Last weekend's 10 inches of snow in SE Michigan was too much. It was all that was needed to boil up years of pent up frustration looking at the 'man hole cover' serving as a rear brake rotor on these R6's. With the help of propane torch and an impact driver that unsightly heavy lump landed on my milling machine.
After some layout work and some sketching on the CAD tube.....I took 350 grams out of her!
Well, I hadn't thought about making these for others but I suppose that's a possibility.
I've done three of these now for my bikes (an R1 and two R6s) and the setup is slightly different each time. The screw holes (for attaching rotor to wheel) are clocked inconsistently vs. the lightening holes. It seems Yamaha uses a stamping process that does not orient the rotor in a specific manner. Meaning, every rotor has to be indicated to find the actual ZERO angle of each feature.....kind of a pain.
So anyhow, if I were to do more of these.....I wouldn't want to do just one.......as the setup is a bit time consuming.
Last weekend's 10 inches of snow in SE Michigan was too much. It was all that was needed to boil up years of pent up frustration looking at the 'man hole cover' serving as a rear brake rotor on these R6's. With the help of propane torch and an impact driver that unsightly heavy lump landed on my milling machine.
After some layout work and some sketching on the CAD tube.....I took 350 grams out of her!
Well, I hadn't thought about making these for others but I suppose that's a possibility.
I've done three of these now for my bikes (an R1 and two R6s) and the setup is slightly different each time. The screw holes (for attaching rotor to wheel) are clocked inconsistently vs. the lightening holes. It seems Yamaha uses a stamping process that does not orient the rotor in a specific manner. Meaning, every rotor has to be indicated to find the actual ZERO angle of each feature.....kind of a pain.
So anyhow, if I were to do more of these.....I wouldn't want to do just one.......as the setup is a bit time consuming.
I have a small pile of oem rear rotors. I’ve also seen the edges machines for even more reduction. I think we saved like 12 ounces or something when @Agg2001 did these for us ages ago
I have a small pile of oem rear rotors. I’ve also seen the edges machines for even more reduction. I think we saved like 12 ounces or something when @Agg2001 did these for us ages ago
Yep. I could imagine how one could reduce the mass even further by contouring the outer diameter. But for me, with a manual knee mill and rotary table the added complexity of the setup wasn't worth it. My mass savings was in the 9 oz. (250 gr) range so I'm well happy with that and looks quite better (than stock) as well.
Yep. I could imagine how one could reduce the mass even further by contouring the outer diameter. But for me, with a manual knee mill and rotary table the added complexity of the setup wasn't worth it. My mass savings was in the 9 oz. (250 gr) range so I'm well happy with that and looks quite better (than stock) as well.
As mentioned above, I hadn't considered making more.....but if there were enough interest.....then sure, why not. Given the initial setup time with the rotary table and truing the fixture surface......let's say there would need to be 5+ folks interested.
It took a good 3 hours (closer to 4) to machine each rotor. I'm thinking a fair price given the time involved would be $80 each.
Please take into consideration that this machining process has the potential to relieve residual stress in the rotor. I can't absolutely guarantee the rotor remains flat at the completion of the process. I can say that the three rotors I've done thus far did not move. The post-machining axial runnout was less than 0.001". Anyhow.......caveat emptor.
Looks like you need three pins in your table that will index to the brake disc vent hole pattern, and a clamp ring that will hold the thing down from the inside edge. Then you could drop a disc on and it would be perfectly indexed and you could throw your inner clamp ring on and not have to play "jump the clamp" ten times to get it done. Now you just need an order for 20 of them so you can afford the surface grinder and 14" mill you know you want.
Looks like you need three pins in your table that will index to the brake disc vent hole pattern, and a clamp ring that will hold the thing down from the inside edge. Then you could drop a disc on and it would be perfectly indexed and you could throw your inner clamp ring on and not have to play "jump the clamp" ten times to get it done. Now you just need an order for 20 of them so you can afford the surface grinder and 14" mill you know you want.
You bet I have aspirations of larger machines. For my retirement (not too far off) I'm buying a Haas VF-2SS and it'll be plonked down in my living room.........and I'm not joking.
Very nice work! This might be a little off topic but what would you recommend for a good small starter setup for someone that is wanting to be able to mill metal parts?
Very nice work! This might be a little off topic but what would you recommend for a good small starter setup for someone that is wanting to be able to mill metal parts?
The best recommendation I could give you would be to start with training and education.....instead of jumping into purchase a machine. Check into what your local community college has to offer. Take some courses on how to operate manual machines.
Another recommendation is to peruse the Practical Machinist forum. Lots to learn there.
If you are truly interested in machine work, be warned.......it can get expensive. The machine cost will likely be only a fraction of your financial outlay.
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