What happened to my brake pads?

IG.

Registered
Those are EBC HH on stock rotors. The pads have about 4k miles of aggressive street riding and a couple of track days. Thickness wise, they are about 4mm which is about 60 - 70% compared to the new ones.

The pads in the pictures correspond to their location on the bike (i.e. left cliper pads are on the left, and right caliper pads are on the right, etc.). The white spots on the pads look like polished silver, and very smooth.

Pic1 Pic2 Pic3

Why do I want to know? Because I went down trying to stop when the cars slowed down in front. As I squeezed the lever, the bike was barely slowing down, so I squeezed more, and the front locked at about 40 mph.

I am OK, the bike, too. Thank you for asking. I just installed a new set of EBC HH, and on my very first attempt to brake from 80 mph, the new, not yet broken in pads gave me better feedback, and slowed down the bike better than the old ones.

I kept thinking the bike wasn't braking as I thought it should, but I thought it was in my head, and never investigated. Dang!

So, what are you thoughts? Once again, I ride pretty aggressively, meaning accelerating into triples frequently and slowing down.

BTW, this was my 3rd or 4th set of EBC HH, and never had an issue.

And, yes I am going to contact the manufacturer.

The kicker is I was riding to the track day, all packed, saddlebags, etc.
 
:laugh: maybe you dont know your own strenght and squeezed a little tighter then you ment too, I hope your ok
 
They are baked Bro! You glazed them! The transfer film has been cooked. I would reccommend a new set of pads, and some 220 grit on the face of the rotor before the new pads. You could try it on the pads too....but I am pretty sure they are dun...D -U- N dun!:whistle:
 
They were broken in the same way I broke in 2 or 3 previous sets, and initially everything was fine. Then, gradually they deteriorated, that's why it did not alarm me.

I already have a new set on, and like I mentioned, the new set, not yet broken in, provided more braking power and feedback on the very first braking attempt. I did a number of increasing aggressiveness stops per EBC break in procedure.

My main question is how the heck could it happen? I sure will be pulling my pads once in a while to take a look at them.
 
Some how you cooked them.....got them too hot too fast. It might have been that they were not totally bedded in before you glazed the pad. It happens.
 
you had some transfer from the rotor it appears... the pad does not appear to have been outrageously hot (but over heated) but perhaps something unseen was on the pad or rotor on first use.. The upside is all 4 pads look alike.. (sort of rules out a caliper issue)

take some 220 grit and rough them down just enough to clean them.. (put the 220 on a flat glass or mirror, then rub pad on the 220) I would also take a close look at the rotors.. (would look for any obvious issues and just wipe them down with some brake clean)

Re-bed the pads and see what they feel like.. after the ride, get the front off the ground and spin the wheel while still hot.. make sure there is not a lot of drag

I had to loosen my caliper mounts, lock down on brakes and then re-tighten the calipers..

(if there was a bunch of "brown" dust, then I would say they were really baked)
 
Last edited:
OK guys. Thanks. I have a set of new ones installed and almost broke them in, so no point to go back to the old ones. Will check rotors closely.

Can braking hard from 170 to 30 once on every ride do that to the pads????
 
I went to the HH Extreme pad just before hitting the track..

about 90 laps with the front straight into turn one being a top end of gear 5 down to about 80 and never had any problems..

if not broke in correctly, I imagine you could toast a set of pads pretty fast like that..
 
Mr Bogus is right on the money! Just spoke with EBC tech. Surface at the rotor melts and transfers the metal to the pads - your typical glazing, inherent to sintered pads. He said to take 100 grit sandpaper and remove that nasty stuff from the pad.

Mighty Busa generates a lot of heat! My 200 lbs don't help either. :laugh:

And, guess what? They are sending me extreme HH pads for free!

The tech also explained that a small amount of organic material is present in the new HH extreme pads which helps to dissipate heat, so they are much less prone to glazing.

In any event, I will be checking on the pads once in a while. Live and learn. :poke:
 
I have taken my glazed pads & rubbed them on the concrete - faster than sandpaper. I scuffed the rotors w/ light steel wool as well. They seated back fine.
 
while you are dealing with this you should do a Fluid Change just to be EXTRA Safe..
I know I would after what you experienced.
 
I have found on my last 3 sets that the performance starts to erode past the half way(wear,thickness)point.I always change them by the 3/4 wear point and am amazed by the grip of new pads. proper break in is critical
 
fair warning on the HH Extreme pad... this pad generates tremendous friction on the first hit and will always put a lot of stop power right up front on the lever..

I put a set on a Spring Bash and from the first hit of the brakes, I knew they could be trouble in the wrong hands.. You will be able to lock the front tire with a lot less effort (READ, panic stops could be a problem) so take some time in a parking lot to get to know these guys..

I do not think anyone really believed me when I said these things are animals... As soon as you try them the first time, you will be here posting about them :)

TufBusa put it best, "Be ready for power brakes".. (I warned him too :laugh: )
 
fair warning on the HH Extreme pad... this pad generates tremendous friction on the first hit and will always put a lot of stop power right up front on the lever..

I put a set on a Spring Bash and from the first hit of the brakes, I knew they could be trouble in the wrong hands.. You will be able to lock the front tire with a lot less effort (READ, panic stops could be a problem) so take some time in a parking lot to get to know these guys..

I do not think anyone really believed me when I said these things are animals... As soon as you try them the first time, you will be here posting about them :)

TufBusa put it best, "Be ready for power brakes".. (I warned him too :laugh: )
+1, they are very aggressive on initial bite, you have been warned!
But on the plus side, EBC states that the wear from the new Extreme pads, is supposed to out live the original HH's!
Also unlike the HH kit pads that tend to warp the rotors!
They seem to dissipate heat much better, do to the organic compound that they are made from!
If any of you older riders, remember the EBC's older Green endurance pads that is the same compound that the extremes are similar too!
 
I did change my brake fluid this spring. The lever feels firm. So, that's not a problem.

I will continue on HH I installed a week ago, and will save the extremes for the next pad change.

Thanks for everyone's input!
 
Back
Top