Brake pad life - what's to be expected

[TreeMuncher]

Re: That's the last time I buy Yamaha rear brake pads...

I, too, had short rear brake pad life and a scored rear rotor. Here is what solved my issue for me....

Only AFTER I bled the ENTIRE brake system did the rear piston retract fully and reduce the accelerated wear rate. I've since had to replace the rotor due to excessive scoring in the first 20k miles. When I bled only the rear lines, this did not stop the rear drag and accelerated wear.

 

[tomatocity]

Re: That's the last time I buy Yamaha rear brake pads...

I, too, had short rear brake pad life and a scored rear rotor. Here is what solved my issue for me....

Only AFTER I bled the ENTIRE brake system did the rear piston retract fully and reduce the accelerated wear rate. I've since had to replace the rotor due to excessive scoring in the first 20k miles. When I bled only the rear lines, this did not stop the rear drag and accelerated wear.

I believe you are not the only rider to have this problem. I don't have the wear issue but I did have a rear braking problem. I could press on the rear brake with almost no difference. I asked the dealership to bleed all the fluid from the rear braking system. This seemed to correct the problem. I have 25,000+ miles on the original brake pads. No I don't ride off road very much.

I plan to flush both brake systems and clutch sometime soon. My Tenere was purchased 7/30/2011.

 

[djm_ct]

Re: That's the last time I buy Yamaha rear brake pads...

It seems to me, both from what I'm reading and from pure common sense, that riding style plays a HUGE role in break pad wear as well as rotor wear. Common sense dictates that if you ride a lot of interstates, your brakes are going to last a lot more miles that if you ride around town or in city traffic.
Likewise, if you do a lot of off roading, your brakes will sustain even more wear per mile. First because you're using them more times per mile, and also because you are exposing them to a lot more things (sand, mud, etc.) that could lead to wear and/or damage.

I haven't put enough miles on my S10 to judge the stock pads, nor do I do a lot of off roading (I'd like to do more tho), but it seems logical that with a bike of this type that you would see a major difference in break wear, based of how it's used.

 

[dcstrom]

Re: That's the last time I buy Yamaha rear brake pads...

So went to Quito yesterday lookining for pads. Found some, the ones I wanted too - EBC HH. Yamaha dealer didn't have stock, offered me FJR pads instead. They look like they would fit, but at $55 they were my fallback. The EBC were $47, so I guess only about $10 more than US?

While I was waiting for the pads to come from the warehouse, I thought I'd kill some time by bleeding the clutch... One problem solved, another one created!
http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=8599.0

 

[coastie]

At 20k miles I figured my brakes might need looking at, especially the rear. Much of my riding is in stop and go traffic on my daily commute to work and i rarely touch the back brake, only when i need the extra braking power. I don't even think the fronts were worn to 50% and the rears were a tad shy of 50%. I think yamaha hooked this system up backwards.

 

[avc8130]

I think Yamaha hooked the system up to make the bike feel like a GS under braking. By applying the rear brakes harder than the fronts there is less dive and the bike behaves more like the stupid Telelever or Paralever or whatever the heck BMW calls that abomination they put on the front of their bike.

ac

 

[Brick]

I live and ride a lot in western NC... lots of curves etc! I have done a few long rides... NC - TX - Nelson, BC to Hyder Alaska down west coast back to NC etc. mostly secondary roads.
At 19,000 replaced the rear with Yamaha = because I want the rear softer than the front. At 44,000 I need to replace both front and rear.

BTW: I did NOT change the front pads at 44,000 miles. I thought I needed to by looking at them on the bike. Once I got them off I saw I didn't need to change them. At 64,634 miles the original fronts are still on. I do have a set of EBC HH in stock because I believe that when I change front tire (soon) I will need to change the front pads.
I'm ready to change rear tire again and see that the rear pads need to be replaced again soon. I'm thinking I will get EBC organic for the rear this time.


Brick

 

[joneil]

I got 16k. I'm a back brake user. Lots of stop and go and it's hot here.

 

[Boondocker]

I replaced my brake pads today, not because they were worn out, but because I bought the parts (genuine Yamaha). I asked my local Yamaha dealer what they wanted for brake service (replace pads and flush fluid) - $400. I thought that was a bit high since the OEM pads cost $130. Just swapping pads is like a half-hour job. I didn't do the fluid because the lever action still feels good, the fluid is still light amber color, and the heat and low humidity of my operating environment doesn't indicate rapid fluid contamination.

