Good set of brake pads for the front?

[RedKat91]

Hey there guys.... so the other day my 91 Katana 600 began to make the slight squeel sound that brake pads make when they are getting low and need replaced.

That being said, I'm not looking to kill my budget on pads, I just want something that I can easily install and is going to have good stopping power and not have any brake squeel when stopping.

I was trolling around ebay and I found two different sets that I was looking to get opinions on... (mind you the 1st is a full front and rear replacement, which I would probably do all at the same time):

1. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT

2. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...%3AMEWAX%3AVRI

Thanks in advance guys!

PS... if anybody knows of some others at good prices, shoot me a link!

[DClark]

On older bikes (I have a '91 1100), I prefer Vesrah organics which are pretty cheap, maybe around $45 for both sets (don't remember).
Yeah, they are not fancy, but they are super gentle on the rotors, quiet, low dusting and offer better brake feel than other pads.

[doblerj14]

I love the EBC double HH i have on my 05 600

[cintidude04]

I like the EBC HH, but I only use those on the front.

[RedKat91]

anybody have any links to where to buy these different kinds for my 91 Kat 600?

[scottynoface]

EBC HH

http://tinyurl.com/3ojbmy2

[RedKat91]

Well based on recommendations I bought the EBC HH's .... they should be here in a week or so.

Thanks all! Now I have a reason to do a brake fluid flush on the bike as well.

[RedKat91]

Update......

Well guys, the EBC-HH pads arrived and the install was SUPER easy, took me all of about 5-10 min MAX to get the old pads out and the new pads in:




SO... now this poses a quick question.... I need to do a brake fluid flush and I see on the caliper that there are 2 bleeder nuts.... do I have to bleed out of both of these per caliper, or can I just use the outside most nut (as its easier to get to)?

and ps.... yes, I do still have a brake dust cap cover... I just had it off for the pic.

Thanks guys!

[arsenic]

You gotta do both. That's kinda why they are there.

[hardlydangerous]

I dont mean to be rude but it sounds like a rush job.

You need to remove the retainers . clean and lube them, the pins in the pic look corroded and dry. You need to clean off the old slide grease and replace it with fresh silicone brake grease or sil-glyde brake lube, clean up the pad pins with wire wheels and add a super thin, layer on the contact areas of the retainers ( if they have them) and pad pins as well. I always add a thin layer of anti squeal compound to the back sides of the pads.
You need to bleed/flush the fluid to remove any crap fluid in the caliper (both sides)

FWIW I prefer the power and feel of organic pads as well as the much less wear and tear on the rotors over sintered brake pads. I do hundreds of brake jobs a year and its amazing the damage Sintered pads do to rotors. many of them are gouged to hell after only 10-15K and worn groved rotors dont provide very good braking at all.

[whrich13]

While doing my winter maintence, i noticed my pads were close to being worn out so i went on BikeBandit and they were running a small sale on the EBC HH pads. I knew i had organic ones currently, but for a few extra dollars.....theyre still sitting around waiting for me to put them on Saturday. Are you suggesting perhaps i should have gotten the cheaper pads? BTW i do a lot of highway touring and dont do anything too crazy with my kat. Input?

[RedKat91]

You gotta do both. That's kinda why they are there.

Got ya... I wasn't sure if it was like a universal thing with the calipers depending on what side they got mounted to (ie... caliper can go on either side, so they put a nut on both sides so it could be bled).... I'll go ahead and flush out of both sides per caliper.

I dont mean to be rude but it sounds like a rush job.

You need to remove the retainers . clean and lube them, the pins in the pic look corroded and dry. You need to clean off the old slide grease and replace it with fresh silicone brake grease or sil-glyde brake lube, clean up the pad pins with wire wheels and add a super thin, layer on the contact areas of the retainers ( if they have them) and pad pins as well. I always add a thin layer of anti squeal compound to the back sides of the pads.
You need to bleed/flush the fluid to remove any crap fluid in the caliper (both sides)

No worries, you're not being mean.... I meant it only took 5-10 min to get the old pads out and actually put the new ones in place. I did take some extra time to clean it up a bit in there. The only thing I didn't really do that I wish I could have been able to do is put some anti squeal compound on. But on a good note, the pads do not seem to be squeeling at all, and they've been ridden on for about 40 miles or so sofar.

[hardlydangerous]

Ok... that makes me feel a lil better. so often I see guys that complain about how fast and uneven the breaks wear out or still make noise after the new pads... yet they completely skip cleaning, lubing or replacing notched pad pins etc. Making sure the caliper is in perfect order is regular maintenace...


whrich13... the Sintered pads are still great pads... its personal preferance really.
if you are not worried about your rotors, brake noise, but want super long lasting brake pads go with sintered pads.


with EBC the overall brake performance is almost identical, most riders can't tell the difference. Organtic are a softer feel pad and allow for more accurate breaking, the down side is they can fade if your racing the bike or extreme riding. I personally have never had this issue running Kevlar pads with dot 5 fluid on my bike.

organic
pros = dont wear out rotors, less noise, better more agrresive brake feel/control/feed back better.
cons = dont last as long, can cause some fading if used for racing
Bonus= usually cost less
I also feel organic pads work better in wet conditions but that may be more due to the rider feed back and less grabby.

Sintered pads
pros = last a long time, dont fade, harder braking...
cons = cause more wear and grooving on rotors, more brake noise/squeal, cost more

I get 2 seasons from my organic pads, and save about $20
The PO ran HH on the rear and the rotor shows the heavy wear... Ill be machining it very soon.

[whrich13]

hardlydangerous, thanks for that informative write up. that was excellent. when purchasing pads the first time, i just took what the dealer gave me. i had never considered rotor wear when choosing the HH. I got 2 full seasons out of the organics, which is fine by me. However, i'm more concerned about rotor wear than pad wear. Those rotors arent cheap, neither are the pads really when compared to say a car, but 140+ a rotor is extreme and with pads, its a $350 DIY brake job. I may have to reconsider with the information you've provided. THANKS for that great info

[scarface]

What grade are the oem brake pads? From Suzuki