Brake Pads/Fluids

[SirByron]

So, I'm admidst a lot of work to the FZ, and now I'm on to the brakes... Basically I have no idea what I'm looking at, up till now I've had a dealer do everything for me and am now taking it upon myself to do it, but I'm stuck. I took some pictures hopefully you can see better than I can. First of all I'm pretty sure I should change out my brake fluid, it looks pretty dirty. And the brake pads "look" thin to me, but I remember reading in the manual that they are supposed to be 3mm thick at least, I could somewhat get in to the rear pads and they looked about that, but I can't see the front pads at all, where should I be looking? I'm about to (hopefully) go for a pretty long trip in a couple days, I already have brake fluid but I can't find brake pads in the area for the life of me. Any input, greatly appreciated, thanks.

 

[RJ2112]

Your brake fluid needs to be changed. It should be nearly clear. Be warned, any fluid you spill will discolor your plastics. Lots of rags are a big plus.

How many miles are on the bike? I have an '05 with 23K miles on it, and my pads are fine. Can't tell enough looking at your photos... and I don't know the spec off the top of my head anyway.

 

[wrightme43]

You need pads.

www.motosport.com will two day air them if you spend over 100$

http://www.600riders.com/forum/how-tos/1334-how-rr-front-pads-lines-fluid.html

Here is a howto I wrote. If you look under forum, then howto section you will find different ones.

 

[Postal1979]

I ordered new pads from kneedraggers.com and got them within 3 days. Depends where you live from where they ship. EBC Brakes HH. Ill be doing a brake change in the next week or so.

 

[MG-242]

Yep, change the brake fluid with DOT4.
I've been a fan of the EBC HH pads for years and recently changed to Vesrah RJL's on my race bike and love them!
Rear brake pads should last a really long time.
I changed to Speigler stainless steel brake lines on the FZ6 several weeks ago and it was a huge improvement in feel!

 

[SirByron]

Sorry, it's an 06, it's got 16,800 miles on it. I got it used when it had 11,000 on it last winter. So, seeing as how I'm planning on leaving for the trip Friday morning, and I don't see a way I can get new brake pads before then, would you guys say it would be a good or bad idea to go ahead and change the fluids, and install new pads when I get back? It'll be close to a 1,000 mile trip, mostly interstate. I also am a fan of downshifting and don't use the brakes unless absolutely necessary. Thoughts?

 

[RJ2112]

Go ahead and change the fluid. That will improve your brakes' feel, and make them more firm. With that color fluid, there's sure to be some minor air bubbles in the lines as well. Getting that out will be a significant change. Less fade, better action.

It's a bit of a bear to do, but I believe someone already posted a guide, right?

 

[SirByron]

Finally found brake pads! I will be attempting the switch tonight... I saw the guide, looks really helpful, but is there any way to do it without the mighty vac? And anyone know how much brake fluid is needed for a full switch?

 

[RJ2112]

Buy the small container of DOT 4 (pint?)... it's about right for doing the whole system, front and rear.

You can pump the brakes to bleed them; that's the only way I've ever done it.

A clear piece of plastic tubing, the 8mm wrench, the Philips screwdriver to open the resevoir, a glass jar are all that is really needed. And lots of rags to protect your painted surfaces.

 

[wrightme43]

Oh yeah man, I am excessive in everything I do.
Clean and remove cap on M. Cyl. Open bottle of fluid. Break loose and then snug up the bleeder screw.
Put clean tube on bleeder screw. gently squeeze the lever, open bleeder screw, lever will touch the bar. Close screw then release lever, then gently squeeze, open screw, to bar, close screw, release, repeat. Keep a eye on fluid level and dont let it run to low.

Real simple deal man.

 

[SirByron]

Hey thanks again for all the help guys, I just got done taking the brake pads out and.. They look great! They still have a whole lot of the groove left, and in comparison to the new ones I just bought, they look right about the same size, so I can go get my $$$ back! Now, for the potentially stupid question, why should I change my brake fluid? I know you're 'supposed' to keep it 'clean', but I'm just wondering, what difference does it make? If it's a hydraulic fluid, than why does it matter if it's a little older and the color has changed?

 

[RJ2112]

Hey thanks again for all the help guys, I just got done taking the brake pads out and.. They look great! They still have a whole lot of the groove left, and in comparison to the new ones I just bought, they look right about the same size, so I can go get my $$$ back! Now, for the potentially stupid question, why should I change my brake fluid? I know you're 'supposed' to keep it 'clean', but I'm just wondering, what difference does it make? If it's a hydraulic fluid, than why does it matter if it's a little older and the color has changed?

Brake fluid is hygroscopic.... it absorbs moisture right out of the air. Does it all the time... from the moment the bottle is opened to the time it is flushed out, it's absorbing water.

The water can allow corrosion in the form of pitting in the piston bores. Losing your brakes due to that really, really sucks.

Before it gets that bad, the water genrally causes very little issue.... except if you ride extremely hard and use the brakes a lot. Water boils at a much lower temp than brake fluid. Steam does not work the same as fluid when you try and use your brakes.

Swap it out.... fulsh the entire system at least on an annual basis.