Best Front Brake Pads

gene xs

gene xs

XS650 Enthusiast
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Back in the day, the motorcycle magazines would sometimes describe brakes as "wooden". I had always wondered what they meant.

When I resuscitated my '78 SE last year the front brake had no feel and did not stop well. I replaced it with a set of EBC brake pads (organic, I think) and they felt the same. Even after bedding in, they have little bite and no feel. The rear brake (which I did not replace) has much better stopping power.

I know that there were some good brakes back then. My '74 RD350 stops on a dime and has good feel from the front disc. The RD is a much lighter bike, but still....

I'm looking for a recommendation for a brake pad that will (at least) have some bite. Any suggestions out there?
 
You can spend a lot of money on these brake systems, replacing pretty much every component. I don't think that's necessary. In my opinion, only the line really needs to be changed, and the stock MC and caliper disassembled and thoroughly cleaned. I like the stock pads. I fell for the sales pitch and got the Ferodo Platinum pads from 650Central because they were said to be the best replacement available. Well, from my experience, not so much. I don't think they work as well as the originals did. In fact, I will probably put the originals back in eventually.

Your originals most likely need a good cleaning and may be glazed a bit. To renovate them, a gentle bead blasting does a wonderful job. Don't blast directly down into them, that can burrow a hole in the pad. Blast at an angle from the side, basically just skimming the top. I don't have a pic of any pads I've done but here's some brake shoes. As you can see, the blasting does a great job .....

BlastedShoe.jpg


You can still get the stock pads from Yamaha and the nice thing is, it's a kit. It contains more than just the pads. You get that funky screw with the turned down end to retain the inner pad and some of the metal shims .....

BrakePadKit.jpg


It's not that expensive either, only about $25. If you shop eBay, many times you can find them even cheaper .....

http://www.boats.net/parts/detail/yamaha/Y-4K0-W0045-01-00.html
 
Hi Gene,
while it's true that some brake pads work better than others I reckon your '78's wooden brake feel has very little to do with which pads are in the caliper.
It's a LOT more to do with the post '76 front brake's master cylinder having ~twice the piston area it should have.
Swap the stock m/c for an 11 or 12 mm diameter m/c to get the feel back.*
Replace those time-expired fabric brake hoses with stainless hoses to get a better feel yet.
*I didn't. I twinned the disks instead and got the same effect.
 
That makes perfect sense to me, Fred. I had the same issue with the pads that came on the bike as with the new EBCs. I have little travel in the front brake lever and a smaller piston would trade pressure for a little more travel.
Do you happen to know what the bore is for the '78 M/C? I looked all over it and cannot find a mark on the casting (my '82 BMW had the bore marked on the casting).

Thanks!
 
IMHO you must use a ss line with the smaller master cylinders; they don't pump enough volume to make up for the OEM type rubber brake line expansion AND move the pads far enough. The banggood lines LOOK fine but haven't put one on yet. Somewhere in here I did a methodical step by step front brake upgrade, checking brake action and feel at each step. The (TW200) type MC made the most difference. stock brake switch and mirror go right on that MC, best you keep and use the stock lever which is also bolt on to that MC.
 
Last edited:
Banggood is now offering additional brake lines. They have a colored coating and are available in all different lengths .....

http://www.banggood.com/50cm-190cm-...-p-1092401.html?rmmds=detail-left-hotproducts

The ends on these are in the same plane, not at 90° to one another like that 90cm silver line I originally ran across. This would work well for the TW200 MC with it's side mount outlet. The silver line is better for a stock MC or any with the outlet on the end.
 
Your stock M/C is marked on the side that is hid by the bars, you need to take it off the bars to read it. It may be marked 5/8, Why a metric M/C is marked with an SAE size is anyone's guess.
Leo
 
OK, so I pulled the M/C and found the marking - it is 1/2. By my calculations going to a 11 mm TW200 unit will only get me a 30% increase in braking pressure (and force at the caliper). That would help, but doesn't seem like a huge benefit. Hmmmm.
 
30% IMHO that is significant. Currently running the TW200 MC, ss line, single stock caliper, mikes rotor 650 central pads on a PR3 110/70/18 tire 18x3 rim, works well. I ran hard with some sport bikes early last summer and under very hard use ended up with a soft lever. This Kevin Cameron article is a good "limits of braking" primer. I have a new front brake "in thedayish hotrodding idea" hopefully will have it put together for trials next summer.
 
I pulled the trigger om a used TW200 unit, a rebuild kit, and a pair of loooong snap ring pliers. I'll report back in what the 11 mm M/C does for my lever feel and stopping power. Likely after the holidays.

Thanks for all the help so far.
 
Because I am just like that, I will rebuild the 1/2" M/C that was on the XS as well as the 11 mm that is on the way. I am having trouble locating a rebuild kit because they go by bike model.

Can someone identify a Yamaha with a 1/2" M/C? That will let me get a rebuild kit.

Thanks!
 
Long story. I rebuilt and mounted the TW200 MC. Sourced lines from Banggood, but they came with a 60 degree bend on one end. Not a good fit for my application. So I checked on ebay and found Teflon lines for less than $10 each and ordered a set. I installed them but the lower looked a bit long, so for another $6 I ordered a lower that was 50 mm ( 2" ) shorter. Finally, after 8 weeks of waiting on parts from China (3 times!) it was together.

I needed to use a vacuum bleeder to get a hard lever. The TW200 MC pumps so little fluid that the old fashioned way did not work.

Rode the bike into work this AM and I would say that the brake performance is improved and is acceptable, but is still not excellent. I will take the improvement and run with it.
 
gene xs said:
Because I am just like that, I will rebuild the 1/2" M/C that was on the XS as well as the 11 mm that is on the way. I am having trouble locating a rebuild kit because they go by bike model.

Can someone identify a Yamaha with a 1/2" M/C? That will let me get a rebuild kit.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Yamaha XV250, VStar 250, Route 66 all used 1/2" m/c 2UJ-25870-00-00. Repair kit is shown as 23L-W0041-00-00 in fiches for this m/c.
 

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