So...here I am riding my busa to work everyday and usually hitting it hard on sunday small group rides...and about a month or so ago...while running the psuedo track (point6) out in sebring I had a minor run-off in one corner I entered a tad hot...and during the event?..it seemed i had all kinds of time to watch myself crash..old pilot powers with 4K+ miles on'em..I locked up both front and rear brakes several times over as I desperately attempted to modulate the brakes but then the old, wore to the bone pilot powers would just lock and slide...as I did the classic "Stand It Up And Run Off The Track" routine...as with all the skidding I did?..there was no way I'd of managed the turn..and it wasn't all that bad as by the time I did leave asphault and hit dirt I was indeed straight up and down to maybe 10mph (if that)...coming to a nice soft stop in the roadside weeds...a tad shaken...a little embarrassed..but managed to keep'er upright with zero damage and after glancing down at both sides to inspect that all was well?...immediately pulled myself back together mentally and lit back out onto the track sloluming my tires clean of dirt and right back in the swing of things...however..
on the route home we pulled in a convienience store and is where and when I first noticed/heard my rear brake making a new and real nasty grinding sound...and automatically assumed that my little roadside foray at the track musta spit some dirt up in my rear brake caliper...i figured..."no biggy...just refrain from using it until I get a chance to clean it out...well...working 55 hours a week...wifes birthday coming up...3 daughters needing signed up for summer day camp...several trips to my lawyer for a legal issue I have at hand and viola...here it is a month later and never addressed that dog gone dirt infested caliper...until last night...as I stood there watching Doctor Don mount up a new set of Dunlop Qualifiers...and he gasped as he removed my rear wheel..."My god man!...You got no Rear Brake Pad Left and Your Rear Rotor Is Scored!!!...He11...You're Into The Metal Backing Plate!!!"
and I was like...
"That's impossible!...I've only got 8,700 miles on that bike!"
Him: Well you're into the metal here bud!...Look!
and sure enough?..all the padding was gone and the rotor was gauled and ate into the metal brake pad backing plates a good 32th of an inch...on both sides.
and then it hit me...and maybe some of you here recall when I slightly toasted my front rotors a while back with those freaking ferrodo sintergrip "roads" aftermarket brake pads..and the only thing/reason I can think of is this...
as the quality and effectiveness of my front brakes slowly but surely deteriorated?...I must've subconsciously and incideously become more and more reliant/dependant on my rear brake..wearing it down to and through the bone in a scant 8,000 miles or so.
This sent me into a panic thinking "Damn...did I just destroy my rear rotor as well?"...and after a closer look by Doctor Don and myself we determined...no...it just had some slight surface gauling that wasn't to deep at all and didn't appear to be burned or warped...and most of it went away with a few spins of sandpaper..(I still need to do more surfacing though) and miraculously Don had a new pair of EBC HH rear pads on hand..and I didn't even hesitate when he asked.."Want'em?"...absolutely...and boy howdy was I embarrased...just to busy these days I guess but still....it was definantly waaaaay past time to take care of business..cause this time I was just "Lucky"...all the way around.
But here's the thing folks...I didn't change out the stock oem rear brake pads on both my old ZRX and my FZ1 till they had 20K miles on'em....and even then?...the rear pads had about 1/2 the life left in'em...and even with my ferrodo front brake pad episode?...I'm amazed that the stock rear pads on my busa vaporized in less than 8,000 miles...Don told me..."The Busa Is A Lot Of Fast Bike To Stop" and the rear pads are real small...he also claims he's seen some real hard riders on Gixxer 1000's go through rear pads in less than 3,000..one customer imparticular who in 10K miles not only ate through the pads but also ate clean through the metal backing plates and into his rear caliper...and EVERYTHING needed replacing...I dunno..maybe he was just trying to make me feel better with the stories but I sure am happy that the cure for my incompetence and lack of attention was as simple as a little sandpaper and scotchbrite and $30 worth of new pads...as things could've turned out far worse..and btw...
My Busa is now back to smoothly stopping on dimes and cutt'in .09 cents change!
So?..morale to the story?..if you ride hard and/or use your rear brake a lot?..check those rear pads folks...as it could save ya a small bundle..maybe even your life....and.....
L8R, Bill.
oh yeah...and..
P.S. "Yes"....I can't believe I allowed this to happen..I need to stop working som much overtime making parts and start learning how to "make time" to properly take care of my own damn shid.
on the route home we pulled in a convienience store and is where and when I first noticed/heard my rear brake making a new and real nasty grinding sound...and automatically assumed that my little roadside foray at the track musta spit some dirt up in my rear brake caliper...i figured..."no biggy...just refrain from using it until I get a chance to clean it out...well...working 55 hours a week...wifes birthday coming up...3 daughters needing signed up for summer day camp...several trips to my lawyer for a legal issue I have at hand and viola...here it is a month later and never addressed that dog gone dirt infested caliper...until last night...as I stood there watching Doctor Don mount up a new set of Dunlop Qualifiers...and he gasped as he removed my rear wheel..."My god man!...You got no Rear Brake Pad Left and Your Rear Rotor Is Scored!!!...He11...You're Into The Metal Backing Plate!!!"
and I was like...
Him: Well you're into the metal here bud!...Look!
and sure enough?..all the padding was gone and the rotor was gauled and ate into the metal brake pad backing plates a good 32th of an inch...on both sides.
and then it hit me...and maybe some of you here recall when I slightly toasted my front rotors a while back with those freaking ferrodo sintergrip "roads" aftermarket brake pads..and the only thing/reason I can think of is this...
as the quality and effectiveness of my front brakes slowly but surely deteriorated?...I must've subconsciously and incideously become more and more reliant/dependant on my rear brake..wearing it down to and through the bone in a scant 8,000 miles or so.
This sent me into a panic thinking "Damn...did I just destroy my rear rotor as well?"...and after a closer look by Doctor Don and myself we determined...no...it just had some slight surface gauling that wasn't to deep at all and didn't appear to be burned or warped...and most of it went away with a few spins of sandpaper..(I still need to do more surfacing though) and miraculously Don had a new pair of EBC HH rear pads on hand..and I didn't even hesitate when he asked.."Want'em?"...absolutely...and boy howdy was I embarrased...just to busy these days I guess but still....it was definantly waaaaay past time to take care of business..cause this time I was just "Lucky"...all the way around.
But here's the thing folks...I didn't change out the stock oem rear brake pads on both my old ZRX and my FZ1 till they had 20K miles on'em....and even then?...the rear pads had about 1/2 the life left in'em...and even with my ferrodo front brake pad episode?...I'm amazed that the stock rear pads on my busa vaporized in less than 8,000 miles...Don told me..."The Busa Is A Lot Of Fast Bike To Stop" and the rear pads are real small...he also claims he's seen some real hard riders on Gixxer 1000's go through rear pads in less than 3,000..one customer imparticular who in 10K miles not only ate through the pads but also ate clean through the metal backing plates and into his rear caliper...and EVERYTHING needed replacing...I dunno..maybe he was just trying to make me feel better with the stories but I sure am happy that the cure for my incompetence and lack of attention was as simple as a little sandpaper and scotchbrite and $30 worth of new pads...as things could've turned out far worse..and btw...
My Busa is now back to smoothly stopping on dimes and cutt'in .09 cents change!
So?..morale to the story?..if you ride hard and/or use your rear brake a lot?..check those rear pads folks...as it could save ya a small bundle..maybe even your life....and.....
L8R, Bill.
oh yeah...and..
P.S. "Yes"....I can't believe I allowed this to happen..I need to stop working som much overtime making parts and start learning how to "make time" to properly take care of my own damn shid.
