Author Topic: Front brake pads (Read 3113 times)

Beau’s Bar and Garage · « **on:** March 24, 2021, 08:19:30 AM »

I order and got new front brake pads for 78 750k. Do I need to remove the wheel to change them and is there any pitfalls to be aware of? I guess I’m going to stay the bike to my rafter to lift it up if I need to remove wheel.... no rust on bike by the way

69cb750 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 24, 2021, 08:24:20 AM »

Disassemble caliper, bike can stay on ground.

goodtryer · « **Reply #2 on:** March 24, 2021, 08:31:08 AM »

You'll need a new cotter pin to hold the inboard pad in place.

Beau’s Bar and Garage · « **Reply #3 on:** March 24, 2021, 08:41:36 AM »

Thanks I ripped it apart pretty simple. The pads look same
As the new ones. I guess they are just that bad ?? Is there an upgrade to these? Same caliper just revised?

Bodi · « **Reply #4 on:** March 24, 2021, 08:46:12 AM »

You should take the pivot apart, clean and regrease it. They dry out and go stiff after a few decades. It should pivot quite freely.
Many new pads are very tight in the piston side, you may need to sand the paint off to get a good sliding fit. Caliper retract is not too good with a tight pad. Put some silicon grease in there to avoid rusting, just a film - it must not get on the friction surface. Same on the little donut thing. Regular grease will liquify from the heat and run out, probably to where you don't want it. You can also coat the piston with silicon or special caliper grease before pushing it in, I would pump it out and inspect it if I was taking the caliper apart and didn't know the piston was in good shape. There should not be any rust pitting: those will be outside the seal as is, but with new pads you will be pushing the piston further in than where it was with your old worn pads.
The brake is weak compared to modern bikes, always was. Deglazing the rotor helps, using 600+ wet/dry paper. Different pad material can improve braking. With the stainless rotor and single piston caliper, the braking just can't ever equal a dual/quad piston and floating rotor modern system. There used to be aftermarket cast iron rotors available that dramtically improve braking (but rust and look like crap pretty quickly).

Beau’s Bar and Garage · « **Reply #5 on:** March 24, 2021, 08:58:09 AM »

Man thanks I appreciate the info. That’s good stuff. Thanks everyone. I’ll keep at it little by little. You guys are experienced for sure.

Deltarider · « **Reply #6 on:** March 24, 2021, 09:35:46 AM »

Quote from: Bodi on March 24, 2021, 08:46:12 AM

You should take the pivot apart, clean and regrease it. They dry out and go stiff after a few decades. It should pivot quite freely.

For heavens sake NO, that is not before you have diagnosed it is stiff. It is so easy to check. Mine still swings easy without any hesitation and as new. Do not take things apart before you've made a diagnosis.

PeWe · « **Reply #7 on:** March 24, 2021, 09:35:49 AM »

+5 Remove paint around the pad and grease the pivot if not done when front tire was replaced which is a good routine.

Mine have o-rings to keep grease in place water out. Probably on later too.

Deltarider · « **Reply #8 on:** March 24, 2021, 09:37:48 AM »

Mine spare O-rings are still in their plastic bags. They have been in there for the last 25 years!

bryanj · « **Reply #9 on:** March 24, 2021, 10:29:01 AM »

What are you comparing the brakes too?

BenelliSEI · « **Reply #10 on:** March 24, 2021, 05:37:46 PM »

Regardless of how well (or not) the pivot feels, don’t hesitate to take it apart, inspect it, clean and polish it and lubricate. Taking stuff apart and learning how it works is healthy and will help you get to know your machine. Besides, if you do it right, 25 years from now, someone may still be enjoying it.

Deltarider · « **Reply #11 on:** March 24, 2021, 11:48:06 PM »

Quote from: BenelliSEI on March 24, 2021, 05:37:46 PM

Regardless of how well (or not) the pivot feels, don’t hesitate to take it apart, inspect it, clean and polish it and lubricate. Taking stuff apart and learning how it works is healthy and will help you get to know your machine. Besides, if you do it right, 25 years from now, someone may still be enjoying it.

Yeah... and then move to the floats and siart bending them and see if you can learn some more there and then... and then...
Jeeez, I'd rather ride but that's just me.

bryanj · « **Reply #12 on:** March 25, 2021, 12:42:27 AM »

True, but if you are doing the pads which means working on the brake at least do it right, even back in the 70's in a dealership that was part of pad fotting

dave500 · « **Reply #13 on:** March 25, 2021, 12:52:09 AM »

i have a cast iron disc,its only maginally better than the stainless one but doesent fade,its drilled and is 295 grams lighter.

Beau’s Bar and Garage · « **Reply #14 on:** March 25, 2021, 05:45:10 AM »

Thank you. Not really comparing it to anything just know it’s damn soft for my liking. I appreciate all the info. Great stuff.

bryanj · « **Reply #15 on:** March 25, 2021, 06:23:05 AM »

Still a way better front brake than any other mass produced bike of the early 70's

Bodi · « **Reply #16 on:** March 25, 2021, 06:35:19 AM »

Define "way better" and "mass produced".

