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posted April 21, 2008 12:55 PM
 Edited By: fish_antlers on 6 Oct 2008 13:38
Gotta Have Brakes ... EBC Release New XC Rotors...
Being able to stop your bike on a dime is a necessity in our opinion, and without a doubt EBC offers some of the best brakes we've ever tested. New for 2008 is the XC rotor, complete with fully floated flat-sided carriers machined to accommodate heat and prevent warping.
The new XC rotors use stainless friction surfaces, only 6 stainless buttons for weight savings, and continue to keep weight low with aluminum hubs.
Watch the video inset to hear Andy Freeman, owner of EBC Brakes, dish out all the tasty specs on these new rotors and see Andy for yourself.
Andy's so confident in his products' performance, he tells us that if you buy his HH pads and you don't think they're the best brakes you can buy, he'll personally replace them.
I don't need to take this man up on his challenge, because I owe my life to EBC brakes - quite literally. Accordingly, we're more than pleased that this top-notch company, whose brakes I've purchased religiously with my own hard earned money for two decades, have joined Bikeland as a sponsor.
Now, you can stop reading here if you want, because I'm going to tell you the story about how EBC saved my life. I've recounted this story many times, but it's usually over a beer and around a campfire....
It was a beautiful day in the middle of nowheresville southern Oregon. I think it was 1996, but it could have been 1995... World Superbike was well on its way to being the Ducati cup and I was heading north after watching the races at Laguna Seca. This website didn't even exist.
I was on board my 1994 Ducati 900SS, a quarter faired oddity freshly smuggled into North America in carry on luggage by some people who knew that this cool ride couldn't be had on this side of the pond. At the races I'd stopped in and bought some EBC HH pads and installed them at the track. The change was instantaneous, noticeable - dramatic.
After riding a good 800 miles with the pads bedding in, I'd now grown accustomed to the extra braking force the EBC HH pads gave me, not thinking twice about what better brakes might mean on the street.
Riding in the twilight with the sun falling amongst the giant forests of the north west of America, we found ourselves on a long straight stretch of one lane road. Approaching in the distance was a big-rig, and behind me was PK. Immediately behind her was the local Sheriff who'd pulled out a few miles back hoping we'd slip up and need to make a donation to the local city council.
Keeping the speedo at a rock solid 65mph, we droned along. As the big-rig approached, from my right I spotted something.
It was a deer and her fawn, and they made the poor decision to jump out of the trees and directly in my path.
As though I'd sucked down an entire bottle of nitrous oxide, or I was suddenly an actor in any one of the Matrix movies, time suddenly stood still.
Nano-second clicked off one snicket at a time.
Frame by frame my life unraveled itself in front of me.
Panic filled my pants as I grabbed the biggest handful of front brake you can imagine. With only feet to spare, both the deer froze, staring me in the eyes. I saw the big-rig's driver's face light up with terror as he locked up all 18 wheels.
Smoke and shards of tire flew off the big rig as it now slid down the road towards me.
I glanced in my rear view mirror and could see PK panic as well.
Equally panicked was the Sheriff, who shot me an unusual look of "Nooooooo!!!!"
All the time I squeezed the trigger on my brakes and they grabbed and grabbed and then grabbed some more, rotating the Duc on its front wheel into a giant stoppie.
I was now close enough that I could reach out and touch the momma deer on its nose.
They turned instantly and bolted off the road.
I came to a thunking halt as my rear wheel smacked back down on the pavement.
As the bike had decelerated from 65 to zero in split seconds, my heart had raced to an adrenaline fueled pace as it pounded in my throat.
The semi let off the brakes and whizzed by.
The tire smoke cleared.
I was stopped, dead in the road, PK behind me, and behind her, stopped as well, the local Sheriff.
The constable jumped out of his car and ran to me, convinced I had actually hit the deer.
It was so close that even he thought we had collided.
I assured him that I hadn't, and that he could leave.
I needed a moment to myself. We pulled off to the side of the road and I removed my helmet. I sat there in silence for quite a while, contemplating life. I looked back at my bike and I said to myself jokingly, "I'd like to thank my sponsors - and especially EBC for making these wonderful brake pads", but I knew all joking aside that the pads had saved my life.
So with that out in the open I'd like to thank EBC for making such wonderful products.
We're glad to have them on board, and we hope all of you feel the same.
Source: Bikeland.org
   
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fish_antlers
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posted April 22, 2008 06:30 AM
top!
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dubious
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posted April 22, 2008 07:13 AM
Damn.... with Gold centers too..... argggh
your 2 weeks too late ...
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ghostman
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posted April 22, 2008 08:15 AM
Edited By: ghostman on 22 Apr 2008 15:17
How the heck do you find them for the 14?!
