Rusty Discs/& shiney clutch ... Cleaning suggestions ple

[kirk332]

I am restoring a 1989 Model 906 PASO. Both front and rear brake disc's are covered in surface rust. What do you think would be the best way to remove the rust? I was thinking of using scotch-brite and WD-40 and some elbow grease...Any other ideas out there!!

Also I have been told to rub the metal driven plates, in the clutch pack, on cement to roughen them up. Is this a good idea to remove the slightly glazed look that they have?

Cheers to all...

[gail]

The discs can be cleaned with fine steel wool and soapy water , possibly degreaser if oil contaminated,dry thoroughly after, The clutch is normally shiny, but if concerned use fine grit wet and dry sandpaper, remove all residue and ensure all components are clean on reassembly.Bleed and replace fluids if needed. Check disc pads for wear. Check operations on brakes and clutch and adjust as necessary. Hope this helps.

[Desmo_Demon]

For the rotors, I used a sandblaster to clean off the old rust. Then, I masked off the contact area with black electrical tape and painted the rotors. I didn't want paint on the contact surfaces, because I didn't want to run the risk of not having any brakes as the pads had to cut through the paint (you also may run into the risk of the paint clogging the pads).


After sandblasting the sections I wanted to paint...



Masked off contact areas with electrical tape....



Repainted....



If only the contact areas have surface rust, don't worry about them. After using the brakes a couple of times, all the rust will be removed. It is just the nature of running a high iron content metal for the rotors, and also one reason why most rotors are now stainless steel (many people don't like the unsightly rust). I've often heard that you get better braking performance from the iron rotors compared to stailess, but they say to NOT run sintered pads with iron. The two are not compatible and you will destroy your rotors.


For the metal disks in the clutch pack, I'd lightly hit them with steel wool or just leave them alone. The first time you run the bike and use the clutch, the rust will wear off, but very shortly after that, especially if running a closed cover, I'd blow out the area with compressed air.

[kirk332]

Cheers guys for the replies. I ended up wire buffing the brake discs on my bench grinder which seemed to do the job nicely.
Also gave the clutch discs a light sand with some wet and dry just to remove the chrome like appearance.