Brake pad mileage

Wheelin

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Aug 13, 2017
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Southern CA
Hi Gang -

I read many articles posted by members here who say they change their brake pads at 20,000 miles or less. Yet on my bike, my front pads are measuring between 3 and 4 mm and have plenty of "meat" on them at 27,000 miles. And when I visually compare them to new pads, the wear is at less than 50%

What I'm wondering is, am I not measuring these things right? My bike is (sadly) mostly used as a commuter 80 miles roundtrip from my home to my work in Los Angeles. You may be tempted to think that I don't have to use my brakes a lot on the freeway, but with LA traffic jams, I do a lot of braking--particularly when someone swerves out in front of me while splitting lanes (legally allowed here).

So what gives? Why are my brake pads lasting so long? Thoughts, please?
 

Dogdaze

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Solothurn, Switzerland
I think you may be reading posts about excessive 'rear' brake pad wear that wear out at 15-20k mles, fronts will last 30k+ miles. Did you check your rear pads?
 

Longdog Cymru

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This is a “how long is a piece of string” question, no two riders use their brakes in the same way, ( yes, yes, I know they use them to slow down and stop, etc), but it really depends on type of terrain, speed, load, etc. I am in the same camp as you Wheelin, my pads last me longer than many other riders too.
 

Wheelin

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This is a “how long is a piece of string” question, no two riders use their brakes in the same way, ( yes, yes, I know they use them to slow down and stop, etc), but it really depends on type of terrain, speed, load, etc. I am in the same camp as you Wheelin, my pads last me longer than many other riders too.
Yeah, it’s probably a little obtuse on my part. I don’t consider myself to be that good or experienced of a rider. Consequently, I tend to ride very conservatively in the hopes that I might survive a little bit longer in LA traffic. I’m sure that has a lot to do with it.

I suppose I should’ve put together a poll…
 

RCinNC

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As long as you're following the right procedure to measure them , don't be nervous about the results. Coincidentally, I was just measuring mine a couple days ago. I put all three sets of pads on last May, before a trip to Utah. They now all have 9, 757 miles on them. All the pads were 5.8mm when brand new. .8 mm is minimum thickness. All of them are in the 3-4mm range. My pad wear is likely higher than a lot of guys on here, because I do a lot of two up riding. A 150 pound guy is probably going to use up pads at a slower rate than a 250 pound guy.

Long lived pads aren't something to worry about; if you're able to stop, then they're working.
 

OldRider

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I had two customers come in last week with wore out rear tires on Goldwings. Both were running the same brand and style of tire. One had 7K on the tire and the other had15K on the tire. Same thing happens with brakes. Who knows?
 

gv550

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Listowel, Ontario, Canada
96,000 kms on my 2016 with original front brake pads and rotors.
Call me cheap or even OCD but I actually maintain them, removing the calipers and pads on a regular basis to clean the pistons and rotate the least worn pads to the right caliper. I also get 50,000 kms from front Mitas, but I am anal about pressure and rebalance the wheel every 10k or so.
Rear pads are worn out every 40k and the rotor replaced at 80k.
 
B

ballisticexchris

Guest
Hi Gang -

I read many articles posted by members here who say they change their brake pads at 20,000 miles or less. Yet on my bike, my front pads are measuring between 3 and 4 mm and have plenty of "meat" on them at 27,000 miles. And when I visually compare them to new pads, the wear is at less than 50%

What I'm wondering is, am I not measuring these things right? My bike is (sadly) mostly used as a commuter 80 miles roundtrip from my home to my work in Los Angeles. You may be tempted to think that I don't have to use my brakes a lot on the freeway, but with LA traffic jams, I do a lot of braking--particularly when someone swerves out in front of me while splitting lanes (legally allowed here).

So what gives? Why are my brake pads lasting so long? Thoughts, please?
Actually using your bike as a commuter is fantastic for keeping your riding skills honed!! There is not much worse in this country as far as poor drivers and traffic we have to deal with. I'm just guessing but I imagine you are not going more than 25-30mph when splitting lanes in heavy traffic. That might be the reason your pads are lasting so long.

Brake pad wear is going to vary widely from rider to rider. Too many factors come into play. I'll use my KTM300 as an example. When I raced, I would burn up a set of rear pads almost every event. As a novice racer I had poor bike control and dragged my rear brake at every panic section of fast whoops or steep downhills. Front brake pads would not last much longer. OTOH, when trail riding I would get a season or more out of a set of pads.

I'm not one to let my pads get down to the wear limit. I change mine out at around 50% wear. I find the heat generated as the pads get thinner reduces braking power. I'm actually looking forward to changing out my brake lines, pads, and rotors to the Galfers once I wear out what I have. I figure the rotors are good for about 3-4 pad changes before needing replacement.
 

