Brake Pads

[dantre]

Does anyone know the expected life span of brake pads and shoes on a scoot?

I ride a 2005 Derbi Bullet with 8000 km, and have never changed the brakes. I have heard that the front brakes have a "squeal strip" that will make noise when it is time to replace the pad... can anyone confirm this?

I'm starting to notice a loss of braking power, and am thinking of upgrading to a high performance fedoro or EBC brake pad. Does anyone have experience with these?

Cheers...

[PimpMyScoot]

drum brakes or disk brakes? drum can last quite a few years if you dont ride a lot, you can easily tell when they are needing replacements. Disk brakes need replacing almost every maintenance if you are really heavy on them, like most casual scooterists. The big thing with brakes on scoots is that there is no warning like on a car, you dont get the squeel when it is low, if you do regular maintenance then you are ok.

[rocci]

drum brakes or disk brakes? drum can last quite a few years if you dont ride a lot, you can easily tell when they are needing replacements. Disk brakes need replacing almost every maintenance if you are really heavy on them, like most casual scooterists. The big thing with brakes on scoots is that there is no warning like on a car, you dont get the squeel when it is low, if you do regular maintenance then you are ok.

almost every maintenance? maintenance is around 3,000 km ... maybe you should ease up on the throttle a little sooner so you don't have to slam on the brakes ... or do you ride the brakes ... both will cause pre-mature wear

I've got over 13,000 km on my scooter over the past year ... disk brakes ... had them checked at the last service and I was still at 40% left and still running with the original tires! My experience may not be that of most people ... but seeing so many scooters go through the service department - and being the one to order the parts - your number definitely seems excessive.


just my 2 cents

rocci

[scooby]

depends on the design of scooters and riders and road conditions etc.

my 05 bws, needed frt brake pad every 3000km. third set of frt brakes at 9000km. rear still original.told by western powersport dealer, its normal for bws

my kymco s9,less than 50% wear at 12,000km

Majesty little wear at 7600km

[Reverend2u]

Cool ...

More fun discussion than the synthetic vs non-synthetic debate.

Agree with all of you.

Robert

[PimpMyScoot]

Actually, my 50cc bws hasnt changed my disk pads in over 17K but I rarely touch them... the guys at the dealership told me that most of the time they change the pads when it comes in, guess people like the disks much better but its real cheap to replace the bws ones

[admin]

Wow, I had no idea they could go that fast... Will have to make a point of checking my breaks...

[dantre]

So it seems like there is a huge range in how long disc pads will last. anywhere from 3000k to 15k +

Has anyone switched up to better than stock, high performance pads?

[PimpMyScoot]

On a bws if you were to upgrade the pads, why not upgrade the whole system.. put in a bigger disk and stronger brakes
(probably like $200)

[admin]

So it seems like there is a huge range in how long disc pads will last. anywhere from 3000k to 15k +

Has anyone switched up to better than stock, high performance pads?

Does it depend on the use of the breaks or the scoot design?

[Majic]

Majesty little wear at 7600km

The rear brake on the Majesty looks a bit difficult, since the manual says to remove all the right air filter, were all the air induction 4 tubes are way up in the well, then after changing the brakes, you have to put it all back together in the right tubes and sensor relays to catch tank valves and other intakes....

Doing it on your back without a M/cycle hoist/lift is a bit crippling, and hardly wothe the double jointed mistakes than occur, and you'll have to bleed the brakes in the pistons slip out....only with a calibrated wrench of course...but, I don't have one of those either....

It's certainly more difficult than changing motor, CVT oils and oil filter. the front brakes look pretty simple with a hex key "new clips" , but you still need a spot to work on, and I park in Guvmint Parkade.....bad place to work at....ppl look at you like peon and yet are amazed....peer pressure for sure...

[magoo]

I'm pretty sure that's a disk brake. If so, the owner's manual usually has a page that shows you where to look to check the remaining wear. Many pads have a notch, when the pad starts to eat into the notch, it's time to change the pads, otherwise you risk scoring the brake rotor, which will cost much more to fix or repair. Some manuals will give a dimension for thickness which you can check with an ordinary ruler.


I recall that some small scoots such as the BWS go through pads quickly, sometimes in less than 5000 klics.


Another possibility is that the brake fluid is polluted. All DOT 3, 4 and 5.1 brake fluids (ie., the glycol-based ones, all but DOT 5 which is silicone based, usually only Harley manuals recommend that) are hygroscopic - they absorb water from the fittings and even from the air. Water in brake fluid drastically reduces braking pressure and also causes serious corrosion in the master cylinder and other parts, so if you want to avoid other repairs, it's a good idea to replace brake fluid every couple of years, whether you replace the pads or not. Have a few wet rags to clean up spills as the glycol stuff is very corrosive to paint and plastic, but whatever you do, don't change fluid in the rain!


I believe some people dispose of the old fluid at Canadian Tire and that it's illegal to pour it down a drain.

[Majic]

I'm pretty sure that's a disk brake......I recall that some small scoots such as the BWS go through pads quickly, sometimes in less than 5000 klics.

Another possibility is that the brake fluid is polluted. All DOT 3, 4 and 5.1 brake fluids (ie., the glycol-based ones, all but DOT 5 which is silicone based, usually only Harley manuals recommend that) are hygroscopic - they absorb water from the fittings and even from the air. Water in brake fluid drastically reduces braking pressure and also causes serious corrosion in the master cylinder and other parts, so if you want to avoid other repairs, it's a good idea to replace brake fluid every couple of years, whether you replace the pads or not.

"replace brake fluid every couple of years" you're scaring me, I wait til something goes wrong, or signs of it are being noticed, since I don;t work on scootes anymore for lack of space and some vanishing energetic interests...

The garage tree mechanics have it down to a "tee", with all aspects reduced for the $ and CC of the "ride/scoot"...small scoot, big bux for small repairs....


So U'r saying we should use "Harley" DOT 5 instaed of DOT4 recomendations of my Yamy manual..there's always room for improvements over the Manufacuter'$ Recomendations....
"serious corrosion in the master cylinder" sheeshh is it really that noticeable....theres' always a catch...it's just what the Maunfacurers are into, I wouldn't doubt if they grew rodents to help their Business growths...

Bob

[scooby]

Bob
I changed my brake fluids at 20,000km after 1 1/2 years riding. looks a bit dirty(dark color) compare to new fluids(clear).

by the way, how is your majesty?, stalling concern fix?

let me know when you want to go for ride

[dexter]

I've been wondering about brake wear on my Honda Jazz. When I got it April last year, they were at 75%-80% remaining, but when I took it in for maintenance prior to winter storage in October, they were at 35%-40%. I drove it daily to work pretty much for six months straight, so I was wondering if that kind of wear was normal?

[bcrdukes]

Possibly. It depends on a lot of factors such as rider weight, the route you take, traffic conditions (downtown traffic stop'n'go traffic) or along major roads i.e. Main/Broadway etc. and how often you ride. I'm sure I'm missing a few factors but the ones I listed are major contributing factors.

[dexter]

I generally drive Kingsway during rushhour everyday for around 15 km. So combination of stop n start with having to maintain 50-55 kph when moving. My wife, who drives a motorcycle, thinks the wear is excessive but I'm wondering if it could be due to simply not having any gears to help in slowing down. I drive a manual in my car and wouldn't think of staying in the same gear when breaking from 50 kph to a complete stop.