Brake pads!

[geekay]

hi - on my return from my alpine trip yesterday, I notices as I rolled into zeebrugge port that my brakes were making a groaning noise at low speed - thought they might have been contaminated so just rode carefully home the final 130 miles from hull.
cleaned them today - just with spray brake cleaner - and I;m shocked that the pads actually look goosed at just 7000 miles!

Is this possible? I've only owned the bike for 2000 miles (1600 on that trip!) and (I'm embarrassed to say) I didn't even check them before I went on the trip thinking they would be fine which such few miles.

Looking at them - they have a few mm of cooling slots visible in the pad material, but seem to have an odd metal clip on the top edge of the outside pad backing - which is nearly touching the disc - I take it this is part of the OE pads yes?

any recomendations for pads - and also part numbers etc - some sellers seem to make a difference between 04-09 and later where some sellers list them as 04-11 - mine is an 11 plate ABS "Wee" - the last of the 'wee' shape before the glee came out.

thanks for any help.

g

[willbo]

no idea about wear to be honest, but mine look fine at 4k. I use sintered hh pads front and rear and like the extra breaking power

[greywolf]

It isn't miles traveled that wear brakes, but how often and how hard the brakes are used. A tourer's brakes will last much longer than a commuter's. Riding the brakes will wear them out in a hurry as will overuse of the rear brake. Galfer and EBC are good names for brake pads.

[mr_diver]

yeah mine last around 7-8, but I commute on local roads and a few dual carriageways and I ride allot in the mountains on my days off, and yes I am heavy on the brakes.

originals lasted around 14k but the strom was my first big bike and I took it very softly to start with.

[geekay]

cheers - I'm not a "heavy" braker myself - I've never replaced pads, even my sportsbike (which I've owned for near 10 years & 14,000 miles) is still on its original pads!

I've been and cleaned them with aerosol brake cleaner (muc off stuff) and the noise has gone - the "clip" thing is part of the bracket, not the pad. The pads themselves appear to have between 4 and 5mm of "fat" left on them - what does a new pad start at?

thanks again,
g

[Jacko]

I remember Locky having trouble with that clip rubbing on his disc. Have you got a fork brace by any chance?

[geekay]

no, no fork brace - you think you know the clip I mean?

Its bloody close to the disc!

but I think I have sorted it - there was probably just some contamination in the pads - cleaned out now and the shrieking noise has stopped!

[Jacko]

Yes, I think so, it's that close that Lockys brace pulled the bottom of the forks in enough for that to rub on the disc when the spindle clamp had been tightened with the fork brace on. This is how I remember it anyway, but it's a bit irrelevant now as you don't have a brace.

A small stone trapped between the pad and the disc can cause the symptoms you describe.

[Strommer]

It's worth looking at the manual as I have seen that little clip put on the wrong part of the brakes.  Annoyingly it fits in two places and looks correct in both.

You may also have swollen piston seals, so the pads are rubbing.  Easily replaced.

[Andy M]

My rears won't make it to 10000. This is also a 2012 wee so could be a "journalist" batch of pads (softer so feels better to the clarksons) they decided to use up, but I think the biggest issue is the lack of weather protection. I've had to strip and clean the rear three times since I got it and the fronts will need doing before winter. A slight drag and they'll wear like mad.

Andy