Brake help

So today me and my friend changed the brake pads to the FZ. we put the aftermarket EBC pads on. So we changed the pads and flushed the fluid one at a time. filled the bike with fluid, tested the brakes till we got a stream coming out of the hose and filled it with brake fluid (dot 4). got on the bike test riding for about 50 miles, but notice that when i brake hard it tends to keep sliding. I like to do stoppie on occasions and when it feels like the pads are slipping. Any thoughts and feedback would be nice!

What kind of brake pads did you install? Are you sure you got all the air out of the lines??

im pretty sure, we got the fluid coming out in a stream after we flushed it and checked the lines.

What does the brake lever feel like when you apply the brakes. Do they feel spongy? Are they pulsating? Front or rear? Do both brakes act the same way? I did some research and found that those brakes are sintered.

sintered? whats that. It feels more spongy than anything. its on the front brakes that we replaces, and when i apply pressure, there is a resistance, just not as much as it was giving me befre, i had changed the pads.

You need to rebleed the front brakes both sides. There is a procedure for doing it and It can be found if you search this section.

Sintered pad have metal flakes in the pad material. Here's a link.

EBC Brakes - Home of the worlds largest range of brake products - Extreme Pro Brakes

From what you're describing it does sound as if you've still got air in the system. Definitely use the search for the brake bleed procedure. There's also a recent large thread about brakes:
http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-technical/6370-possibly-fatal-technical-issue-brake-fluid.html

In there at least one member gives decent instructions for a bleed procedure.

One question that don't recall seeing, you didn't get any fluid on your rotors did you? If so, you'll have to get new pads. (again)

If the rotors didn't get fluid on them, you'd also do well to find an empty road and really "bed" the pads in well. This involves accelerating and then braking hard -- maybe not stoppy hard, but hard. Lather, rinse, repeat. Ride around to let the brakes cool. Do it again. You should see an improvement after a cycle or two of this type of procedure. I know that there will be folks here who have a much more precise way of "bedding in" pads.

Here is another link to brakes and brake bleeding.

Disc Brake Tech

vokal389 said:

So today me and my friend changed the brake pads to the FZ. we put the aftermarket EBC pads on. So we changed the pads and flushed the fluid one at a time. filled the bike with fluid, tested the brakes till we got a stream coming out of the hose and filled it with brake fluid (dot 4). got on the bike test riding for about 50 miles, but notice that when i brake hard it tends to keep sliding. I like to do stoppie on occasions and when it feels like the pads are slipping. Any thoughts and feedback would be nice!

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it takes a while to burnish the pads to the rotor.you can do this by lightly applying the brake while you are riding for short intervals causing the rotors to heat up,(when you come to a complete stop be sure to release the front brake while its hot) because the pressure from the pads can warp the rotor when its at high temperature.

shreveport1 said:

it takes a while to burnish the pads to the rotor.you can do this by lightly applying the brake while you are riding for short intervals causing the rotors to heat up,(when you come to a complete stop be sure to release the front brake while its hot) because the pressure from the pads can warp the rotor when its at high temperature.

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The rotors would have to be cherry red for heat to warp them. Most rotor warping is because of uneven wear, not heat.

SovietRobot said:

The rotors would have to be cherry red for heat to warp them. Most rotor warping is because of uneven wear, not heat.

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[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O-wnW_J2Qo"]YouTube - Can you light a ciggarette off a 954 Honda CBR brake disc?[/ame]

shreveport1 said:

YouTube - Can you light a ciggarette off a 954 Honda CBR brake disc?

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That's pretty cool

Yes, rotors get hot, but it's still true for heat to warp them, they have to be cherry red.

It's not just heat that warps rotors - it's the combination of heat AND keeping the brakes on. The pads trap heat in the area of the rotor where the pads are applied, while the rest of the rotor cools down. The thermal stress caused warps the disk.

You can get the rotor as hot as you like, and as long as it all cools down at the same rate it won't warp.

Jedi said:

It's not just heat that warps rotors - it's the combination of heat AND keeping the brakes on. The pads trap heat in the area of the rotor where the pads are applied, while the rest of the rotor cools down. The thermal stress caused warps the disk.

You can get the rotor as hot as you like, and as long as it all cools down at the same rate it won't warp.

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+1 what a perfect explanation!its been years since ive taken a brake class i remembered the procedure and the warnings i just couldnt get it out in words.thats why i posted the vid to show the rotors ability to retain heat without the red glow.:thumbup:

I have a question regarding the rear break. I am no mechanic but the other day i got a flat, so i unbolted the rear caliper, set it aside then took the wheel off and had a new tire put on. So i put the wheel on and then set the caliper back on. Since then i hear the pads (at a slow speed under 5 MPH) on the rotor scratching away. Did i do something wrong or is that sound and the feel of the pads scratching normal???

Jedi said:

It's not just heat that warps rotors - it's the combination of heat AND keeping the brakes on. The pads trap heat in the area of the rotor where the pads are applied, while the rest of the rotor cools down. The thermal stress caused warps the disk.

You can get the rotor as hot as you like, and as long as it all cools down at the same rate it won't warp.

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+2

No need to be red hot. One of the main reasons for a cool down lap.