Uneven brake wear?

[jrevans]

I went to change my front tire last weekend and noticed that my front brake pads were low. What possibly concerns me, is that the inside pads on both sides are much thinner than the outside pads. I know that this happens on my cars/trucks some times, but am curious is this is normal on a motorcycle, since I don't change cycle brakes very often.

My 2004 FZ6 does have the R6 forks/brakes installed, which means that I have the spacers between the caliper and fork legs.

I also discovered that one of my fender adapter bolts had vibrated out and disappeared. Luckily, I was able to get the proper replacement from my local ace hardware store. Definitely putting red locktite on them this time!

My brake pads (I went with EBC HH pads this time) and my replacement mojolever tip are supposed to be delivered today, so hopefully I can get back to the tire replacement project.

After using Conti Road Attacks the last two tire changes, I'm giving the Michelin Road Pilot 3's a try this time.

I need to get my cycle ready for my advanced MSF class on Saturday!

 

[Nelly]

I went to change my front tire last weekend and noticed that my front brake pads were low. What possibly concerns me, is that the inside pads on both sides are much thinner than the outside pads. I know that this happens on my cars/trucks some times, but am curious is this is normal on a motorcycle, since I don't change cycle brakes very often.

My 2004 FZ6 does have the R6 forks/brakes installed, which means that I have the spacers between the caliper and fork legs.

I also discovered that one of my fender adapter bolts had vibrated out and disappeared. Luckily, I was able to get the proper replacement from my local ace hardware store. Definitely putting red locktite on them this time!

My brake pads (I went with EBC HH pads this time) and my replacement mojolever tip are supposed to be delivered today, so hopefully I can get back to the tire replacement project.

After using Conti Road Attacks the last two tire changes, I'm giving the Michelin Road Pilot 3's a try this time.

I need to get my cycle ready for my advanced MSF class on Saturday!

The side of the caliper that has the piston on it wears quicker. This is due to the pressure from the piston and is normal.

Nelly

 

[mikw73]

That's odd. The S1 front calipers have pistons only on the outside, I thought. So I would expect the outside pads to wear faster. I may be mistaken, though and the pistons could be on the inside, in which case your observation would make sense. Also, if you bought your bike used, and the pistons are on the outside, the PO may have swapped out only the outside pads when they were worn. I've never heard of anyone doing that, but it might make sense from a keeping-pads-out-of-landfills point of view. How many miles are on your '04, and how many when you got it?

 

[ChevyFazer]

Actually they are supposed to wear fairly even. Normally when the piston side wears faster it is a sign that something is causing the caliper to stay put, like the pins not being lubed, corroded, or dirty. And if the caliper isn't able to move then only the piston side will be braking.

 

[mikw73]

Actually they are supposed to wear fairly even. Normally when the piston side wears faster it is a sign that something is causing the outer pad to stay put, like the pins not being lubed or corroded.

That makes sense. Everybody says the piston side should wear faster, but shouldn't the caliper be floating on well-greased pins? Yeah, I'd get some high-temp brake grease and grease those pins soon. If they're not sliding freely, you could have a glaze on one pad, which will rob you of some braking power. I've never changed my pads (only 11K miles.) and they're wearing pretty evenly at last check.

Oh, and make sure you don't get any grease on the pads.

 

[Nelly]

Actually they are supposed to wear fairly even. Normally when the piston side wears faster it is a sign that something is causing the caliper to stay put, like the pins not being lubed, corroded, or dirty. And if the caliper isn't able to move then only the piston side will be braking.

What your saying makes perfect sense.
I clean and service my calipers regularly, but the wear is still greater on the piston side. I have actually noticed it more with the rear.
Nelly

 

[greg]

also you could consider swapping pads over

that said mine wear quite evenly, check the slider pins are clean, and also check the pistons are clean and not seized (get busy with a toothbrush and brake cleaner)

 

[jrevans]

I mentioned it in my original post, but I have R6 forks and R6 front brake calipers on the bike, and I'm almost positive that R6 brake calipers feature four pistons.

I will check and lube the slider pins when I swap the pads, making sure that all is free.

My concern was that maybe the spacers were putting the calipers slightly out of alignment with the rotors? Anyone else with R6 brakes and forks experiencing anything like this. This is the first set of pads that I put on since putting new pads on when I did the R6 fork/brake swap way back in 2006.

Don't get me wrong, the outer pads are worn too, but the inner ones are almost to the backing plate. It just struck me as a bit odd.

It does explain why my front brakes haven't been feeling too good recently. :Flash:

I bought my FZ6 new in 2004 and have been steadily modding it since then.

 

[Guitar Man]

35,000 mi on mine and they are wearing evenly on both sides and I still have a lot of pad left.

 

[ChevyFazer]

also you could consider swapping pads over
)

Then you will most likely be eating up the disk and have to spend even more money if the problem that is causing the uneven wear isn't fixed

 

[jrevans]

Don't worry, I have no intention of swapping pads. Actually, the inners are probably too thin to even use again.

