My brakes are poop

[OB_SoreHead]

I sent my bike for it's first service last week and mentioned that my brakes were not very good at all. I was told the usual "bedding in" stuff but the bike has more then 1000miles on it now and the front lever comes the whole way to the bar when I pull it. I need to use gears to get any sort of serious stopping. With 6 pots up front I would have expected to get tossed over the bars with anything close to that much movement. Any ideas? It's been wet here lately (it is Ireland after all) but I wouldn't think that should be a serious problem.

 

[OB_robh]

Sounds like some air in the lines or there's a problem with the calipers not resting "square" over the disks. If the latter is the case there could be several reasons ranging from improper caliper or wheel mounting to a bent/warped disk which would not allowing the caliper pistons to remain close to the disk.
I haven't heard of anyone else with this problem and mine stopped great right outa the box. All the magazines raved about how nice the brakes are too.

 

[OB_FalconCOP161]

Bleed the brakes,,then get a set of russel stainless steel brake lines. that'll be one of the 1st things I do when I get my bike.

Cop161

 

[OB_ROR]

My brakes have gotten better and better over the 3,000 miles I've put on the bike. I can definitely lock up the front with two fingers if I hit it real hard, but it's easy to modulate.

Sport Rider complained about performance in the wet and Kent Kentisugu warned me of the same one day at Newcomb's Ranch. I haven't been in the rain yet (he was on a black Busa that day).

I did buy a set of Ferodo racing carbon pads at World Superbike, but haven't installed them yet. Ferodo said my discs will last longer and the bike will stop better with them.

 

[OB_blitzn]

I also had too much lever travel,and they felt a little weak.
I set the lever adjustment dial at #1 and now it will stop hard enough to throw
me over the bars!

 

[OB_terra1]

Trust me, the brakes are not good in the wet.

Shop says it's because they're metallic, and require a little heat build-up, so if you haven't been using them [I avoid braking in the rain where possible] and then suddenly need them [it happens], you will potentially go a lot farther than you were hoping.

I am replacing them with Ferodos, organic material, claimed to keep the same feel and power but add initial responsiveness as well, something I believe the stock pads lack. Of course, it won't rain around here for another few months, but I'll test when it does.

 

[OB_BullDog]

1st, if your bike came stock with sintered brakes, you MUST replace them with sintered brakes, NOT organic material. Honda makes the best sintered brake on the market, next to them, DP Brakes is 2nd, then I believe it is Kawasaki. DP's sintered brakes consist of a special metallic blend, much like tire compounds. The right high-quality blend is what makes the DP brake the best wet/dry pad on the market! (next to Honda, which don't fit the Busa!) Good sintered pads are very pourus and can actually take on water and disperse it like dot tires. Organic pads have chunks of kevlar in them to help them last longer, which in the long run can kill your rotors (hehe trust me on this one!)
Do yourself a favour and pay a little extra for DP Brakes, you'll be thankful you did! Don't be afraid to ride in the rain...also, DP uses a ceramic heat shield on the back of the pads (made from the same material as the heat tiles on the shuttle), which reduces the fluid temperature in the lines, greatly improving the braking!

 

[OB_Earl]

Just a bit of an add-----I at one time thought that the ebc hh were the best you could buy. I put them on the bus and they worked great, the feel was wonderful. Bad news---when I had the bike on the front stand the wheel would barely turn. The drag was terrible. I sanded them down a bit and they still had a heavy drag. Put the stock back on. Do the dp's have this same drag?

 

[OB_R PRYOR]

When dry my bike stops hard, let a little moisture get on the pads/rotor and it's stopping power decreases significantly

 

[OB_SoreHead]

Oh well. Seems like the wet is the problem. I live in Ireland so I guess I have to get used to this level of performance from them then. I'll be trying the braided lines asap anyway so hopefully they'll help.