Time for New Front Brake Pads!

[Crash Cash]

As I recall, not all EBC pads have that tendency (ie to wear out the rotors prematurely). I believe that it is the the HH compound pads that are OK for our disks.

Their organic/Kevlar pads will be kinder to the rotors at the expense of reduced stopping power and shorter pad lifetime.

Exactly, which is why I go with OEM which is kind to the pads AND has a hell of a lifespan. Plus I don't have to wonder if I'm using the "right" aftermarket formula until one day I have grooves in my discs deep enough to snag a fingernail in.

Plus I *love* the killer braking my FJR has. I wish my SV had the same performance (being half the weight, it should!) and I don't want to **** with that.

 

[olsonm3915]

Plus I *love* the killer braking my FJR has. I wish my SV had the same performance (being half the weight, it should!) and I don't want to **** with that.

As a former SV owner (40k miles on a 2001 SV650S) I only wish our 07 FJR's brakes were close to being as good as the SV's brakes. Of course the SV didn't have to haul down quite so much weight.

Check this out, note the '99 SV is still #8 on Motorcycle Consumer New's all time best 10 braking performance list at 108.8 feet from 60 mph. Our '07 FJR only managed a relatively poor 144.5 feet.

https://www.mcnews.com/mcn/articles/2010JanIndex.pdf

The Gen I 2003 FJR w/o ABS scored significantly better at 117.8 feet.

 

[FargoFeej]

Oh great. After enduring Gen I abuse for other reasons, now I find out that my Gen II bike uses "Mini Pads" for the front brakes.

So I can just shop in my grocery store's feminine products aisle for them?

{sigh}

Don't tell RH about this.

 

[RadioHowie]

Oh great. After enduring Gen I abuse for other reasons, now I find out that my Gen II bike uses "Mini Pads" for the front brakes.
So I can just shop in my grocery store's feminine products aisle for them?

{sigh}

Don't tell RH about this.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Too late!

Hey Vic, glad you got it all sorted out. I just KNEW mcatrophy would come through for ya.

Yeah, like majicmaker said, OEM is the way to go...screw the extra $$$

Needed brakes about 5k miles ago....bought a complete set from my local stealer. $99 for front and rear. Didn't pay attention till the install that they were NOT OEMs...they were EBCs.

Now the wheels refuse to stay clean.....wash 'em one day....black again at the end of the next day from brake dust. And just this week, the rear started the dreaded "hey-i'm-worn-out" grinding noise we all hear just before spending money on brake pads/shoes.

Lemme tell ya, I am NOT happy that the rear pads are grinding at 5k miles. I mean COME ON...the OEM rear lasted 51,000 miles! I didn't realized EBC made brake pad material out of the same shit Yamaha uses for windshield screws. <_<

 

[majicmaker]

As I recall, not all EBC pads have that tendency (ie to wear out the rotors prematurely). I believe that it is the the HH compound pads that are OK for our disks.

Their organic/Kevlar pads will be kinder to the rotors at the expense of reduced stopping power and shorter pad lifetime. I don't know whether rotor wear is really an issue or not with the HH. I haven't decided whether I'm going with the OEM pads or aftermarket when mine are due for replacement; likely some time next year. Maybe I'm not a very aggressive rider but brake pads seem to last me a long time - 30,000 miles on the original pads and there's still some meat on them.

Ross

I'm very light on my brakes too! I start down shifting from waaaay back. My originals lasted me 38,000 miles. I can't complain. :yahoo:

 

[majicmaker]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Too late!
Hey Vic, glad you got it all sorted out. I just KNEW mcatrophy would come through for ya.

Yeah, like majicmaker said, OEM is the way to go...screw the extra $$$

Needed brakes about 5k miles ago....bought a complete set from my local stealer. $99 for front and rear. Didn't pay attention till the install that they were NOT OEMs...they were EBCs.

Now the wheels refuse to stay clean.....wash 'em one day....black again at the end of the next day from brake dust. And just this week, the rear started the dreaded "hey-i'm-worn-out" grinding noise we all hear just before spending money on brake pads/shoes.

