Rear inner brake pad wearing unevenly

Howdy gang,
My rear inner rear brake pad is toast after about 5000 miles. That pad wore such that the rear of the inner pad was probably down to the service limit though the front of that side and the left pad (which wore evenly) still had probably 50% left. I cleaned and lubed the pins; and cleaned the pistons and caliper in general when I replaced those pads. All bolts were torqued according to spec's. I read the .pdf file one lister posted (very informative) and nothing seemed to be amiss that I could tell.

Those 5000 miles included a couple thousand very sporting miles ridden along some of the curviest roads in Mexico including the Espinazo del Diablo (think of the Dragon but almost 200 miles long). My braking technique involves heavy braking with both brakes, release the back brake, and then trail the front brake until just before the apex.

Can the linked brakes cause the rear inner pad to wear unevenly with that braking style? Or is there something I probably missed in my service?

Thanks in advance.

Sounds like you did not get the brake pads in right on the last set that were installed. You need to pull the caliper off and check that all of the pistons are clean and working properly along with the clip that holds the pads in.

Take a look at this thread and follow the advise on the PDF file https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?135125-ST1300-Brakes-Avoiding-the-Pitfalls

Check the retaining pin for corrosion. If it is dirty/corrosion or worn it will not let your pads slide on it like they should. Gilly57 had unusual wear on his rear inner pad and the pin was bad, Cleaned it up and he bought a new one and replaced it when it arrived.

HR Cole said:

Check the retaining pin for corrosion. If it is dirty/corrosion or worn it will not let your pads slide on it like they should. Gilly57 had unusual wear on his rear inner pad and the pin was bad, Cleaned it up and he bought a new one and replaced it when it arrived.

Click to expand...

I cleaned and lubed the retaining pin when I installed the pads. However, there was gunk caked on it when I removed it (no corrosion though). Rode some dirt roads in Mexico, and through a few hours of rain there, and a bunch more rain here. Does anyone else service the retaining pin when they are not installing new pads? That may be something to add to the check list.

970mike said:

Sounds like you did not get the brake pads in right on the last set that were installed. You need to pull the caliper off and check that all of the pistons are clean and working properly along with the clip that holds the pads in.

Take a look at this thread and follow the advise on the PDF file https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?135125-ST1300-Brakes-Avoiding-the-Pitfalls

Click to expand...

Cleaned all the pistons just like in that thread (I use spray brake cleaner, a toothbrush, and a rag wrapped/pulled around each piston), and they all worked fine when I had to push them in to fit in the new pads. The clips are there and oriented correctly.

edit: I re'read that article a third time. Now I'm wondering if I got the brake pad to the right of that small bent tab on the retaining spring. I'm going to pull the right pad tomorrow morning and put it back in again just to be sure.

Another thing you Should Not Use is Brake Cleaner on the pistons as it will eat at the O-rings inside, just use some brake fluid to clean them.

Yeah, Brake cleaner bad idea... it's for cleaning brake parts assuming they are all taken apart and no rubber involved.... brake fluid does a great job of cleaning, and eating paint if you prefer...

I wonder about the front SMC sticking (not fully retracting). Have you checked for drag of the rear brake? Put it on center stand and have someone spin the wheel, and pull the front left caliper forward. The rear wheel should stop. When you release the left front caliper, the rear wheel should spin freely again.

I pulled the rear inner pad out this morning and put it back in, making sure it was off to the side of the locating tab on the caliper spring as referenced in the .pdf article. I'm meeting some other riders tomorrow and I'll use one of them to help perform the SMC test above. Thanks for the help.

Waiting next to the white courtesy :call: