Front Brake Pad wear has life in it still

[islandstar]

On my ST1300, the front brake lever needs to be squeezed a little more to stop then when the pads were new.

So I decided to check the front pads just as a precaution and they show wear, but not to the wear point yet. See photos
(roadside) shows the most wear, but still appears fine for another 40k miles

(roadside)

(curbside)

(curbside)

I figure I'll keep the allen key and the spare pads with me just as a precaution for the possible emergency pad replacement.

 

[v8-7]

Increased brake lever travel shouldn't be related to pad wear .

It's related to either an
1) abnormal disk ( such as a warped rotor) that causes the calipers to spread farther apart,
2)elasticity of the brake lines or
3) the brake fluid is causing some sponginess and needs to be bled .

# 1 is unlikely. I've never seen a rotor within thickness spec that warped.

# 2 happens slowly and wouldn't be very noticeable , but probably has some effect

changed your brake fluid lately ?

 

[Tom Mac 04a]

I haven't found more lever travel in my case, but I prob change out pads faster than others too.
I find that the one side on front wears a bit more than the other... may be due to SMC and rear peddle use. I know some have talk about swaping for even wear, but at $33 or so It doesn't make sense to me.

+1 on the brake fluid change.. if not in the last year ( and/or you didn't tilt the L front ) I'd go with that as it prob the easiest to do, check.

 

[islandstar]

Thanks for the feedback. The brake and clutch fluids were flushed out about 2 yrs ago. Fluid is still looking good (compared to the first time)

 

[okmurdog]

+1

I would also flush the fluid. The service interval for the clutch and brake fluid as recommended by ma' Honda is 12,000 miles or two years, WCF.

 

[ST-Traveler]

+1

I would also flush the fluid. The service interval for the clutch and brake fluid as recommended by ma' Honda is 12,000 miles or two years, WCF.

I agree, I put so many miles on my 1300 that I flush brake and clutch once per year. It is easy to do and could get rid of any small air bubbles that may be making your brakes feel spongy.

Greg C.

Mileage left on your front pads varies with the type of riding you do. Smoky mountains tend to wear down brakes faster. slabbing it will get more mileage.

 

[motorhall]

I bought a 2006 ST1300 last week with 12k miles and replaced what I assume are the original brake pads tonight. Rear set was quite worn, left front a bit less, and right front hardly worn at all. I'm already pre-disposed to hating LBS, now even more so to think that about 40% of my braking power is there just for looks. I sure hope it was just a poor bleeding job from the factory, or that the original owner was riding the rear lever more than the front. I was wondering if any other ST owners had seen this asymmetrical wear on the front pads.

 

[Blrfl]

I sure hope it was just a poor bleeding job from the factory, or that the original owner was riding the rear lever more than the front. I was wondering if any other ST owners had seen this asymmetrical wear on the front pads.

The previous owner may have favored the rear a bit, but the wear pattern you're seeing doesn't indicate anything wrong with the system.

The system is designed (diagram) so the fronts see some actuation during all braking, even only on the rear pedal. The fronts are not identical, with the left one having to saddle the load of actuating the secondary master cylinder. The left side will wear faster under almost all conditions; how much faster is a function of how much the rear brake gets used. The OEM rear pads have slightly more material than the fronts but only half the contact area, so they tend to wear just as quickly, more if there's a lot of weight on the back.

I'm already pre-disposed to hating LBS, now even more so to think that about 40% of my braking power is there just for looks.

How do you figure?

--Mark

 

[jfheath]

Rear brakes get all of the muck chucked up under the bike by the front wheel. In winter when in the uk there is a lot of grit on the road, rear pads can be sanded down at an alarming rate. Discs too. My 1100, which was ridden in all weathers needed a new rear break disk after 60,000 miles. Worn down to 6 mm. Limit is 6.5 mm for the rear.