Lemme tell ya, I am NOT happy that the rear pads are grinding at 5k miles. I mean COME ON...the OEM rear lasted 51,000 miles! I didn't realized EBC made brake pad material out of the same shit Yamaha uses for windshield screws. <_<

I PM'd Mcatrophy and he told me he never posted about a Front Brake Change. He said you might have been thinking of his Sweeeeet Clutch Soak Post! :clapping: But, he wrote an Off-the-top-of-his head

procedure for me to follow and it was Spot On!! :yahoo: Those Brits are Freakin' Geniuses I tell ya!!!

 

[Patriot]

On my Gen-I I can change the pads in less than 10 minutes. The Gen-II has the added "complication" of having 4 pads per caliper, rather than 2, a requirement of the linked brakes system, so yes, you need 4 units of part# 3P6-W0045-00-00.
There's a long bolt that goes across the back of the caliper to retain the pads. Unscrew the bolt, spring clip pops off and the old pads slide out, the new pads slide in (after squeezing the pistons into the caliper cylinder,) replace the spring clip and the bolt.

The only thing I left out is don't lever against the rotor to retract the pistons. Some people like to remove the caliper from the fork to get better access for this, but I've never needed to. Just push each piston all the way in, put new pads in. Give both front and rear brakes (since there's a linked set) a few grabs until they firm up.

Unless for some reason you let a piston all the way out, there's no bleeding involved just for a pad change.

the '04-'05 Gen I rotors are too big to get the wheel in and out without removing the calipers from each side

 

[Fred W]

There is no need to remove the wheel to change brake pads on a Gen1. Not sure about gen 2 with all those the iddy biddy pads.

When I renewed my front pads I went with OEMs, but they weren't $200 either.

I know that this is all marketing hype, but what's not to love about these?

 

[wfooshee]

Have to remove the calipers to get the wheel off on my '03, as well, but that has nothing to do with just changing pads. My caliper removal note was just that sometimes it might be easier to press the pistons into the cylinder if you can get inside the caliper better.

 

[majicmaker]

There is no need to remove the wheel to change brake pads on a Gen1. Not sure about gen 2 with all those the iddy biddy pads.
When I renewed my front pads I went with OEMs, but they weren't $200 either.

I know that this is all marketing hype, but what's not to love about these?

Nope! The GenII front wheel stayed in place. There was plenty of room to gently get the caliper hangin'. Easy Peasy!

 

[Constant Mesh]

If I had a Gen II I'd only need to replace three sets of pads up front. I don't use the rear brake very often and never very aggressively so the rear pads and one set of the front pads would rarely/never need replacing.

If you don't use the rear brake all that much the Gen II front brakes are a bit of a scam. You only get 75% braking from the front pads unless you use the rear brake too.

When installing new pads you might have to remove some fluid from the master cylinder, assuming you filled the reservoir to the top at the last fluid change.

 

[Fred W]

oster_stupid:

Mah boy is wicked smaht!! :thumbsup:

 

[majicmaker]

If I had a Gen II I'd only need to replace three sets of pads up front. I don't use the rear brake very often and never very aggressively so the rear pads and one set of the front pads would rarely/never need replacing.
If you don't use the rear brake all that much the Gen II front brakes are a bit of a scam. You only get 75% braking from the front pads unless you use the rear brake too.

When installing new pads you might have to remove some fluid from the master cylinder, assuming you filled the reservoir to the top at the last fluid change.

