brake pads

alantf · 09-13-2009, 04:50 PM

Does anyone else seem to get such a short life on the front disc pads as I do? Now ...... I live in the mountains, so EVERY ride starts with a 3 or 4 mile run down the mountain, with a 50 km/hr (30 mph) limit, so I have to use the brakes. (a coupla months ago I got a €100 ($140) ticket for going 6 mph over the limit!)

The factory pads gave me 1984 miles, the first change 2863 miles, then 1365 miles. This set's done 1798 & I've got to get them swapped tomorrow as they've started to grate, today. All the bike shop guy can say is that they're soft pads, to give more stopping power - but it still seems a short life!

Anyone else live in the mountains, to give me an idea of what you get? Or, what does everyone else get? :??:

JWR · 09-13-2009, 04:59 PM

Mine were gone at 7,000 miles and I ride pretty hard.

Have you tried staying in 3rd gear and use the engine more?
If the road is that steep....2nd gear???

Without knowing the grade or traffic, I am only guessing.

There are different grades of pads, but what I have seen , hard pads are hard on the rotor.

Sorry, really no help to you.

alantf · 09-13-2009, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWR

Mine were gone at 7,000 miles and I ride pretty hard.

Have you tried staying in 3rd gear and use the engine more?
If the road is that steep....2nd gear???

Without knowing the grade or traffic, I am only guessing.

There are different grades of pads, but what I have seen , hard pads are hard on the rotor.

Sorry, really no help to you.

Yeah, really Steep hills. My engine braking is virtually non existant on such steep hills!. As for "different grade pads", over here it's a case of taking what they have on the shelf - & that's one grade only. there's not much traffic, but (like I said) what traffic there is, is unmarked Trafico cars with radar, waiting to add even more to the government's coffers! $140 for 6 mph really stinks.

The brake swap will cost me the equivalent of $49. That breaks down as $42 for the pads & $7 for fitting. Labour is so cheap here that I usually let them fit them. It only takes them 10 minutes, while I go for a coffee.

music man · 09-13-2009, 05:36 PM

You can get brake pads put on your bike for 7 bucks, holy crap. At my local Suzuki shop it would probably cost you 30 dollars, minimum.

alantf · 09-14-2009, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by music man

You can get brake pads put on your bike for 7 bucks, holy crap. At my local Suzuki shop it would probably cost you 30 dollars, minimum.

Just had them done (while I waited)

Pads € 29.95
labour € 5.00
tax € 1.75

total € 36.70 ($ 53.36)

diffluere · 09-14-2009, 11:34 PM

My local shop wanted 28 for the pads and 8 bucks to put them on. Unfortunately, the previous owner overtightened the bolt that holds on the front pads, so a new one has to be ordered and the old one drilled out. The bolt I think is going to be another 8 bucks or so. Cheap labor here too I guess.

burkbuilds · 09-15-2009, 07:53 AM

I bought my pads off of e-bay and I chose ones with Kevlar in them. I got about 7,000 miles out of the Kevlar ones and about 5,000 out of the original factory pads. The Kevlar pads were less than $20 on e-bay. I've read a post on here where someone said not to use pads from e-bay sellers because they weren't the right size, but I didn't have any problem with the ones I got and they held up a little longer than the factory pads, plus they were less expensive than buying OEM pads from my local dealer. By the way, changing the pads on a GZ is EXTREMELY easy to do yourself IF you are an average wrench monkey and have a few simple tools available to use. I'd bet there is a thread on here somewhere that tells (and probably shows picturess) you how to do it, or just follow the directions in the manual. Unless the rotor needs turning or replacing it's about a 10 minutes or less job. However, if I could get it done by a shop for $10 or less while I waited I'd probably do that just to keep from having to clean up afterwards.

09-13-2009, 04:50 PM	#1
alantf Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tenerife (Spain) Posts: 3,719	brake pads Does anyone else seem to get such a short life on the front disc pads as I do? Now ...... I live in the mountains, so EVERY ride starts with a 3 or 4 mile run down the mountain, with a 50 km/hr (30 mph) limit, so I have to use the brakes. (a coupla months ago I got a €100 ($140) ticket for going 6 mph over the limit!) The factory pads gave me 1984 miles, the first change 2863 miles, then 1365 miles. This set's done 1798 & I've got to get them swapped tomorrow as they've started to grate, today. All the bike shop guy can say is that they're soft pads, to give more stopping power - but it still seems a short life! Anyone else live in the mountains, to give me an idea of what you get? Or, what does everyone else get? :??: __________________ By birth an Englishman, by the grace of God a Yorkshireman. Login or Register to Remove Ads
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09-13-2009, 04:59 PM	#2
JWR Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Louisville, TN Posts: 1,413	Re: brake pads Mine were gone at 7,000 miles and I ride pretty hard. Have you tried staying in 3rd gear and use the engine more? If the road is that steep....2nd gear??? Without knowing the grade or traffic, I am only guessing. There are different grades of pads, but what I have seen , hard pads are hard on the rotor. Sorry, really no help to you. __________________ Jerry Truth is there are lots of great bikes available and not nearly as many good riders out there riding them... "A man's got to know his limitations..."
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09-13-2009, 05:36 PM	#4
music man Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Hot Springs Arkansas Posts: 1,127	Re: brake pads You can get brake pads put on your bike for 7 bucks, holy crap. At my local Suzuki shop it would probably cost you 30 dollars, minimum. __________________ "Tell me what kind of wreck you're going to have and I'll tell you what type of helmet you need." [Author Unknown]
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09-14-2009, 11:34 PM	#6
diffluere Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: gainesville, fl Posts: 137	Re: brake pads My local shop wanted 28 for the pads and 8 bucks to put them on. Unfortunately, the previous owner overtightened the bolt that holds on the front pads, so a new one has to be ordered and the old one drilled out. The bolt I think is going to be another 8 bucks or so. Cheap labor here too I guess. __________________ "An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered." - Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936)
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09-15-2009, 07:53 AM	#7
burkbuilds Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Shannon, Georgia Posts: 1,268	Re: brake pads I bought my pads off of e-bay and I chose ones with Kevlar in them. I got about 7,000 miles out of the Kevlar ones and about 5,000 out of the original factory pads. The Kevlar pads were less than $20 on e-bay. I've read a post on here where someone said not to use pads from e-bay sellers because they weren't the right size, but I didn't have any problem with the ones I got and they held up a little longer than the factory pads, plus they were less expensive than buying OEM pads from my local dealer. By the way, changing the pads on a GZ is EXTREMELY easy to do yourself IF you are an average wrench monkey and have a few simple tools available to use. I'd bet there is a thread on here somewhere that tells (and probably shows picturess) you how to do it, or just follow the directions in the manual. Unless the rotor needs turning or replacing it's about a 10 minutes or less job. However, if I could get it done by a shop for $10 or less while I waited I'd probably do that just to keep from having to clean up afterwards.
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