Dual and quad leading shoe drum brakes were hardly uncommon, and equal to - or better than- Honda single discs for stopping power. Discs of course don't heat fade as quickly as drums do but that's only "better" not "way better" IMO. Most riding won't heat brakes enough to get serious fade.

bryanj · « **Reply #17 on:** March 25, 2021, 08:37:08 AM »

Way better
Less time taken to keep on top eficiency, Suzuki were about the only one using 4 leading shoe and they soon went disc.
Yes there were some Italian makes using Fontana plus lots of racers but they were way expensive and didnt sell anything like as many.
2ls were OK on the smaller stuff but overheated too much on the heavier bikes.
I am looking at it from where i was in the workshop at the time in a year see 2 Ducati maybe 2 Guzzi 1 Laverda 2 Egli but did 3 or 4 Hondas a day

MauiK3 · « **Reply #18 on:** March 25, 2021, 09:15:04 AM »

Context is important. When Honda went disc, it was a revelation. Other manufacturers piled on of course but let us not forget, Honda was first and the brake was better, in an all around sense, than anything else out there. Looking back we can say it's a terrible brake compared to current brakes, that's progress. The same can be said for internal combustion engines, all of them, comparing engines then and engines now. They are all lighter, more powerful, fuel efficient, cleaner, etc. That doesn't take away from the forward looking companies like Honda that gave us the sohc's.

RAFster122s · « **Reply #19 on:** March 25, 2021, 02:49:06 PM »

Honda also pioneered the use of plastics on motorcycles and did so with the polyethylene or was it polypropylene plastic molded fenders and other plastics used on Cubs and Passports as well as other bikes.

Replace therubber hoses, generally it is a 5-7 year replacement item. Braided stainless steel sheathed teflon tubing Dot legal brake lines can be bought from Gaffer, Apex Brakes, etc. Is Slingshot cycle still doing brakes?

The grease you want to buy and use for the metal pieces that need grease, not inside the brake system where brake fluid contact occurs) is:
Dow (Corning) High Vacuum Petcock silicon grease.
It is used for chemistry petcocks and glassware.
You won't need a ton of it...
You can buy little containers of it others have repackaged from a tube of the grease into little plastic containers of 1/8 or 1/4 ounce.
It is very high heat silicone grease and will not migrate (creep) from where it was placed by the temps our braking system will see.
There are some other brake caliper greases you find in a auto parts store that will migrate or creep from where applied and they can contaminate your pads ruining them and be a real life altering experience if you happen to suffer from its use.

Just clean it off everytime you flush your brakes every 18 months to two years, if you don't flush the system and deglaze the rotors and pads every year.

dave500 · « **Reply #20 on:** March 26, 2021, 01:31:19 AM »

my old it250 twin leading front drum was a great brake,it would fail hauling down my cb500 though!

Little_Phil · « **Reply #21 on:** March 26, 2021, 08:11:39 AM »

Way better!? In the pouring rain.

bryanj · « **Reply #22 on:** March 26, 2021, 11:46:06 AM »

Last time i had brakes that worked immediately in pouring rain it locked up and through me off

caluser2000 · « **Reply #23 on:** March 26, 2021, 08:22:53 PM »

One of the first things I did when I got my 1976 CB550F in 1986 was have holes drilled in the rotors for wet weather riding. It was/is a well known issue on SOHC Hondas. I put a new set of Vesrah sintered brake pads about 15 months ago.The combo works fine in wet or dry weather. Most of the time I use both brakes in unison to reduce front end dive. Of course the 500/550 are lighter and handle far better then sohc 750s

I've also got a set of disk, calipers and brake lines ready to fit on the other side. As our market bikes had the option of a second front disk on the RH fork with the appropriate lugs.

caluser2000 · « **Reply #24 on:** March 26, 2021, 09:14:24 PM »

Quote from: Deltarider on March 24, 2021, 11:48:06 PM

Quote from: BenelliSEI on March 24, 2021, 05:37:46 PM
Regardless of how well (or not) the pivot feels, don’t hesitate to take it apart, inspect it, clean and polish it and lubricate. Taking stuff apart and learning how it works is healthy and will help you get to know your machine. Besides, if you do it right, 25 years from now, someone may still be enjoying it.
Yeah... and then move to the floats and siart bending them and see if you can learn some more there and then... and then...
Jeeez, I'd rather ride but that's just me.

What is the problem? Removing,inspecting then cleaning/lubing the caliper lever doesn't take that long at all. Can be done when you do an oil/filter change and going over the rest of the bike checking for issues. Then you know the front brake setup is 100%

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Author Topic: Front brake pads (Read 3113 times)