Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

so i did a service on my bike today ready for gingers and needed to replace my front brake pads. did this and bleed front and back lines. Problem is brakes feel very average. I know they need to bed in but will they get better once being used after a couple of k's or have i ballsed up somewhere????

Is it excess lever travel or just the pads not feeling great? The pads should improve a little, particularly if you've put quality pads in, but not too much.

nah lever feels ok. got ferrodo pads for it. yeah pads feel bit shocking doesnt pull up as quick or feel confident. will test it agtain tomorow.

Brake pads need a little breaking in (no pun intended ) ... as the surface of the pad needs to mold to the disk ... as as a result, new pads will only have a certain percentage of the pad grabbing the disk for so many K's before both become acquainted with each other

Having said that ... .it doesnt really take that long, and if your brakes are feeling squishy/spongy ... then you have probably got some air in your lines when you bled them .... meaning, keep bleeding til said squishiness has elapsed

cheers dave and richo. yeah lines are fine no air bubles in bleeding no spongy feeling, confident there. might just be too cautious of it too

When putting on new pads you need to rough up the disks a bit with 400 grit sandpaper. You will need to remove them from the wheel and set them on a flat surface and take the glaze off them. An easy job and it makes the pads break in very quickly. It helps if you have some brown liquid washed down with a cold beer.

seems pretty sweet rode to watsons bay today and was alot better than yesterday. prob spilt shit over disk and just needed to be bedded in. will test again mon. but was actually shifting weight to the front today and loading up front springs

Once you spill fluid on the pads they are ruined, so I have been told

oldman wrote:When putting on new pads you need to rough up the disks a bit with 400 grit sandpaper. You will need to remove them from the wheel and set them on a flat surface and take the glaze off them. An easy job and it makes the pads break in very quickly. It helps if you have some brown liquid washed down with a cold beer.

Wouldn't it be a shitload easier to rough up the pads rather than the discs, or am I being too logical here?

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Wouldn't it be a shitload easier to rough up the pads rather than the discs, or am I being too logical here? [/quote]
It would be easier but would not help as the pads have to conform to the disks not the other way around. You are correct if you have glazed pads, however it is unlikely he has glazed pads as he has just put them on. It's always good to rough up the disks or the drums when putting in new shoes or pads. Do not use heavier than 400 grit sandpaper. It is best if you are doing it by hand to wrap the sandpaper in a small flat piece of wood to keep the abrasion consistant on disks, obviously not drums. Kind of like drinking Jim out of the bottle instead of giving yourself a measured amount, (as if I've never done that). Cheers.

Flat concrete works just as well for glazed pads