Front brake rotor rust

[JT1]

What is the best way to remove rust from the rotor and keep it off.

[walton66]

Ride a lot

[Danny caddyshack Noonan]

Ride hard, per the prior post, but DON"T PUT IT AWAY WET.

Or, keep the rotors dry when stored.

Or, rinse off road salt when stored if that is the cause.

 

Mine haven't rusted at all.

[Selden]

What is the best way to remove rust from the rotor and keep it off.

 

Definitely not WD-40.

 

Unless a bike sits outside in the rain and snow for several months, the rust should just be a light surface coating, which will be worn away as soon as you take it for a ride. This type of rust is a cosmetic, not a functional problem.

[dirtrider]

Morning JT1

 

Seeing as we don't know what bike you are working with, what brake rotors you have on the bike, what brand & type of brake pads you are using, where you are riding, what conditions you are riding in, or how you store the bike after riding.

 

Then, (short answer) about all I tell you for sure is don't do whatever you have been doing to the get the rust.

[Guest Kakugo]

I take you have never had a bike with cast iron rotors then?

 

There is absolutely nothing to worry about. Brake discs are made from the same steel alloys as used in cutlery, pretty corrosion resistant stuff. Any rust you see is superficial: it can be removed by nothing more than riding the bike and using brakes.

[JT1]

Thanks guys. It's a 2014 1200rt. I've had it 45 days and put 2000 miles on it. But I am right on the coast. I just thought it was a little early to be getting rust on the brake rotor. Also it's been raining hard.

[Selden]

Right by the coast = humidity + salt = corrosion. Don't obsess; it's normal. The Car Talk guys had an episode once that involved a stolen car, and rust on the brake rotors was the clue.

[lkchris]

My first bike was a Ducati 860GT, fairly quickly replaced by a BMW R100S. The only thing not better on the BMW was the stainless brakes, which didn't stop as well as the Ducati's rusty iron rotors.