Change one front brake pad?

[MLo3]

I have one brake pad and I need to change my front brake pads. Is it dumb to only change one? Also, I need to buy a new battery soon. Any suggestions on brand or type? I want it to last as long as possible so if I have to spend some extra money, that would be okay.

 

[trepetti]

Yes, bad idea. Do not change 1. A front brake job is 4 pads and a rear is 2. No exceptions.

 

[ANLR21]

Agreed, I'll second the motion. Really bad idea to take any sort of shortcut on the brakes.

Good pads are not expensive, save a few $ somewhere else

Be safe out there

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

If you can post what year bike you have (or S1 or S2) maybe under your username, it'd help others when you have issues.

The brake calipers themselves are very different between the two.

If you look in the shop manual, Yamaha allows the pads to get pretty thin before replacement. I wouldn't go that long but is a possibility.

If one pad is worn out much more than the other, if its an S1, it has a floating caliper. If it hasn't been serviced (cleaned/greased) it may NOT center itself (for even brake wear) as it should..

Dumb question, how did you end up with ONE extra brake pad??

 

[yamihoe]

replacing one brake pad????? I suppose you buy one shoe too?!?!

I have people come in to my work all the time and want to replace just the brake pads on one side or replace one rotor, or (my personal favorite) they just want the oil filter changed. SERIOUSLY. also i had one lady whose air filter was MISSING say that she didnt need one, apparently that was not really useful for a car. end rant!

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

replacing one brake pad????? I suppose you buy one shoe too?!?!

I have people come in to my work all the time and want to replace just the brake pads on one side or replace one rotor, or (my personal favorite) they just want the oil filter changed. SERIOUSLY. also i had one lady whose air filter was MISSING say that she didnt need one, apparently that was not really useful for a car. end rant!

Getting off topic but I worked a wreck years ago with a cage. What I found was un-real.

The VENTED rotor (with ribs between both surfaces) was literally WORN thru past the rotor surface.

The NOW, steel pads were working/rubbing AGINST THE rotor RIBS..

 

[Plymothian]

Also, I need to buy a new battery soon.

Not sure about batteries in the US, but I use a Yuasa. I'd also recommend a trickle charger/optimiser if you have somewhere to plug it in. Mine goes on pretty much any time when the bike is in the garage (as I do short trips to work), it will probably pay for itself after a few years due to it lengthening the life of the battery.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

+1 ^^^ on the Yuasa.

Its OEM and short of old age, wear and tear, no issues...

 

[FinalImpact]

Not sure about batteries in the US, but I use a Yuasa. I'd also recommend a trickle charger/optimiser if you have somewhere to plug it in. Mine goes on pretty much any time when the bike is in the garage (as I do short trips to work), it will probably pay for itself after a few years due to it lengthening the life of the battery.

Tell us how long your battery lasts and how far/fast you ride per ride.

8 years on OEM battery NEVER charged under my ownership. But it doesn't do short trips either. Never started "just to start it, only to ride it" and it sits 3 to 4 mo out of the year.

You can buy One set of pads but not one pad. THat said, Replace both pads, service the calipers CLEAN the PISTON(s) before shoving them into the caliper, and bleed the brakes flushing out the OLD fluid from the caliper bleed screw!

 

[MLo3]

Thanks for the input guys

 

[fb40dash5]

Getting off topic but I worked a wreck years ago with a cage. What I found was un-real.

The VENTED rotor (with ribs between both surfaces) was literally WORN thru past the rotor surface.

The NOW, steel pads were working/rubbing AGINST THE rotor RIBS..

Wow, they got (relatively) lucky.

I had one of my boss' buddies bring his work van into the shop because "the brakes were making a little noise." That's a direct quote, BTW, "a little noise."

As I'm pulling it in, it makes the most awful noise ever, at 2mph, as soon as I touch the brakes. I get the wheel off, and picture what you said, except after he wore through the inner half of the rotor into the vanes, the backing plate of the pad got thin enough to fit between the vanes and caliper bracket, and exited stage left. The pistons had then hit the vanes, and one of them had shattered. I don't even know why it made noise when I touched the brake pedal, as there should have been no way for that caliper to hold pressure with only one piston left.

So if nothing else, remember a) some people are really stupid, and b) we let them drive cars and trucks. So that alone should justify spending more to make sure your brakes are in their best shape.

 

[Plymothian]

Tell us how long your battery lasts and how far/fast you ride per ride.

My commute is 4 miles each way, sometimes I stop in the shops, so that would be 2 x starts over a 4 mile journey. Plus it's in traffic so a lot of slow riding (I don't get above 35mph usually, unless I'm late and ride like a tit). Especially in the winter it starts a lot better when it's kept on trickle charge. I've also had batteries in the past (when I was a n00b) that could probably have been recovered if I'd had a Optimizer back then, but I just went out and bought a new battery as they were 125cc bikes so cheaper batteries.

ok I don't have any data on trickle charged battery life versus none, but purely for ease of starting I'd always have a trickle charger from now on.