Balanced Brakes? and uneven wear

Miairhead said:
When was the last time you bleed your brakes.
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don't need to, have worked just fine. I ride year round. 54,693 miles in 1 week less 22 months of ownership. if you keep the bike active year round don't even need to replace fluid.
 
You only need to bleed the brakes if you have air in the line or if you change the brake fluid.

Brake fluid needs to be changed at a time interval (usually 18 months to 2.5 years) not at a distance. The fluid change is required due to the fluid absorbing moisture from the atmosphere.

If you use DOT5 fluid it does not absorb moisture BUT changing to DOT5 requires a complete brake seal replacement as DOT4 and DOT5 fluids are NOT compatible!

I just replaced the brake fluid in my 2007 NT700V that I purchased 18 months ago. The rear brake fluid was quite discoloured and the front brake fluid was not too bad suggesting it may have been replaced by the previous owner at some time.
 
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When the rear brake is applied, two rear pistons grip the rear rotor, in combination with a single pair of pistons in the front left caliper. This shared duty provides strong, balanced braking, and the actuation of the system is transparent.
 
And when you only use the front brake, the way I do most of the time, three pistons grip the right disc and only two grip the left one; hence, more wear on the right pads than on the left for front-brake only users.
 
We go through this on Guzzi's a lot. The left front rotor and rear rotor are fed by the pedal, the right front by the hand lever. You just have to learn to use the pedal a lot more. It is good for you :)
 
charlie b said:
You just have to learn to use the pedal a lot more. It is good for you
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LOL. It would be good for me in more ways than one, Charlie. I'd get more mobility out of my right ankle and leg if I used it more. I'm trying, I'm trying....
 
Woodaddict said:
front right - .165 inch or 4.19 mm, Honda part # 06455-MCW-H02 , front left - same. .165 inch or 4.19 mm Honda part # 06456-MCW-H02.
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I did the same thing with the same results. My question is - If they are the same measurements why are they different part numbers? Other than the part number on the packages I couldn't tell the difference between the left and right front pads. Only conclusion I have is that the friction pads may be slightly different materials.

Anyone know the difference between the left and right pads? other than part number?
 
I think previously someone said the pads are the same but the heatsink backing plate that attaches to them is different
 
Warren said:
I think previously someone said the pads are the same but the heatsink backing plate that attaches to them is different
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That's it Warren. And I was worried about getting the pads mixed up. And, as usual, it was me who was mixed up.
 
If you're really concerned about uneven pad wear, you can removed the calipers and swap pads every three months. :)
 
I replaced my front pads in Gainesville, FL, while I as on the Epic Ride. I had 71,457 miles on them and the left pads were less worn than the right, IIRC. I replaced them with EBC's organic pads and they're still in decent shape after 43,000 miles. I am trying to be more intentional about using the rear brake some of the time. Because of my 3 right knee replacements, I don't have quite as much ankle flexibility as I used to, and I had developed a habit of almost never using the rear brake. I'm working on that, since I can tell that using the both brakes settles the suspension when cornering and shortens my stopping distance in a hard stop. Still, I kind of doubt I'll live long enough to wear out the rear brake pads.
 
DirtFlier said:
If you're really concerned about uneven pad wear, you can removed the calipers and swap pads every three months. :)
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I'm not concerned about uneven pad wear. I probably wouldn't swap sides even if I had nothing else to do and it is an easy job. But next time I'll probably need new rotors too so it will be pricey maintenance. My rotors are about half way down to the service limit.
 
Is it possible to check the pad wear without removing the wheel? I'll be jiggered if I can see the notch in the pad with the wheel on.
 
You can pull the pads without pulling the wheel or caliper. Remove the pad retainer and the pads will slide out. There is a notch in the pad opposite the retainer to hold them place.
You probably want to push the pistons back in a little before removing to make it easier to re-install.

Brad
 
OvO said:
Is it possible to check the pad wear without removing the wheel? I'll be jiggered if I can see the notch in the pad with the wheel on.
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Yes, Brad gives a good description. But in my experience the pad retaining pins can be hard to remove sometimes. I think they are subject to heat and grime which can make cement holding them from un-screwing. I have overcome this with generous solvent, penetrating oil, and a mixture of steady wrench pressure combined alternatingly with mild impact wrench torque. Other times they come right out. Last time I did break one MAC impact socket trying to free the rear pad pin, but I didn't break anything on the motorcycle. The front pins took 2 minutes and the rear pin took a half hour.
 
junglejim said:
I did the same thing with the same results. My question is - If they are the same measurements why are they different part numbers? Other than the part number on the packages I couldn't tell the difference between the left and right front pads. Only conclusion I have is that the friction pads may be slightly different materials.

Anyone know the difference between the left and right pads? other than part number?
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heat shield on the back is clocked to the caliper pistons for the front pads.
 
We have had brutal extreme heat with very high humidity in southern Ontario the past couple of weeks. I find my brakes on the NT to be a little snatchy, especially the front alone. They seem a little too grabby. Apply the brake to slow down all is good, then you just add a little more pressure to squeeze it off to come to a complete stop and the brakes seems to grab. Never noticed this before. Anyone else experience anything like this?
Cheers, Tim
 
timonbik said:
We have had brutal extreme heat with very high humidity in southern Ontario the past couple of weeks. I find my brakes on the NT to be a little snatchy, especially the front alone. They seem a little too grabby. Apply the brake to slow down all is good, then you just add a little more pressure to squeeze it off to come to a complete stop and the brakes seems to grab. Never noticed this before. Anyone else experience anything like this?
Cheers, Tim
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I have not had this problem on this bike but have on my Suzuki and on many cars.
Try taking the pads out and chamfering the leading edge of the friction material.
This will reduce the "bite".

Macka
 
[...They seem a little too grabby...]

How long has it been since you drained & bled the front brakes? I do that every winter because brake fluid is cheap! One other thing to look at is how freely the brake lever moves at the handlebar. That pivot needs to be cleaned and regreased at least annually. I've ridden bikes belonging to friends where the lever movement was sticky so it made smooth application of the front brakes tricky.
 
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