07 Brake Pads

[73516]

Question were the OEM brake pads on the front and rear made of SINTERED material? Did a search and couldn't find the answer. Getting ready to replace the fronts and want to get the right pads.

thanks 73516

[mogu83]

I think the consensus is metallic on the front, organic (read - brake dust) on the rear. If you search brakes or pads, their is all kinds of info on this list about what is out there in the aftermarket, and reasons (and results) for people not using OEM.

BTW: How many miles on the bike? You might be the first one replacing the front pads.

[Lost Rider]

Sintered pads front and rear on my bike only.
I'm on my 3rd set for the front, 5th for the rear. OEM rotors.

Seems to me organic pads are used on bikes without integral ABS so the answer depends on your bike.

EBC Double-H Sintered pads have worked well for me, though the Brembo pads seem to last longer so it's a toss up which has better value.

EBC
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/ ... Parts.aspx

OEM
http://www.ascycles.com/detail.aspx?ID=35346




Copy this code into google to really search this forum, changing "brake pads" to anything you're looking for.

site:r1150r.org, brake pads

[73516]

MOGUE83

just turned 36K, the wear indicators are clearly visible and I'm likely in front of the replacement minimums. One of the four pads, inner left (clutch side) is worn down further than the other three. I do know the inner pad on both disc is a bit thinner. Even on the thin pad I can see the wear indicators.

Once question I have is should the wear indicator be nearly gone, absent or what before one replaces the pads?

thanks

73516

[Lost Rider]

I've rode mine until it starts to grind a couple of times on the rear while traveling and not really caring about minor details, and also replaced them just before the wear lines start to touch before an adventure. Most of the time on my bikes somewhere in between those extremes I change them. I have found that the brake pads can last many thousands of miles after they hit the wear lines before they start to grind, but like tire milage that's very subjective. YRMV.

[roger l]

Look on E-Bay for the EBC HH brake pads. I bought a set of rear pads from the same guy with the link below. The price seemed good. I have yet to install them. I am waiting for the current pads to wear a little farther.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/06-08-BMW-R-120 ... 1049wt_901

Roger L

[MTBeemer]

I've got 21k on my R and the brake pads, front and rear, look like they have many miles left on them. Kinda of surprising given the wear rated by many others on their rear brakes. I have pads sitting in my parts bin waiting to be installed but looks like it will be awhile.

[Steve in VT]

My rear brake on my '07 R1200R started grinding at about 13K. I thought it was a small stone caught under the pad until I pulled the pads out and found them worn down to the backing plates. No damage to the disk, fortunately, but I should have checked them earlier.
Soon after I got the bike, at about 6K, I noticed what seemed like excessive heating of the rear brake after even a short ride. Other posters suggested a frozen rear caliper, but mine was free, and when the pads finally wore out, they were flat and evenly worn. So I have to assume the F/R proportioning valve on my ABS system is working overtime, making the rear brake do too much of the stopping. I often notice a rapid pulsing of the foot pedal at near-stopped conditions. I think this, too, is a gremlin in the ABS.
I'm resigned to living with both problems, because there seems to be no way of adjusting the F/R balance.
Now if I could just fix the flutter in my front brakes.

[deilenberger]

My rear brake on my '07 R1200R started grinding at about 13K. I thought it was a small stone caught under the pad until I pulled the pads out and found them worn down to the backing plates. No damage to the disk, fortunately, but I should have checked them earlier.
Soon after I got the bike, at about 6K, I noticed what seemed like excessive heating of the rear brake after even a short ride. Other posters suggested a frozen rear caliper, but mine was free, and when the pads finally wore out, they were flat and evenly worn. So I have to assume the F/R proportioning valve on my ABS system is working overtime, making the rear brake do too much of the stopping. I often notice a rapid pulsing of the foot pedal at near-stopped conditions. I think this, too, is a gremlin in the ABS.
I'm resigned to living with both problems, because there seems to be no way of adjusting the F/R balance.
Now if I could just fix the flutter in my front brakes.

Not uncommon. There is a thread on the BMW hexhead forum on just this subject.

The rear pads wear out fast because the rear uses a sliding caliper, which tends to stick and cause continuous pressure on the pads.. that also causes the disk to heat up. To a great extent this can be fixed by R&R of the caliper, and moving the caliper itself on the mounting bracket (that it slides on..) You can do this with it on the bike if you don't mind taking the pads out, I find it easier to do when I change the rear drive oil, since the caliper comes off to do that anyway. Doing it periodically frees it up again to slide, and the hot disk problem goes away, at least for a while.

The front pads seem to wear forever. I just changed mine at 58,300 miles - they were down to about 1/16" of pad material. I put in EBC HH pads - which once broken in give a much better feel then the stock ones do, and feel more powerful. The rear has had the EBC pads in it for a while now. The EBC pads don't dust as badly as the stock pads, but they may be a more aggressive compound, meaning the rotors will probably wear faster. My rear rotor is about due for replacement, I'll likely go for an EBC rotor next spring (way way less $$ then the BMW rotor, and I looked at Harry C's tonight and it looks good.)

The buzz in the back pedal is normal IF you use the rear pedal at the same time as the front lever. It's the ABS telling you that you were about to lock the rear wheel, and it's modulating it so you don't. FWIW - I only use the rear pedal at traffic lights, drive-thru ATMs and low speed parking lot turns. I almost never use it with the front lever. With the linked brakes there is no need for using the rear pedal, and the buzz you felt means your stopping distance is going to be longer not shorter.

When you describe "flutter" in the front brake - is this like a shudder, especially as you come to a complete stop? I worked this through with someone else, and it sounds as if his problem is about 95% cured (sanding the rotors and pads then reseating them seemed to do it). I suspect using a more aggressive pad (like the HH EBCs) will also help get the pad-poop off the rotors that is causing this. My 58,000 mile pads seemed a bit grabby as I came to a complete stop. the HH EBC's are completely smooth right until the bike stops. It gives me more confidence in the brakes which is a good thing - I can pick my stop point more precisely.