That might not be accurate. If you only use the front brake lever, I'm pretty sure that "All" the Front pads are being used at the same time. So the wear will be even. Using the rear brake will just wear

one Front set a little more than the rest. That being said, I did noticed that it's the Left Hand Aft or Lower set that is linked to the Rear Brake Lever. It was worn down to the Nub and all the rest still had

some meat left on the pads. So for all the GenII owners that are coming up on their first brake change, All you have to do is keep an eye on the LH Aft/Lower set cause if that still has meat left on it, all

the rest of them are far behind! :yahoo:

 

[Fred W]

That might not be accurate. If you only use the front brake lever, I'm pretty sure that "All" the Front pads are being used at the same time. So the wear will be even. Using the rear brake will just wear

Nope. CM is right (reread his post) From the FSM:

When the brake lever is squeezed, both sets of pistons in the left front brake caliper are operated, butonly one set of pistons in the right front brake caliper is operated. When the brake pedal is depressed,

the rear brake caliper and one set of pistons in the right front brake caliper are operated. The brake line

from the rear brake master cylinder is split at the hydraulic unit to transmit brake fluid pressure to both

the rear brake caliper and part of the right front brake caliper in the unified brake system.

The hand lever only actuates 3 piston sets (two on left 1 on right), so CM will still need to buy 3 pairs of iddy biddy pads to do his front end if he never uses the rear brake.

So the next question has to be: WTF are there two pads on the left side caliper?

 

[olsonm3915]

The hand lever only actuates 3 pistons (two on left 1 on right), so CM will still need to buy 3 pairs of iddy biddy pads to do his front end if he never uses the rear brake.
So the next question has to be: WTF are there two pads on the left side caliper?

Not to be overly pedantic, but-

Each front caliper has four pistons (2 on either side of the rotor) and the hand lever operates six of them, the rear brake lever operates two of them. But I knew what you meant. These are not sliding calipers, they are opposed piston calipers.

 

[Fred W]

The hand lever only actuates 3 pistons (two on left 1 on right), so CM will still need to buy 3 pairs of iddy biddy pads to do his front end if he never uses the rear brake.
So the next question has to be: WTF are there two pads on the left side caliper?

Not to be overly pedantic, but-

Each front caliper has four pistons (2 on either side of the rotor) and the hand lever operates six of them, the rear brake lever operates two of them. But I knew what you meant. These are not sliding calipers, they are opposed piston calipers.

I omitted the word "sets" (now fixed) when talking about the pistons. Yes, they operate in pairs.

 

[majicmaker]

That might not be accurate. If you only use the front brake lever, I'm pretty sure that "All" the Front pads are being used at the same time. So the wear will be even. Using the rear brake will just wear

Nope. CM is right (reread his post) From the FSM:

When the brake lever is squeezed, both sets of pistons in the left front brake caliper are operated, butonly one set of pistons in the right front brake caliper is operated. When the brake pedal is depressed,

the rear brake caliper and one set of pistons in the right front brake caliper are operated. The brake line

from the rear brake master cylinder is split at the hydraulic unit to transmit brake fluid pressure to both

the rear brake caliper and part of the right front brake caliper in the unified brake system.

The hand lever only actuates 3 piston sets (two on left 1 on right), so CM will still need to buy 3 pairs of iddy biddy pads to do his front end if he never uses the rear brake.

So the next question has to be: WTF are there two pads on the left side caliper?

You are Absolutely Correct Sir!! I stand Corrected! I looked at my bike and there is a second brake line going to the Right Hand Caliper!!

And the FSM does say what you Stated

 

[wfooshee]

So the next question has to be: WTF are there two pads on the left side caliper?

Just what we need in the parts confuser - different set of parts numbers for pads and bolts in each front caliper.

 

[Fred W]

So the next question has to be: WTF are there two pads on the left side caliper?

Just what we need in the parts confuser - different set of parts numbers for pads and bolts in each front caliper.

It already has different callout numbers in the fiche for R and L. They just have the same p/n.

 

[mcatrophy]

QUOTE (Fred W @ Sep 10 2010, 05:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

...The hand lever only actuates 3 piston sets (two on left 1 on right), so CM will still need to buy 3 pairs of iddy biddy pads to do his front end if he never uses the rear brake.

...

Not necessarily. I used two pairs, used the old, not very worn, rear actuated pads for the third front actuated pair, and used the best two of the old worn ones as the "new" rear actuated pair.

That'll last me quite a few more miles.

Described here, pad measurements here.