HeliMark

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Dec 18, 2013
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995
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Tennessee
65K miles on the original front pads. Bought replacement ones several years ago, and still siting in the tool box. I am on my third set of rears. Yes, I love to down shift, and use the rear for a lot of slow speed stuff.
 

Tenman

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Dec 7, 2013
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Natchez Ms USA
Interesting. What is your style of riding? Are you on dirt more than pavement?
Most all my miles are on the street. When I first got my S10. I did some off roading. I found out quick that its a road and gravel machine for me. I balled up with mud and had to walk a few miles. Had to leave it there in the mud and cold rain for a few days. When I got back to it. She fired right up. I had to take the front fender and brake crossover line off to get it out.
 

MIKE R

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Lancashire, UK
37k miles on my front pads and all is OK

In the winter I spotted a full set of genuine OE front pads heavily discounted at a Yamaha dealer here in the UK so I bought them.

Might change the pads before my next tour. Although still within tolerance they are over 4 years old.

Mike
 

Sierra1

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Joshua TX
Another factor to consider is the pad itself. Many of us use the OE pad, while many use other brands. Each brand, while being similar, is different than another. The Honda did not stop anywhere near as well with aftermarket as it did with OE. But, Honda OE pads had to be changed every 5k miles; front & back. The Beemer needed back pads every 10k miles, but fronts went about 30k miles. Both were ridden the same, and both felt equally strong, but only the Honda brakes were linked.

Chris was right about too many variables; no two people will ride the same. The sooner you see/identify an issue on the roadway, the sooner you can react. Which allows you to use less brake, if any. As was mentioned, the Tenere's engine braking is very useful. With the front weight bias of the bike, I hardly ever apply the brake PEDAL now. I was burning up the back tire, until I stopped using the extra back brake. Now, I only use the pedal at very slow speeds, and tight turning.
 

Cycledude

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Rib lake wi
Dirty-muddy conditions will greatly shorten rear brake pad life, my rear brake pads were shot when I got home from riding to Prudehoe Bay it rained all the way up there from Fairbanks and was a very sloppy mess. If it would have been dry I’m confident my rear brakes would not have worn out so fast, it didn’t seem to have any effect on the front brakes.
 

Wheelin

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Aug 13, 2017
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Southern CA
Actually using your bike as a commuter is fantastic for keeping your riding skills honed!! There is not much worse in this country as far as poor drivers and traffic we have to deal with. I'm just guessing but I imagine you are not going more than 25-30mph when splitting lanes in heavy traffic. That might be the reason your pads are lasting so long.
That’s a good guess! I try to make up for being a mediocre rider by being very careful. Frankly, I don’t see how other guys who are splitting lanes at 80 miles per hour in dead stopped traffic are going to survive for very long. I don’t care how fast your reflexes are (and might’ve gotten pretty fast), that’s a recipe for disaster, IMHO. Riding by those downed riders (some of them permanently down), it’s made me even more cautious. And boy, have my reflexes gotten faster!

Brake pad wear is going to vary widely from rider to rider. Too many factors come into play. I'll use my KTM300 as an example. When I raced, I would burn up a set of rear pads almost every event. As a novice racer I had poor bike control and dragged my rear brake at every panic section of fast whoops or steep downhills. Front brake pads would not last much longer. OTOH, when trail riding I would get a season or more out of a set of pads.
I tried riding dirt once on the road that was steep on the crown, and going up hills. It didn’t go well. Fortunately, the bike was not even scratched, and I wasn’t permanently damaged. I should definitely start on a MUCH lighter bike.

I’m a relative baby in the world of motorcyclIng, not getting started until well in the middle age. While I have taken a safety course, I’ve never gone to the track to better my riding skills. Number one, I’m afraid I’ll crash my bike and run my investment, and two) taking advanced riding skills might embolden me to do more stupid things

I'm not one to let my pads get down to the wear limit. I change mine out at around 50% wear. I find the heat generated as the pads get thinner reduces braking power. I'm actually looking forward to changing out my brake lines, pads, and rotors to the Galfers once I wear out what I have. I figure the rotors are good for about 3-4 pad changes before needing replacement.

Hmmmm. I’ve seen videos on changing out the brakes shoes. I suppose I can read the manual for a change and figure out to do that other stuff, though I prefer to learn through videos...
 

EricV

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It's not the miles, it's how the bike is being ridden. Shorter, more sporty rides wear pads faster. Commuting a little slower, touring even more slowly than that. As a guy that goes places on the bike, I go farther w/o touching the brakes than the commuter or short ride riders. My pads last a very long time. Add to that, riding The Pace, and I'm just not on the brakes unless I'm stopping or in traffic. I don't brake in, throttle out of corners.
 
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