I admit that I'm a little slow on the search tip. 
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ozzy
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posted April 22, 2008 11:02 AM
quote:
Damn.... with Gold centers too..... argggh
your 2 weeks too late ...
I thought they were aluminum 
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jeff martin
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posted April 22, 2008 11:08 AM
Nice looking..But what the hell the factory one's are some of the best..Just get better pads or lose some weight..Mine stops hard enough to cup the tires and turn purple from heat..What more do you need..reverse rocket pod mounted on the front..Havent seen any sign of fading either..Looks is the only advantage..
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fish_antlers
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posted April 22, 2008 11:15 AM
quote:
Looks is the only advantage..
Watch the video...
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jeff martin
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posted April 22, 2008 11:30 AM
Watched still not convinced..Never replaced a stock rotor on any sport bike because of warping..Or on a race bike with stock rotors..Even my old GS1150E race bike with 3 seasons under it still had stock rotors with EBC pads..Just changed the pads..and installed braided lines and changed the fluid..Maybe good for a harley or some second rate quaility rotors..Now dont get me wrong there is i am sure a market for these..Maybe on bikes where the rider is 300 lbs but for me at 140 dont need them..But granted there good looking bling..
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted April 22, 2008 12:05 PM
Jeff the comparison between stock rotors and aftermarket is like comparing apples and oranges.....the EBC rotors on my ZX12R give it a far better initial grab and linear feel than any other bike I have ever had. As much work and time as I have put into the brakes on my ZX10, they still suck in comparison...If I could still race in the SuperStock class with aftermarket rotors it would have been one of the first mods I would have done...
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fish_antlers
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posted April 22, 2008 01:07 PM
Edited By: fish_antlers on 22 Apr 2008 20:07
freek's warped many rotors, both stock and aftermarket if I'm not mistaken!
If stock rotors were the cat's ass, you'd see them on GP bikes, no? 
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jeff martin
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posted April 22, 2008 03:21 PM
If cost was a comparison you wouldn't see them on GP bikes..There unlimited budget allows them to put the best of everything on there bikes..On a street bike there not a respectable upgrade that i can imagine..If you ride like the street dictates, traffic and crazy people everywhere not including all the obstructions the street gives use you wont find much improvement over stock rotors..Show me one guy that had a hard ride in canyons or showed a differnce in skill due to braking ability because he or she bought a $300 set of rotors and i will show you a fast harley canyon scraper..Maybe freek's should learn how to ride a modern sportbike with some finess..Saw lots of dudes in my racing days buy the best of the best and still have slower track times..Stopping is as we know very important and so is learning the ability of the differnce between corner speed and how fast you entered the corner..The first thing that i believe should be done on most brake set-ups should be the purchase of braided lines and a very high quaility fluid..Less than 0.3 percent of moisture in you system can cause brake fade and soft feel to the whole system..and add hi pressure rubber lines and the brakes will have a soft feeling for sure.. Rotor's being the final part of the system all though very important they have little diffence compared to fluid pads and rotor size and system expansion..Granted heat is the killer and normally due to the wrong pads.. Put braided lines on first and the aftermarket rotor's will be a after thought..Floating rotor's was hands down the best upgrade for any system in the past scubbing off the heat allowing the rotor to cool for the next corner..keeping contact away from the pads as long as possible..How often do you change your brake fluid..You should consider doing it yearly..Makes a huge differnce..And takes about a half hour..Hells Dark Lord..Maybe the rotor's changed the feel because of the same pads where used giving the pads a differnce surface for seating or did you change the pads at the same time..Just swapping rotors is not all the performance gain you get..Sometimes its due to the pads resurfacing to the new face..a piece of sand paper on the pads and new fluid will bring it back also..Stainless is stainless and vent holes don't improve braking .. only heat dissapation..Now if those rotors where larger then you might see a differnce..Chances are the pads did it not the rotors..
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aliveagain
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posted April 22, 2008 08:32 PM
snickets at a time?  Never had aftermarket rotors and always wondered about the change in performance.
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fish_antlers
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posted April 23, 2008 12:25 AM
Jeff...
Perhaps aftermarket rotors are not for you.... I would also suggest that you don't buy a powercommander or exhaust system or make any other modifications to your bike as it is clearly "good enough" bone stock..
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princesskiwi
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posted April 23, 2008 01:37 AM
Oh and stock tires are the best!
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted April 23, 2008 02:24 AM
Yeah Jeff, I gotta dissagree. Maybe for a guy your size rotor warping wasnt an issue, but it has been one for me over the years. I went through 2 rotors on my '87 250 Ninja, converted to a 600 Ninja setup and that weekend toasted those stock ones. Burned up the rotors on my GS550ES, GS750E, '02 TL1000R, too, and now my 14's aren't looking so hot, and the stock pads are squeeling at 3200 miles.
