Front Brake Rotor Gouge

[MotoXRacer_19]

As I was inspecting my new-to-me bike that I just purchased, I noticed there is a grove on the back side of my front brake rotor that goes completely around it, and you can feel it with your finger nail. I have noticed some poor performance, but I figured it was because of the new pads that the previous owner installed just before I bought it hadn't seated yet. However, I've ridden a couple times and it doesn't seem to get much better, if any better at all. Is that enough to explain why when I pull in the brake as hard as I can, it only slows me down a little, instead of going into a stoppie and over the bars (as I wish it would)?

Should I look into buying a brand new rotor?

I have no pictures of it, I'll try to post some when I can.

Edited February 8, 2018 by MotoXRacer_19

[BOAB]

A thin groove should not affect your braking performance.  Your poor braking is another issue.

[William1]

Yeah, a groove in the rotor would have minimal effect on braking and once a pad was worn in, no effect. Poor braking is a glazed rotor, wrong pad compound, rusted sliders, sticking piston, air, malfunctioning master, bad brake line.

[UG_ALLSTAR]

1 hour ago, William1 said:

Yeah, a groove in the rotor would have minimal effect on braking and once a pad was worn in, no effect. Poor braking is a glazed rotor, wrong pad compound, rusted sliders, sticking piston, air, malfunctioning master, bad brake line.

Good advice and it's a basic system so tracking it down shouldn't be too difficult. Start with the basics and bleed the front brake line. Check to make sure your caliper piston is pushing and retracting. If the rotor is damaged and the pads are worn then replace. A soft front brake will kill your riding and confidence as it's the majority of your stopping power.

[wielywilly-g]

Did you pull it apart and inspect?

Edited February 9, 2018 by wielywilly-g

[motoriot1]

Does the brake lever feel spongey or soft? Does the brake lever pull almos to the grip? If so you either have bad brake line due to age or you have air in your system. A groove in the rotor shouldn't cause this issue. My rm had the same issue, I replaced the stock brake line with a stainless steel beaded line, and now have all kinds of stopping power.

[MotoXRacer_19]

1 hour ago, motoriot1 said:

Does the brake lever feel spongey or soft? Does the brake lever pull almos to the grip? If so you either have bad brake line due to age or you have air in your system. A groove in the rotor shouldn't cause this issue. My rm had the same issue, I replaced the stock brake line with a stainless steel beaded line, and now have all kinds of stopping power.

No it does none of those things, and it has a steel braided line. I'm just curious as if maybe the pads aren't completely seated yet, or maybe I need to bleed it.

[Fatt_Tones]

Those pads may just need to seat. Sometimes what I do after installing new pads is take it for a ride on a long stretch and pull the front brake lever in just enough to drag the brakes but still maintain forward momentum.  I'll ride along like this for a few miles.  Obviously you don't want to overheat your brakes but this will wear those pads in to seat in short order.

 

Might not be a bad idea to hit the pads and rotor with some brake clean as well.  Maybe the previous owner spilled some crap on there and contaminated things when he was working on the brakes.

[Weezer the Geezer]

Is there any evidence of oil getting on the pads?

It also could be elcheapo brake pads.

[MotoXRacer_19]

Just found the culprit. The fork seal was leaking just a tad and it must’ve got on the brake pads. Solved the leaky forks. For the brake pads, will I have to completely replace or would spraying them down with brake cleaner and drying them off then running them on the brush wheel solve that problem or will I have to replace completely?

[DarrellH3]

You should be able to clean them up with no problems.

[Filipe]

6 hours ago, MotoXRacer_19 said:

...fork seal was leaking...

Hey, I just went through this exact same thing. However, my caliper was binding up. I had to disassemble the caliper from the bracket and grease the posts it slides on. Make sure you check this too. If your brakes are dragging, and/or your lever feels spongy, this might be the culprit too.