Some of y'all are really hard on your brakes or they are somehow maladjusted. At 22,000 miles, my rears were 50% the the fronts 75% remaining. Of course, I'm real easy on my equipment, got 12,000 from the OEM Bridgestone Battlewings and my K60's rear is about 50% worn at 10,000 miles. That includes plenty of 2-up, fully loaded, hot summer trips. I'm like gentle or something.

Bottom line is, the bottom line is all over the place. Grab a flashlight and check your brake pads. If they're worn, replace 'em. If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands. ::012::

 

[Buckeye56]

I replaced the rear pads today at 16,908 miles with EBC HH pads. I commute a lot and I guess iuse the rear brake more than some. Fronts are still good.

 

[coastie]

Just changed mine out at 20k. Did not bother with fluid. Fronts were not even 50% worn, I kept them in. The backs were done and took all of two minutes to change, and the only time I touch the rear break is when I need the extra stopping power.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

 

[sail2xxs]

I'm still on my original OEM front pads at 99,500 miles. Roughly 50% remaining. On my 3rd set of rear pads. I ride offroad a fair bit, and commute.

Chris

 

[6Rivers]

Makes for an interesting read. Thanks for the feedback. Dennis

 

[Sckill]

Rear brake pads toasted - 2K miles???

I only have 2.2K miles on my Tenere and I discovered today that my rear brake pads are completely worn down and even scored the rotor. How the hell could this have happened? With 2.2K miles on the bike, I didn't even think to check the thickness of the rear pads. I've read about others getting a short lifespan, but we're still talking 8K+ miles before needing to replace.

I do city riding, but I do not ride the rear brake and keep the ball of my feet on the pegs. I do use the rear brake as well as the front when coming to a stop, but not so hard that it should wear out in 2.2K miles. Any thoughts as to what could be causing this excessive wear?

 

[Langolier]

Re: Rear brake pads toasted - 2K miles???

Just throwing in my $.02 these are linked brakes unless you tap the rear b/4 the front then their no longer linked. If taping rear first you could unconsciously be using more rear than front. Using front brake exclusively or first I would think will give a much more even wear front to back, depending on prior riding habits Some times a hard habit to break.

 

[markjenn]

Re: Rear brake pads toasted - 2K miles???

There is either something wrong or you're overusing the rear brake. I've got 23K miles, much of it fairly aggressive sport riding, and I'm just now reaching the wear limits on the rear brake. But I almost never touch the rear brake pedal - with linked brakes, there is no need to unless the situation is unusual. My guess is that you're just naturally a heavy rear brake (over) user, although a mechanical fault is always possible.

- Mark

 

[tomatocity]

Re: Rear brake pads toasted - 2K miles???

I used to be a heavy rear brake'r (KLR) but the Tenere cured me of that within two weeks.

Hopefully the rear rotor is not damaged too much. I would cleanup the rotor and replace the rear brake pads. Then give the Linked ABS Brakes a chance to see how you like them. Do this SOON or you will ruin the rear rotor.

I had the opposite problem with my rear brake. I could put my heal on the rear brake level and apply as hard as I could and it would not stop the Tenere. The service department bled the rear brake and all was good. Works well now.

 

[yz454]

Re: Rear brake pads toasted - 2K miles???

Had the same problem went 3k on the first set ,if your riding in mud and water they will go fast. Yamaha replaced some parts ,but the best thing to do is back bled the system. Then go to ebc pads.

 

[scott123007]

Re: Rear brake pads toasted - 2K miles???

Put the bike on the centerstand and spin the rear wheel hard by hand, in neutral. If it is really hard to spin and it won't even make a full rotation, there is something wrong with the brakes. If the wheel spins one to two rotations, the problem is you...

 

[dcstrom]

Re: Rear brake pads toasted - 2K miles???

I had 9000 miles out of my original pads, then 30,000 out of a set of EBC, then 5000 out of a set of Yamaha pads (with a bit of sand and mud), now 25,000 miles into another set of EBC and plenty of life left. No more Yamaha pads for me!

Bike is under warranty though right? Normal wear items aren't covered but 2200 miles is not normal wear. You should give them a chance to find and fix the problem.