, indeed nine open rings between carier and brake rotor. Geez, How did they manage to get them there? They look one piece. | ||
| Vr1203 |
Court you could strip the paint off the stock rotor on the rear wheel.  | ||
| Bigslug |
Court, Thanks for offering another reason for my different rotor/carrier. If I could get this photo thing figured out, I would post a picture(still a computer greenhorn).If I can get the photo to post, I still would appreciate your opinion. Hans, My service manual shows both the 99'& 00'carrier having three arms, each with two rings with allen bolts in the middle. Sounds like your manual shows my set up. The rings on my bike do not appear to be removeable, so I guess that you replace both at the same time. After looking at this post I thought that I would look in my owners manual. The picture of all of the bikes in the beginning show the same set up that I have. So I guess that my question now is, does the above rotor upgrade have the allen bolts to allow rotor removal, or do I have the newest version and not know it? Thanks for helping sort this out, Mike | ||
| Hans |
Mike, You have thus also the new model and original rotor for an M2 2000 and a braided brake line just like me. The old (1999) carrier has three arms ending in six carrier rings wich are fixed with bolts. Fig 2-5 The 2000 model has the carrier with an closed ring around the arms and has nine (one piece) carrier rings. The carrier is bolted on the wheel with torx screws. Fig.2-8 | ||
| Buelliedan |
Mike, I realize folks are giving you strange answers but listen: YOU HAVE THE 2000 ROTOR!! YOUR MANUAL IS SHOWING THE 99!! the 2000 is much better. Dan | ||
| Bigslug |
My next question is how do you check said rotor for warpage? It seems that an indicator would not give a true reading with a floating rotor. I think that my rotor is warped, it has the low speed shutter, but would like to be sure before I replace it. Thanks all for the help, Mike | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Mike, I just had my rotor replaced (under warranty). Mine also "pulsed" at low speeds. At higher rates, it really shook. I had forgotten what a "good" front brake felt like. The warp thing seems to be a gradual thing, you don't notice it at first. If you are not under warranty, the rotor is only $106 bucks. I'll bet it will cure your ills. I only have 9K on my bike and it started feeling "wrong" at around 6K so the problems can occur fairly early on. Brad | ||
| Buellish |
My rear brake keeps wearing out the slave pad(the one away from the piston),and not the main pad. I would like to find the cause of this and fix it, instead of prematurely replacing pads over and over again. The bike is a 96 S2 Thanks Mike | ||
| Jmartz |
Buellish: When I got replacement pads from Ferodo the "slave" pad was twice as thick as the "master" one. Guess Ferodo has noticed it too. Jose | ||
| Jmartz |
Buellish: After I looked again at my brake (while I put the 5th plug into my rear tire) I noticed that it is the piston side pad thta is thicker. | ||
| Mikej |
Okay, Someone asked on one of the sub-sections about doing their own tire changes at home, and maybe doing the balancing as well. I don't know where the thread went. Jeff (Hoser) posted about an outfit that makes changing equipment someplace in Canada. Aaron might have been going to check on it. I watched a set of tires being changed and balanced last night at a shop, and it looked a whole lot easier to do with a Coat's machine that it is with my tire bar and a hammer. So, who what where when why how? What equipment to get for home shop tire changes? How much does it cost? Who does one buy the stick-on weights from? I'm off to do a web search for Coat's equipment. Found it, Hennessy makes the Coats machines. The local shop was using a Coats 220 manual tire changer, and a 280 static balancer. And found the link to Jeff's comments on New Age Tools. (The search tool and edit button on the site here is nice) MikeJ (Wondering if the management would mind if I sink some bolts into the cement garage floor.) | ||
| Jmartz |
Not long ago I put a set of Michelin Pilots on my S1. In less than 200 miles I got two punctures on the rear tire. Naturally (regardless of risks) I was not going to chuck a new tire. Today there are 5 plugs on this tire two of them with double "worms" as the holes were so big a single one was insufficient. I can't recall how many miles I've put on this baby but the wear bars on the center have yet to be reached, and I don't replace my tires till the threads are showing. From the insistance of my wife and friends I agreed to get a new 180/55 to replace my current one which, in spite of my efforts to seal it, I must fill daily. I ordered it Monday from tireexpress.com and it came this afernoon. Superfast and only $136 minus shipping. Got some weights too to use on my Metzeler balancer. | ||
| Peter |
Performance Bikes had a supplement with their latest magazine on tyres. Here is the summary of their testing. Copied without their permission, but as it was free, I guess they won't mind me sharing it with you. If anyone needs a write up of a particular tyre, let me know.   Click on the thumb. PPiA | ||
| Raticalbuell |
Does a 2000 rotor fit my 97' S1 w/ PM wheels? |