The TL1000R and 14's brake issues are no doubt related to my 300+ pounds, but I was "only" 210 on the other bikes. As a guy who has used and swapped to "high friction" rotors in the past, I can definitely attest to there superior bite! The old tech stuff I used was a "handful" in the rain, though. Very touchy at that initial bite, but I bet the newer stuff is better.
All Stainless Steels ARE NOT THE SAME! Hell, the ones I put on my 250 Ninja (after the 600 front end swap) had so much iron in them (abrasive additive) that they were magnetically permeable (magnets stuck to them). They also warped about 10,000 miles later due to being so thin from all the wear. Oh well, can't win them all. But they worked awesome up to that point!
As far as better brakes not making you faster, I can't believe a guy who used to race is making that statement! I don't even know where to start, you're so off base. I'll just leave you with a reversed version of what I told my son last night: "I bet if your past self could travel forward in time to now they would kick your future self's ass for saying that".
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted April 23, 2008 02:50 AM
My own EBC moment: September 2006; a group of the best riders in our group got together for a high speed blast up Mt. Baker, the last "fast" ride of the year. We invited only the fastest riders for a reason, and sure enough, flash forward to me trying to retake the lead after blowing a corner. I went for a outside pass but had to abort when the other guy cut my line off. He was evidently VERY surprised to see me, and very determined to not let my TLR pass his dyno shootout winning R1. So we drag raced the mildly curving straight, 160 mph into what we both assumed was another 100mph sweeper. It actually was a maybe 30mph 90deg turn, of which the entire turn was a U shaped concret bridge. Fuck! We were both a turn off in our heads, that turn was supposed to be after the next curving straightaway...
He was ahead by about half a bike, we both grabbed full brakes, both crouched low with rear tires barely touching approaching the cement Jersey Barriers on the outside of the corner at WAYYY to fast...
I stopped with a couple a foot to spare before hitting the heavy gravel 3 feet from the barrier. He didnt.
We picked the pieces of his bike up, 'duct taped' it together and too this day joke about how close he and his bike were to going over the edge into the ravine and creek under the bridge. And about how his extra long frame sliders saved his leg from a crushing. And how my EBC brake pads managed to stop a bike and rider combo that was at least 150 pounds heavier in noticeably shorter distance.
I shit you not, he went out and bought the HH pads the next week. Along with a mirror, clip on, blinker, frame sliders, upper fairing, foot peg, and a new pair of underwear.
And for the record, yes, the guy is an excellent rider, he is "DJoplin" at PNWRiders if you want to check the story. Might have misspelled it, but he's a moderator they will all know him.
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jeff martin
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posted April 23, 2008 03:38 AM
Very interesting indeed...Never warped a rotor..I think maybe it has alot to do with the rider's size..Weight vs stopping...I suppose if you ride track speeds on the road then these rotors would be great..Maybe i will try them, but i would still put braided lines and pads first..And speaking of tires my stockers are about done..And have mostly been a Dunlop fan..But what are you guys riding on ?.. I can honestly say i don't ride my 14 nearly as hard as my GSXR1000 its just not as forgiving and flickable and the stock brakes feel great compared to some bikes i have riden, but if the extra weight does destroy the pads i will re-do the entire set-up if needed..But for now its very difficult to maintain any hard riding long enough to heat the brakes to track speed's..At least here, to many other people on the road for sure..
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted April 23, 2008 03:53 AM
I have my special roads that get them brakes heated up very well Jeff. Especially coming down from the summit of Mt. Rainier, or the amazingly perfect new non stop winding road going up to Mt St. Helens observatory.
I am hard on brakes, though. Just a habit I learned when I always had the slower/smaller bike than everyone else.
My tires are pretty much a done deal right now, with 3200 miles on them. The only reason they lasted this long was all my I-5 trips to work in traffic. I'm leaning towards Pilot Road 2's on the rear, supposed to be better than the Pilot Sports, with Pilot Power tread on the sides. And for the front, I keep hearing other guys talking about running a softer front, so Pilot Power 2CT's up there.
I got alot of commuting to do this summer, and I figure I'll be needing my next set about 2 months from now. THAT set is going to be used on the track, so no Pilot Road 2's then.
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Flies out K&N in!
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jeff martin
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posted April 23, 2008 04:17 AM
Yea ! thats one steep ass road down from rainer..I only have 936 miles on the 14 and the tires look a little worse for wear..Takes a bit more to warm them i assume but what the hell if you have 3200 on yours and a 300lb rider i better try and get a few more miles on the stockers..
