How much should front brake pads cost?

[Dave48]

Venhill reputable supplier. That's the set up you want . Are Hel or Goodridge any cheaper?

[Dead Eye]

I was looking in to HEL lines this morning, then decided that the measly £6 in my bank account was going to cut it

Cheapest set I found was £52 delivered on eBay Had them before and the completely changed the feel of the brakes. So much more powerful and easy to control. Having said that I never used to have any issues on my old '99 model. Current one has once or twice left me feeling like I wasn't going to stop in time and that wasn't under extreme circumstances either. Felt more like brake fade but I hadn't previously been grabbing at the brakes. In any case, I'll sort it all out once I have the money.

Bleeding the brakes is simple enough;

1. Fill reservoir
2. Open bleed nipple
3. Pull brake lever
4. Close bleed nipple
5. Release brake lever
6. Repeat until no more air comes out

If brakes don't feel hard enough, continue bleeding. One other option is to zip tie the lever and leave it overnight and try again

First time I did this on the bike I didn't have a hose or anything so just used an old rag to catch the fluid coming from the bleed nipple. Second time round was on my car after a brake line failed whilst on a dual carriageway approaching a roundabout a bit fast (that was NOT fun!). Using some clear pipe was definitely easier

[Dead Eye]

Will they be good enough for the job?


Edit: I could always ring my local bike mechanic up and ask him to bleed the front brakes and take a look at them and make sure they work as they should. I'll tell him the symptoms I have told you guys. I'm sure he'll know what to do and eliminate the problem one by one and fot the braided lines.

Venhill, HEL, Goodridge are all good names

Try and do the work yourself, its simple and will save you a fortune on labour if you are tight for cash!

[xlewisbdx]

So am I right in thinking I am bleeding one caliper at a time?

[Dead Eye]

That's right, one calliper at a time

[xlewisbdx]

I'll get some brake fluid and spend a little time with it at weekend. Those two link I posted, the front brake will I need to order two front brake ones are just the one?

[Dead Eye]

Order just the one as its a set and provides both front lines

Obviously the new "race" setup that you order is two lines that go direct from the Master cylinder straight to each calliper, whereas the existing setup has 3 lines (join in the middle). The race setup is cheaper and probably easier to deal with as well As always, any questions, ask away

[darrsi]

elbrownos-braided lines are made from stainless steel with an outer coating-either clear or coloured. They don't bulge under pressure so transmit the fluid pressure from lever to pistons more effectively than rubber that deteriorates with age/use. So although perhaps dearer they generally last a long time. Tip. Don't fit alloy bolts(race fittings)-they will corrode with road salt.  :'(  Use stainless. :lol

Unless you're me and get a faulty braided line that caused juddering and a world of pain  :'(
I've yet to see any complaints by anyone else about them though, which is probably why i was looking elsewhere for a fix because there wasn't any info online about them failing, but they are definitely way superior to standard lines.

[Chris]

If you're going to be changing brake lines and or bleeding your brakes then make sure you know what you're doing or you may not be able to stop when you get out on the road.

I found this video helpful Delboy's Garage, Harley Sportster Brake Hose Change.

Be good to have a friend who knows what they're doing there to help too 

Take care,

Chris

[unfazed]

[quote author=Dead Eye link=topic=7460.msg71594#msg71594 date=1366841165]
The pictures seem to indicate that there is loads of life left in those pads imo

I'd suggest your problem is elsewhere.

ChristoT recently had an issue with his front brakes squeaking a lot so when he was round mine the other day, we removed the callipers, removed the pads, put some copper grease on the back and reassembled and now the squeak is completely gone. You can get a massive pot of copper grease for less than one of those cheap sets of pads you found

The squeak is gone indeed!

But I now get a strange whooshing noise at about 37mph, most noticeable if I'm coasting. And I haven't a clue as to what's causing it...  :wall
[/quote]
Are you running standard or non standard discs?

[riz]

Dont forget when playing with brake fluid, it eats through paint, so if you do spill any on paintwork then clean it off really well.
When bleeding the brakes on a fazer do you need to unbolt the caliper and rotate it to get all the air out?

[darrsi]

Just keep bleeding it until it looks like all the air has gone, but having the brake lever pulled in overnight can work wonders if you're still not 100%.

[gerkin]

ebc hh £36 on ebay inc delivery

[xlewisbdx]

Good news! The squeeking/crunching noise has gone. I put some copper grease on the back of the pads.


I will await the arrival of the second set of pads from Darrsi (The Legend that he is) and I will then bleed the brakes tomorrow

[Dead Eye]

Glad to hear it! Giving the calipers a good clean won't do any harm though

[darrsi]

Yeah, bit of a faux pas on my part, for some reason i had rear brake in my mind and only sent him the one pair of pads!!
Other pair is en route, special delivery 

[xlewisbdx]

Glad to hear it! Giving the calipers a good clean won't do any harm though

Will be doing tomorrow before I bleed them

Yeah, bit of a faux pas on my part, for some reason i had rear brake in my mind and only sent him the one pair of pads!!
Other pair is en route, special delivery 

You're still the man

[xlewisbdx]

Going to order some new front brake seals. When fitting them is there any special way? I watched a video on how to split and replace the seals and the guy mentioned that they need to go in a certain way. For example when the seal is in you should feel the lip as you move your finger out. Is this the same with the Fazer or not?

[darrsi]

Going to order some new front brake seals. When fitting them is there any special way? I watched a video on how to split and replace the seals and the guy mentioned that they need to go in a certain way. For example when the seal is in you should feel the lip as you move your finger out. Is this the same with the Fazer or not?

Smear the seals with red rubber grease when putting them in, and give the grooves they sit in a good clean with a toothbrush, preferably using brake cleaner.