I'll post up some pictures of the wear after I swap them out, hopefully tonight if all of my parts come in.

 

[ChevyFazer]

What your saying makes perfect sense.
I clean and service my calipers regularly, but the wear is still greater on the piston side. I have actually noticed it more with the rear.
Nelly

The rear is a little more prone to uneven wear, I'm not sure why but here is a extreme example of uneven wear

 

[Nelly]

The rear is a little more prone to uneven wear, I'm not sure why but here is a extreme example of uneven wear

Mine looked exactly like that, piston was fine all of the seals intact and the pins were fine.
It freaked me right out, as I only spotted it when doing a routine chain tension.

Nelly

 

[jrevans]

I didn't get to the brakes last night

Due to the nasty weather last night (I have to work on the bike outside of the garage, since my garage is too full....) I wasn't able to get around to doing the brakes or my tire changes.

I have do it tonight to get the bike ready for my MSF ARC class on Saturday. Gotta get my new tires scrubbed in brakes bedded before then!

 

[Guitar Man]

Re: I didn't get to the brakes last night

Well at least brake pads are relatively cheap and easy to change. And you caught it before it went metal to metal.

 

[mikw73]

I mentioned it in my original post, but I have R6 forks and R6 front brake calipers on the bike, and I'm almost positive that R6 brake calipers feature four pistons.

Sorry, I keep forgetting that I can't read.

Yeah, that's a little disconcerting. Especially the part about your brakes not working their best lately. I have not yet mounted up my S2 calipers, so I can't offer information. I would expect them to wear pretty evenly. If your spacers aren't thick enough, is it possible that the outside pistons could be at the limit of their travel? Wouldn't your brake fluid have leaked out past the pistons if that were the case? Per my amateur shade tree mechanic's brain, a pin that doesn't slide or seized pistons seems more likely, but all four outside pistons only seems far-fetched. So that would leave you with at least one stuck pin on each side as your most likely cause, and still both stick to reduce force only on the outside pad? Doesn't sound right. I'd ask around the R6 fork mod guys specifically, perhaps start a new thread with that title even, and/or maybe take the bike to a good shop.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

The four pot calibers on the front (should be similar to the R6) are bolted direct to the fork and DO NOT FLOAT. The 4 pistons move to set the pads in the middle. There may be crap (dust build up/grease, etc) where the pads actually sit hampering them from moving inward as they wear. The pins that holds them in also needs to be smooth and lubed.

As for the rear, the single pot should float on the greased pins and self center itself. Wear on just one pad is NOT NORMAL. Once working correctly, you'll get twice the life out of your pads..

IMHO, I'd be pulling that apart, pull out the rubber cover and pins and clean thoroughly. Re-grease with brake specific grease before re-assembly...

 

[Nelly]

On the basis of this thread I have just spent an hour taking the front and rear calipers down and cleaning them. Very little effort for great piece of mind.

Nelly:thumbup:

 

[jrevans]

Here is the picture

I started at 6:30pm and finished at 2:30am. (Tires and brakes)

Attached is the picture of the right caliper. You can see the difference of how far the pistons are out too. The angle of the makes the uneven wear look worse than it is, but that inside pad was really thin. The left caliper (clutch side) wasn't quite as uneven.

As TownsendsFJR1300 mentioned, and I remembered again last night, there aren't any floater pins on the front R6 calipers. They are bolted solidly to the forks, with a center pin that the pads can move on.

Yes, everything had a nasty buildup of brake grunge, and the center pin was bad. I cleaned everything all up and lubed it properly when installing my new pads. Brake cleaner is your friend! :rockon:

Interesting that my old EBC (non-HH) pads didn't have anything on the back of the pad, but the new EBC HH pads have a thin, perforated metal plates.

The first ride this morning was interesting. Slightly damp roads, new tires and new brake pads. I was trying to bed the pads without losing traction for my new tires.

I did a series of 30-0, then 60-0 stops on my four mile ride to work. Gotta run out a lunch and do some more. Brake feel is obviously kind of wooden at the moment.

The tires (Michelin Pilot Road 3) seemed amazingly sticky for being freshly mounted. I read that they don't seem to suffer from mold-release woes, and I believe it from what I felt this morning.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Also, for those experiancing improper brake wear, Yamaha does recommend replacing brake seals every TWO YEARS (page 4-40, 06 manual).

I do know from experiance from my FJR, the seals may look good, not leak but do indeed apparently harden and stick on the pistons. A good cleaning and new seals make a BIG DIFFERENCE. My FJR, I didn't rebuild them until probably 5 years old.

Something I also found to work very well and is made for brake seals/pistons is Permatex brake grease: [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-24110-Caliper-Brush-Top-Bottle/dp/B000HBNV6W]Amazon.com: Permatex 24110 Ultra Disc Brake Caliper Lube, 8 oz Brush-Top Bottle: Automotive[/ame]

Use a minimal amount, definitly eases piston movement vs brake fluid only as a lubricant...