Brake Pad Change

Hey Guys,

Just clocked up 25,000klms and It's time for a new set of brake pads. It'll cost me $88 in labour to change my pads at the local shop. I thought I'd save the money and do it myself.

I've never done it before, so I had a quick look at the service manual and it looks easy enough. Do you think its something someone with basic wrench skills could do?. Anything I need to be careful of?.

In the manual it looks like you just undo one bolt and the slide out?, and the new ones just slide in?.

 

I've never done brakes on a VFR but I've done 3-4 sets on ST1300's and that's the way they worked. I always go with Hondaline when it comes to brakes. Do it yourself, it's a bonding experience.

 

keep a pair of vice grips handy. the caliper pistons will certainly close up a bit making it impossible to slide the rotor between the new pads. just vice 'em back prior to mounting the calipers to the forks and you'll have plenty of clearance for the rotor.
simple $15-$20 do-it-yourself job without letting some greaser man-handle your bike.
should take you about 1 beer to complete the work.
oh yeah, 2 12mm bolts to remove each caliper. a ratchet and a hammer will losen 'em up.

 

Uh, I would suggest not using vice grips.... get two big "c" clampsand but the adjustment side in the caliper and tighten slowlygo to fsast and you spit fluid out allover the place.YMMV

CR

 

ok, you should be able to buy an inexpensive tool to open up the gap that the rotor fits in. what you are actually doing is pressing the caliper pistons back into their bores.
SO that needs to be done, also dont squeeze the front or rear brake while the system is apart. you will need a can of brake cleaner, also at the parts store, to get the grease off
the pads and rotor. Take your time and remember where the stuff came from and you should be good . eddie

 

This is one of the best ways to start DIY on your bike, b/c it's your brakes and you're going to make damn sure that the job is done right!
It's not that hard to do - Basic tools, manual, online guides with pictures, forum, and most importantly YOUR BRAIN.

Dont forget to have fun with it!

 

Yeah it's that easy to do brake pads. The hardest part, if any, is sliding the new pads back in. Sometimes you gotta push the caliper a little to make room and then bam you're set.

 

Piece of cake!

I actually removed the caliper from the rotor/wheel before I read the manual (yes, not the smartest thing to do), so I added a step or two. The manual indicates you can just remove the retaining pin from the bottom, and slip up the new pads. Word of caution though, make sure the retaining clip that is at the upper section of the pads is fully in place. Mine slipped down slightly, and ended up gouging the softer aluminum of the caliper body and being scraped in half by the rotor itself (the retaining clip got cut in half.) I had to "reform" the seat for the clip using some JB weld (the other option would have been a new/used caliper) and used a Demel tool to shape it. Worked great, but I could have avoided that whole issue by just checking the clip upon installing the caliper.

Oh well, it's an easy job. Just be careful and check your work! :thumbsup:

 

no brake job on a VFR is complete withjout cleaning and re-greasing the slider pins.......

 

Yes to that. It should be easy but sometimes there's complications. And for it being so easy I've sure seen a lot of people muck it up.

Being one of the 'greasers' that manhandles other people's bikes, I sure wouldn't be too impressed at a new tech who went at the job with a hammer and vice grips...and they sure wouldn't be allowed to touch my machinery.

 

I shudder when I hear people say force the pistons back.
You are forcing back everything that you are relying on to stop when braking.
The system is designed to work one way, topping up from the reservoir to account for pad wear.
I was taught to clean the pistons, fit a bleed line to the nipple, then push them back just enough to fit new pads and nip bleed line, reassemble caliper, pull lever to move piston and pads to disc, top up reservoir.
You don't damage the master cylinder seal, you don't force the scabby end of the piston into the caliper, you get rid of the old fluid in the caliper and you get a partial brake bleed into the bargain to get rid of any air. Job's a good'n.
Do it once, do it right.