Hi guys & gals, I started to run out of brake pads. But as I was getting towards the end of the OEM pads, I needed more preasure on the levers for the same result. I wasn't to worried because I thought the last of the pads might be a harder compound, and this is how you know to change the pads. So in short, my problems started at the end of my OEM pads. (24000klm) I put some HH+ Sintered pads on expecting excellent braking. But it didn't improve. Local bike shop seems to think I've cooked the disc's because they're a little blue. But I've never braked that hard or often to get brake fade, so I don't think the problem has come from over heating the brakes. Besides, I've seen guys come of the track with there discs going "kink, kink, kink" from the heat, and they seem ok for the next session on the track. I'm spewen because the bike shop is quoting $420 per disc up front and $212 for the rear =$1052 + labour!!!!!.
I run DP Racing HH Sintered brake pads on the front brakes of my RC51. I like them so much that I just bought a set for my VFR800. It's not surprising that your braking power didn't immediately improve once you installed the HH Sintered pads VifferDude. I too was less than impressed with the braking power of my HH Sintered pads at first. It took about 4 or 5 good heat cycles before the pads properly bedded-in to the rotors. After that the braking power was very impressive to say the least. Keep in mind that these were brand new pads on brand new rotors. You're running new pads on worn rotors so you're gonna need to give those HH pads some extra time to really bed-in and find their groove. As to your brake rotors,some minor bluing is normal. All three of my bikes have some minor bluing on the rotors and the brakes on all three bikes work perfectly fine. There should be a minimum thickness indication stamped into either the brake rotor or the rotor carrier. Mic up your rotors and see if they're still in spec. You can also get a dial mic and check the runout on the rotors. As long as those rotors are still in spec,and there are no deep grooves,galling,or gouges in them they should still be usable. BTW,Holy Smokers that's a lot of coin for a set of brake rotors! What are they made out of anyway,gold? LOL.:biggrin:
If you have not changed your fluid, do so. The brakes might just need a good bleed. The amount of work involved, plus parts, does not justify the price. If I were you, I'd buy myself a good torque wrench ($80), a Honda shop manual, ($35 used), and whatever else I lacked, get the parts on line and do the rebuild on my own. Let the bike turn you into a mechanic. It pays to do it yourself, and you have excellent resources here on VFRWorld, and VFRD to help you if you get stuck. I find it more fun to ride, after I serviced the machine my self. Good luck. Mac
If glazed rotors are really the problem, then some light sanding should fix it. But just because they're blue doesn't mean they're glazed. Glazed rotors are really smooth and shiny. On the other hand, just because you haven't done any hard braking doesn't mean your brakes haven't overheated. Your brakes could be dragging and you haven't noticed. How old is your bike? Check the brake lever, too. They can wear out and cause your brakes to stack.
Whenever you change pads it's helpful to thoroughly clean the rotors with an abundance of brake cleaner and the HOLES too. There is always some road grease and slimy crud that coats rotor surface that needs to be chemically cleaned off. AS Stosh pointed out, properly bedding in new pads is necessary before best performance can be expected.
and check the pivots on the brake lever. On mine what I thought was a pad problem was actually the lever, the factory grease had dried up and was causing a hard / sticky pull. Cleaned it up with alcohol and it works like new.
^^ yeah, that's one of the things I have experienced. But the aluminum nub on the lever can and will wear down, too. I had an immediate (but somewhat short-lived) improvement from cleaning and regreasing it, but an even bigger improvement after replacing the lever.
The problem is most likely your caliper sliders. The calipers slide on pins and bushings that get stuck. Have you looked at those? Your calipers may not be sliding over like they should.
A couple things here... 1. HH+ pads are generally going to work better when they are really hot. While many people like them for street use, IMO there are better choices for street pads. For example, the EBC HH "Kit" pads are considerably weaker whne they're not hot, but when they're fresh, and up to temp (like on a track) they're really good. 2. It is vitally important that HH (or any sintered pad) be bedded in to work properly. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for bed in, as different formulations require different methods. 3. The advice to clean the rotors is a good one. Get yourself one of THESE. it's kindof a pain to do it, but it's the only real way to actually remove the pad material from the rotors that's bedded in there. 4. It's important to note that as your pads wear, the pistons are increasingly protruding out of the bores in the caliper because they go farther to apply pressure to the pads. When you put new pads in, you're going to push the piston way back into the bore, back to the original position. That means you're pushing the dirty, previously exposed portion of the pistons back into the bore...not good. Always make sure that the pistons are shiny and clean before doing that. 5. The sliders are important too...make sure they're clean and lubed, and not overly worn. Hope this helps somebody...
you need to break in the new pads about 100 miles instead of getting new rotors mic them first and maybe they can be turned but i would not mess with brakes that is your ass......................
