Braking wavy discs. Good or bad?

[Valver]

I'm just about to buy new discs for my R1. I'm just wondering if these 'Braking' wavy disc are any good? I was gonna buy standard ones but these are only £30 extra for a set.
I wouldn't buy anything for the bling factor, i'm only interested in the stopping performance and longevity.

Anyone?

Cheers!

[stinkwheel]

Well, my knowledge of them, which is based on hearsay, is that they were designed for moto-x bikes as a means of clearing clagged on mud off the pads. People then started fitting them to sports bikes because they look cool.

In terms of braking performance. They have a smaller surface area than a conventional disc. Now I'm no expert but I would have thought that a smaller surface area gives you less friction from your brake pads and less area to disperse heat away. On paper this makes them less effective and more prone to overheating.

I wouldn't have thought mud build-up is a particular issue for a sports bike and proper sintered brake pads aren't bothered by water.

If it were me, I'd stick with good quality conventional discs and sintered pads. The sintered pads will wear your discs more rapidly than standard ones but there was you about to spend £30 extra on wavy ones so you can afford to replace them slightly earlier.

Oh yeah, sintered pads last for AGES before they wear out.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Trixie]

As Stinkwheel says, my advice is also based on hearsay - but I've heard this from a fair few people!

Basically, I've been told that wavy discs won't really give you a huge amount more effectiveness in the braking department than your commonal garden normal discs.

I'd personally buy the standard discs and get sintered pads.
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Dead nobodies in company cars...

[Valver]

I had them in my SM610R and I must admit the brakes were really good although I imagine the fact that the bike only weighed 130odd kg had a lot to do with that. One thing I noticed is how much they chewed the pads. I went through 4 sets in 12k miles.

Cheers for helping make up my mind folks! I'm going with the standard discs.

[Finglonga]

Didn't know Hearsay were into bikes, but they seem to know their stuff.

https://blog.muchmusic.com/thenewmusic/archives/images/hearsay.jpg
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Andy Sez....
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[Gazdaman]

Is that Shrek second in from the left?

Wavey disks are supposed to clean the pads by shearing off a tiny amount each time.

And I think it aids cooling slightly. They're mainly for bling factor though.

Gaz

[UrbanRacer]

yea, very good compared to the standard discs i had on the GSXR.
I used to use Carbon Lorraine SBK HH pads with the Braking Wave discs and i went through pads like sweeties plus the brake dust from them was crazy
I now use EBC HH pads and they've lasted alot longer and their isn't that much dust from them.

[AcIdBuRnZ]

Got them fitted on the Gixer - fantastic stopping power when paired with race pads.

One thing I noticed is that they don't get scored or marked as easy as conventional discs.
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Past: Honda NSR125R >> Kawasaki ER-5a2 >> Kawasaki ZZR-600e1 >> Suzuki GSXR-750Y >> Honda VTR 1000 Firestorm
"Chickity China the Chinese Chicken..."

[Fisty]

I have a set fitted to my zxr, honestly only got them as they were £120 cheaper than standard ebc items.
The seem to give the same stopping power but eat through pads, i seem to be changing them at 2000 ish miles.
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[MarJay]

Stinkwheel, its not just about surface area, but the length of the leading edge of the pad etc.

If the disc is wavy then it also has its own leading edge, meaning better bite, but more pad wear.

Similar to drilled and grooved discs really. I suppose it must also prevent the gas boundary layer problems you get on plain solid discs.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[EllioTT_GiXXeR]

I got them fitted also with brake lines, and to be honest i can't tell the difference. I only got them since they looked better then standard.

Will try brembo all round in a few years time, will notice the difference then.
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[instigator]

Don't buy cheap jobbies off ebay. If they're anything like mine, they will crack.

Go for a well known brand.

[Valver]

[feef]

[craigs23]

I'd go for standard round Braking discs.

Waveys just look naff and don't seem to offer any significant improvements.