Changing Motorcycle Brake Pads How-To

[wazza300]

Just though id post how to change your pads for anyone wanting to or thinking about doing it

new pad time for me (well rear atm,ill update the thread with changing front pads when mine need doing)

first unbolt the caliper and remove the R retaining clip and retaining bolt and pull out the pads,then clean the exposed surface of the piston with a rag or brake cleaner/rag

then use a G clamp to compress the piston back into the caliper

next grease up the pivot pin on the caliper and a small smear of grease on the back of the pads to stop any brake squeal (take care not to get any grease or greasy fingerprints on the material side of the pads)

next install the pads/retaining pin and retaining R clip

mount the caliper back on the bike and tighten the retaining bolts and lastly pump the rear brake lever several times till it feels nice and firm

 

[ShakenNstirred]

while the pads are out, its a good time to grease the slid pins that hold calliper.

 

[wazza300]

yeah your right,i skipped that bit but should've included it really

the bracket is hard to pull off sometimes though,due to the suction

 

[unKle]

Nice idea for a thread Wazza. The only thing I'd add to it is before fitting new pads..

• Remove cap from brake fluid reservoir and check pistons for wear/damage before you push them back in as it could damage the seals.
• Use a toothbrush and some brake cleaner to get rid of built up brake dust and crud.
• Remember to pump lever and re-check fluid after install!

 

[wazza300]

yh its just a rough guide for anyone who's never done it and wants a general idea,brake calipers will vary from each model but are basically the same,they all have one or two retaining pins and clips

good idea to check the fluid aswell,why would you need to remove cap though if only changing pads? the fluid will just expand into the reservoir?

 

[hlxbravo]

Great post for people who have never done this themselves. I am just about to do the fronts on my 1250 bandit, never done pads on a bike before but have done plenty pads on my motors over the years, so quite looking forward to it.

Just need to decide where to get said pads from, 2 pairs required, any recommendations at all ?

 

[wazza300]

I use m&p or busters for pads,either cheap goldfren or the more expensive ebc,I prefer the sintered pads aswell they offer better bite and last longer

 

[Griffo]

Cool. Might be worth adding in the bedding-in instructions, or reminding us to refer to the documentation .

 

[wazza300]

im no expert but to bed them in you brake as normal but slightly earlier for the first 30-50 miles maybe? avoid any sudden/hard/prolonged braking as it can glaze the pads

how do you do it?

 

[unKle]

Bedding in new pads is just avoid any harsh braking, unless required in an emergency, anything upto a couple of hundred miles.

The 'remove cap' line I put in can help with pushing pistons back in calipers, hydraulic effect. Good practice, doesn't always make much difference, but it's a good habit to check quality/quantity of brake fluid whilst working on the brakes, especially a bike you may have not long picked up and don't know the history of.

 

[famas]

Not meaning to hi-jack your good work Wazza but its related to this topic.

I did an in depth thread of how to fully refurbish brake calipers and master cylinders for my DRZ.

Its a very similar process for all bikes so it should prove handy for any one thinking of tackling it them selves.

Thread Can be found here

http://www.drz400uk.org/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=10043

 

[wazza300]

No problem,feel free to post your pad change methods etc,or rebuilds it all helps

I rebuilt all my callipers few years ago but never took pics of the process,wish I had now

 

[MowyTone]

I really like this idea Wazza. Should have a sticky which houses links in the first post to any and all 'hows to's' that get made

 

[Fireskull]

Nice idea for a thread Wazza. The only thing I'd add to it is before fitting new pads..

• Remove cap from brake fluid reservoir and check pistons for wear/damage before you push them back in as it could damage the seals.
• Use a toothbrush and some brake cleaner to get rid of built up brake dust and crud.
• Remember to pump lever and re-check fluid after install!

Basically the same as this, some brake cleaner and a little pot of piston grease should be in all bikers DIY toolkits.

I do the same pump the pistons out a little bit, clean up and grease back around the bottom part and then push them back in.

Good idea for a thread though, bikers DIY.
I have my clutch to do soon so could do a write up and pics of that, and also got my head race bearing to do also, on my bike and my brothers.

 

[wazza300]

front brake pad renewal time

again pretty much the same as with the rear,only you have 6 pistons per calliper to clean/grease/compress

clean any crud from the exposed pistons,i use a fine wire brush

next you can grease any exposed pistons with red rubber grease

then use a rag to protect your calliper and use a g clamp to compress the pistons

then apply a little smear of grease to the retaining pin and backs of each pad to stop any brake squeal

install your pads/retaining pin and R clip

then fit any anti rattle spring/plate

and mount the calliper back into the bike,tighten up the calliper bolts and pump the front brake lever until its nice and firm

might be worth going round each disc with a flat bladed screwdriver and clean all the brake deposits/crud from out of the cooling holes,you'd be surprised how much crap builds up

 

[BigRazer93]

Good little write up wazza.

I found on the internet a good way aswel is to spray a load of brake clean on your discs and give them a good whipe down with a rag as the pads can deposit on a clean disc properly.