Changing Brake Pads

[rossd]

Hi guys, I was told by somebody I knew that I could change the brake pads without removing the calipers on my zxr400. The reason I ask this is because I have naffed the bolts on the right hand side caliper and my pads are really low.

Thanks.

[arkell]

yeah just take off the protective cover , whip out the 'safety pin' bit, slide the two pins out and remove old pads

[Jamz]

Bear in mind you could well have a bitch of a job getting the pistons to go back so you can get the new pads in, though!

[cargo]

never mind getting the pin out.....................

[Jester7]

And next to impossible to clean the calipers up properly.

[cargo]

Top tip

Caliper bolts should be tightened to the correct torque and a little coppaslip on the threads means they'll come out again

Easy really

[Jamz]

I think for tghe extra effort involved you'd be far better off investing in some new caliper bolts.

[Vard66]

Bear in mind you could well have a bitch of a job getting the pistons to go back so you can get the new pads in, though!

I did. I wound up opening the bleed nipple fractionally, and pumping them back gradually after the pressure was released, while a friend kept an eagle eye on the reservoir, and topped up as the level dropped so that no air entered the lines.

[rossd]

Cheers for the replys.

I ended up getting the calipers off and have replaced the pads but the brakes seem abit wierd. When you pull the lever quite hard it seems like the brakes arent doing much :S do they just need to be bedded in?

[Jamz]

Cheers for the replys.

I ended up getting the calipers off and have replaced the pads but the brakes seem abit wierd. When you pull the lever quite hard it seems like the brakes arent doing much :S do they just need to be bedded in?

Yes, it sounds like it to me.

To bed brakes in quickly, I get some speed up and use them very lightly a few times to get some heat into the pads, then a few short hard uses, then get some speed up and brake hard all the way down.

I think I read this on a pad manufacturer site as their recommended method, and it's done me proud so far and beds new pads in within a few miles.

[masterofinsanity]

Yes, it sounds like it to me.

To bed brakes in quickly, I get some speed up and use them very lightly a few times to get some heat into the pads, then a few short hard uses, then get some speed up and brake hard all the way down.

I think I read this on a pad manufacturer site as their recommended method, and it's done me proud so far and beds new pads in within a few miles.

thanks for the tip Jamz gonna try some of this stuff on mine..

[Vard66]

I'm a bit apprehensive spraying anything except water on brakes, tbh.

That's how I used to bed my mountain bike brakes in when I was using the Hope hydraulics.

Lots of higher speed light braking, then one hard one to a stop, and when stopped, pour water over the sizzling hot brakes, then repeat four or five times.

[wonderpupp]

I just ride normally, brake normally (gently-ish)

Cos there's always gonna be someone pull out on you and make you do some hard braking, and that's when they work well.