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frEEk
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posted April 23, 2008 04:20 AM
Yep, I warped the stock discs and 2 pairs of aftermarket discs (so far). I can't remember or find the exact timeline unfortunately but bought bike April 00, June 01 I had SS brake lines put in (big difference), July it got EBC HH pads (big difference again), in May 02 I was complaining about the brakes pulsing/shuddering, and shortly thereafter they were found to be warped and replaced with EBC discs. One again, big difference switching to the EBC discs (after already having the lines and HH pads, so it was the discs).
I don't ride particularly fast, I never spend any time on the track, and I certainly don't do anything close to threshold braking, but I suppose I do use the brakes harder than most, and I rarely touch the back brake. And at 165lb I'm not exactly part of Team Fat Ass. Obviously I'm doing something not quite right since i've since gone thru the EBC discs twice (on my third set now, replaced last year I think). As to the cost of aftermarket discs, when the stock set was replaced, they were in the same ballpark, and I'm 80% sure the EBCs were in fact a bit cheaper than getting stock rotors (definitive memory fails me, as does the invoice).
As to whether aftermarket rotors are necessary? No, of course not. No more than aftermarket pads, or lines, or exhaust, and for that matter, no more necessary than a 160HP motorcycle The stockers will stop you just fine in any real situation. But... aftermarket brake goodies make it easier to stop (among other things), and that is my attraction. With everything stock I had to really mash on the lever to stop hard, and really found it difficult to pull a stoppie. With Pads, rotors, and lines, I can stoppie with 2 fingers, and even aggressive street riding can all be done with 1 finger (which i find by far the most comfortable hand position). Now if my 12R had the brakes that came on my buddy's RC51, I wouldnt need anything aftermarket, but no such luck.
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Sticks_n_Stones
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posted April 23, 2008 04:21 AM
Kinda hard to wear the tires out when you are doing the 70mph bumper to bumper thing down I-5. It's all I can do just to try and keep the sides used enough to keep there profile. Oh well, its the 'supposed' reason I bought the 14 in the first place. Commuting on the TL1000R was a real ordeal.
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jeff martin
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posted April 23, 2008 04:36 AM
quote:
Yep, I warped the stock discs and 2 pairs of aftermarket discs (so far). I can't remember or find the exact timeline unfortunately but bought bike April 00, June 01 I had SS brake lines put in (big difference), July it got EBC HH pads (big difference again), in May 02 I was complaining about the brakes pulsing/shuddering, and shortly thereafter they were found to be warped and replaced with EBC discs. One again, big difference switching to the EBC discs (after already having the lines and HH pads, so it was the discs).
I don't ride particularly fast, I never spend any time on the track, and I certainly don't do anything close to threshold braking, but I suppose I do use the brakes harder than most, and I rarely touch the back brake. And at 165lb I'm not exactly part of Team Fat Ass. Obviously I'm doing something not quite right since i've since gone thru the EBC discs twice (on my third set now, replaced last year I think). As to the cost of aftermarket discs, when the stock set was replaced, they were in the same ballpark, and I'm 80% sure the EBCs were in fact a bit cheaper than getting stock rotors (definitive memory fails me, as does the invoice).
As to whether aftermarket rotors are necessary? No, of course not. No more than aftermarket pads, or lines, or exhaust, and for that matter, no more necessary than a 160HP motorcycle The stockers will stop you just fine in any real situation. But... aftermarket brake goodies make it easier to stop (among other things), and that is my attraction. With everything stock I had to really mash on the lever to stop hard, and really found it difficult to pull a stoppie. With Pads, rotors, and lines, I can stoppie with 2 fingers, and even aggressive street riding can all be done with 1 finger (which i find by far the most comfortable hand position). Now if my 12R had the brakes that came on my buddy's RC51, I wouldnt need anything aftermarket, but no such luck.
Where all the warped Rotors from the same Bike..? If not what was the bike..Just curious..
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted April 23, 2008 08:46 AM
Jeff...I did not change the rotors and pads so I cant tell you if they were changed at the same time or not. Crashtech is the one I got the bike from and he and Roger did all the work on the bike. But as I stated before, the EBC rotors and EBC HH pads with stainless lines on that ZX12R are the best brakes I have ever had on a sportbike. The feel and predictability is awsome. If I could get the brakes on my ZX10R to feel the same and give the same stopping power, I would shave a second off my laptimes....
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gilberjj
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posted April 23, 2008 10:20 AM
I need to get ss brakelines first, but those rotors look sexy....
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stevewfl
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posted April 23, 2008 12:11 PM
These new wave rotors appear super-sweet, bet they are hard to warp. Wonder what they'll cost, and will they be competitive to the galfer wave rotors?
EBC "HH" pads are all I run :P
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2010 Concours14
'08 R1 YAMAHA
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