Front Brakes and Brake Fluid

[Dupo]

Yes, VERY good point on mixing brake fluids.

DELETED

[BillJ]

I replaced my front brake pads today - thanks to all who contributed to this thread. I found that I wasn't able to get the brake caliper off of the roter without removing the fender. Since I didn't see any mention of this in previous posts I thought I might be doing something wrong, or is it such an obvious step that it didn't need mentioning?

Bill Johnson
Kennesaw, GA
2004 GZ250
4,000 mi.

[Dupo]

Well when i did mine i did not have to remove the fender. Maybe you just didnt give it the right twist when pulling it off I wouldnt worry too much about it though, doesnt hurt to take the fender off, probably protected it against hitting it with a wrench lol.

Welcome to the forum btw :rawk:

[Water Warrior 2]

BillJ, just gotta ask. Do you only have 4000 miles on the bike as the signature indicates. Seems to me if this is true then you are getting some poor mileage out of brake pads. I don't know the history of the bike or your riding habits etc. but that just seems like excessive wear. Could you put my mind to rest as I would not want to be changing pads and probably doing a rotor every third time all that often on a bike that is claimed to be economical.

[BillJ]

I bought my GZ250 about a year and a half ago with 1,100 miles on it - so 3,000 miles belong to me. I typically ride to work when it isn't too cold or wet and in the Atlanta area that translates to about 8 months out of the year. My commute is exteremely short - about 1.5 miles - and my other riding consists of around town stuff and some "longish" rides on the weekends of about 50 to 60 miles. I'd say that given my riding habits that my brake usage is probably higher that average.

That being said, when I took the old pads off, the right pad had been wearing unevenly, causing the pad backing material to contact the rotor.

Also, my mileage is actually a little over 4,500. What is the typical life expentancy of the brake pads, anyway?

Hope this helps,

Bill Johnson
Kennesaw, GA
2004 GZ250
4,567 miles

[Water Warrior 2]

BillJ, how long do pads last ? Plain and simple, I don't know. I have no real experince with the life expectancy of pads. Maybe I expect too much from brakes on a bike in terms of mileage. Maybe another member with lots of miles and smiles can jump in here.

[Badbob]

I've used two sets of pads in 15.000 miles. One factory original and one set of ceramic. Both sets were changed before they were all the way to the bottom of the wear groove because I was going on a trip and didn't want to take a chance of my brakes giving up in the middle of nowhere.

For me I would estimate that the brake pads last about 9,000 miles.

The pads wear unevenly and I've been told that if you rotate them they will last longer. I have never tried this myself.

[Water Warrior 2]

BadBob, thanks for the input. That kind of wear on pads sounds more to my liking. Less wrenching and more riding.

[Badbob]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

BadBob, thanks for the input. That kind of wear on pads sounds more to my liking. Less wrenching and more riding.

I've always been easy on brakes. I'm not really sure why. How many miles they last depends a lot on how you ride and the conditions you ride in.