spike Posted June 22, 2015 Report Share Posted June 22, 2015 I am looking at upgrading my brake pads. When I do this do I need to do anything to the rotor. I am seeing multiple thoughts on this. Should I clean them and if yes how? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rchase Posted June 22, 2015 Report Share Posted June 22, 2015 Wiping down the rotors with brake cleaner is not a bad idea to keep them clear of oil. Other than that they don't really need much cleaning. ABS rings however do need to be kept regularly clean since they are an optical reference for the ABS sensor if your bike is equipped with ABS. Question on your upgrade. What are you looking to accomplish with the upgrade? I never gave much thought to braking until I rode the school's brake bike. On a stock set of pads and rotors I was absolutely amazed at the stopping power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmckeen Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 Wiping down the rotors with brake cleaner is not a bad idea to keep them clear of oil. Other than that they don't really need much cleaning. ABS rings however do need to be kept regularly clean since they are an optical reference for the ABS sensor if your bike is equipped with ABS. I'm gonna have to disagree on a few points, Properly bedding in brake pads transfers a thin layer of pad material to the rotor itself that improves stopping power and heat transfer and the like. The results of not properly bedding in new pads can be found in numerous sources on the interwebz. When switching to a different pad compound its a good idea to clean the rotors of existing pad material. This can be done pretty easily with some emery cloth and a balancing stand to spin the tire on. The dealer I purchased my race pads from included a foam sanding block to clean the rotors as a free gift. I wipe down my rotors with Acetone prior to installation any time the wheel comes off the bike to remove any oils or dirt that it may have picked up while I was working on it. Not all wheel speed sensors work on a optical sensor, the ABS system in my FJR detects wheel speed from a "Hall Effect" sensor, I'm pretty sure this will be the more common design on anything that doesn't have a race calibration option for its traction control and ABS systems. Tyler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khp Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 I'm with Tyler - if you change brake pad material (e.g. from Organic to Carbon), you need to clean the rotors. Also, you need to bed-in the rotors again with the new pad material. I have this not just from the Interwebz but also from the manufacturer directly (SBS). SBS recommended a slightly abrasive material to remove the surface film. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike Posted June 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2015 One of the reasons is I feel sometimes like it requires to much lever pull for the desired result. Seems like the higher the speed when braking the more I notice it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmckeen Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Do you have stainless lines ? How old is your fluid ? Have you upgraded your brake fluid ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike Posted June 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Bike is a 2013 ninja 650 with ABS 5000 miles bought brand new in 2013. I'm not sure if I can do stainless I looked at the different companies and there doesn't seem to be anything for the ABS model for my bike. I talked with my dealer a little and might be able to jerry rig something to work. A lot more research is needed for that. Can changing brake fluid brand make that big of difference? I just have whatever the dealer put in. To that note is it weird that the brake fluid is clear, I looked at the sight glass for the brake reservoir and I thought there was nothing in there the first time I looked. I haven't changed the brake fluid yet. Its not terribly bad but I feel like there is a little to be desired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPyrion Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 If you head over to the riderforums, you can get some good information from the people there about the 650. There was a member that ordered custom lines for his ABS bike. As for the stock pads, they do a decent enough job but after a few hard laps they don't inspire confidence even though they do slow the bike. I put on a set of EBC HH and they definitely felt better when warmed up. I recently switched to the EBC EPFA's and they are just crazy when warmed up. Not too inspiring cold though. While most will mention lightly scuffing/cleaning the rotors, I have been fine switching without doing that. EBC's website explains the bed in process. I usually put pads on where I can put some street mileage on them first before I do heavy bed in. I'd rather know what the pads feel like before I get to the track. For track only bikes, there really isn't much of a choice in that matter. http://www.riderforums.com/kawasaki-ninja-650r/ http://ebcbrakes.com/about-ebc/faqs/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike Posted June 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 EBC pads seem like they would take a while to bed in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPyrion Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 There are multiple ways to bed in pads. I just linked that as an example. The idea behind doing it slower is usually for an older rotor that might have some surface variations. This will allow the pad to fit the contours before bedding it in. On a newer rotor with new pads, it should not matter as much. According the to track procedure, 3-4 laps, not long at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmckeen Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 the most important thing is not to heat up brand new pad/rotor and then stop with it hot, you will end up with a melted pad spot on your rotor that will result in a nasty pulse in your brakes Upgrading to a Dot 5.1 or race type fluid can help if you're experiencing brake fade after a few high spirited laps, but its not a silver bullet, I used to have considerable troubles with the brakes on my R6 and upgraded pads and fluid and rebuilt the Master trying to snuff them out, they all helped a little but eventually I just bought a RCS-19 master cylinder and that was the silver bullet to my problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike Posted June 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Good things to think about. I don't see doing anything in the immediate future. FYI I ride mainly street. I'm thinking of things like this with my first track day coming up in September, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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