diff --git a/src/ASPHERE/compute_temp_asphere.cpp b/src/ASPHERE/compute_temp_asphere.cpp
index 029b76cb27f16a94d96ed4bd793e2b7745fb237c..e8d3fcb52776d99d0323699e08cad6d69f85ba50 100644
--- a/src/ASPHERE/compute_temp_asphere.cpp
+++ b/src/ASPHERE/compute_temp_asphere.cpp
@@ -73,6 +73,11 @@ ComputeTempAsphere::ComputeTempAsphere(LAMMPS *lmp, int narg, char **arg) :
     } else error->all(FLERR,"Illegal compute temp/asphere command");
   }
 
+  // when computing only the rotational temperature,
+  // do not remove DOFs for translation as set by default
+
+  if (mode == ROTATE) extra_dof = 0;
+
   vector = new double[6];
 
 }
diff --git a/src/compute_temp_sphere.cpp b/src/compute_temp_sphere.cpp
index 50995dfa8405eff4ae937eb05b4441839b381948..febb9339b4888e9d74875ae4ccfd8e0e583f33d7 100644
--- a/src/compute_temp_sphere.cpp
+++ b/src/compute_temp_sphere.cpp
@@ -67,6 +67,11 @@ ComputeTempSphere::ComputeTempSphere(LAMMPS *lmp, int narg, char **arg) :
     } else error->all(FLERR,"Illegal compute temp/sphere command");
   }
 
+  // when computing only the rotational temperature,
+  // do not remove DOFs for translation as set by default
+
+  if (mode == ROTATE) extra_dof = 0;
+
   vector = new double[6];
 
   // error checks