TufStop brake pads?

[Surly]

I was thinking about replacing the brake pads on the 78 GS1000E to replace the worn, but not worn out, Vesrah's and stumbled on TufStop brake pads on ebay. You can buy a box of these things for next to nothing, but I'm wondering if they are worth having. Any opinions or heresay?

[Grandpa]

I was thinking about replacing the brake pads on the 78 GS1000E to replace the worn, but not worn out, Vesrah's and stumbled on TufStop brake pads on ebay. You can buy a box of these things for next to nothing, but I'm wondering if they are worth having. Any opinions or heresay?

I've tried every brand of pad on my GS bikes (850's and 1100) in the last 20 years. I've found there's no difference at all in performance or wear. Whatever you can find cheap, buy it and use it.

[trispeed]

Hi, I've owned 90 bikes so far ( many of them 70's and 80's ) and I have experienced vast differences in brake pad effectiveness. The stock Suzuki pads are pretty good, though they are FF friction rated. You can get significantly more effective braking with Dunlop pads. They are GG rated. The organic pads from EBC, Tufstop and Emgo are all pretty poor performing. Lots of lever pressure is required and they create a lot of brake dust, too. I've tried all of them, as well as Ferodo, Vesrah and SBS on my old GS models.

[Tarbash 27]

i also just bought a set of those tufstop pads off ebay but havent installed them yet. they look just as good as ebc ones i have on there.

[jimcor]

I've tried every brand of pad on my GS bikes (850's and 1100) in the last 20 years. I've found there's no difference at all in performance or wear. Whatever you can find cheap, buy it and use it.

Pretty much have to agree with, ahhh, Grandpa. But I still have the SBS stickers on my calipers, they make the bike stop xtra faster.

[trispeed]

yeah, I've only run probably 150 different sets of brake pads over a half million miles; what the hell would I know?

[Pharkmeh]

I'm looking forward to ALL your comments since I should be due for some pads very soon the way I hammer my front brakes.....8-[


keep on posting guyz... gr8 info....\\/


cheers

Phark

[jimcor]

yeah, I've only run probably 150 different sets of brake pads over a half million miles; what the hell would I know?

Still haven' found the set that's just right for you, eh?
Keep looking and keep us informed.

[tomcat24551]

The stock Suzuki pads are pretty good, though they are FF friction rated. You can get significantly more effective braking with Dunlop pads. They are GG rated. The organic pads from EBC, Tufstop and Emgo are all pretty poor performing. Lots of lever pressure is required and they create a lot of brake dust, too. I've tried all of them, as well as Ferodo, Vesrah and SBS on my old GS models.

I have EBC organic pads on my '79 850. They are GG rated. I think they are slightly better than the stockers.

For what it's worth, the '79 had poor front brakes in my opinion. The '80 and later models have an improved caliper and stop better, I think--even with the stock pads.

[koolaid_kid]

I tend to agree with trispeed, although a bit less vehemently.
The pad manufacturers use different materials and different combinations in their pads, thus one would expect different results.
However, this is tempered by such things as riding style, road conditions, tires, rotors, etc.
Most of my experience with brakes has been with my autos (I've only had 18 bikes with about 200k miles total) but I am very careful when choosing pads, since you have them for quite a while.

[Surly]

sintered, ceramic, organic?

This is my second bike and have never tried anything other than the stock pads. I know nothing about brakes other than they make you stop, they wear out, and they are easily contaminated. Well, more than that but I am definately no expert.

There is a dizzying array of brake pads available. Brands aside, pads seem to fall into the realm of sintered, ceramic and organic. Which type stops better in general riding conditions? Which is better for aggressive riders? Which wears better? Which causes less wear on damn spendy brake rotors? For example, I have read that Dunlop pads are hard on stock rotors. Real-world rider opinions mean a lot.

Oh, I do know one other thing about the the brakes on my GS, those on my mountain bike are more sophisticated. I know they are way older, it just strickes me as funny.

[Boondocks]

I was thinking about replacing the brake pads on the 78 GS1000E to replace the worn, but not worn out, Vesrah's and stumbled on TufStop brake pads on ebay. You can buy a box of these things for next to nothing, but I'm wondering if they are worth having. Any opinions or heresay?

There is a significant difference in brake pad performance. Some may be insensitive to the difference, but it still exists. Being thrifty is great, but buying brake pads because they are cheap is not a good idea. Your life depends on brake pad performance, as well as general stopping performance and safety.

The Vesrah sintered pads are some of the best available, and will stop in rainy conditions when the discs are wet. I have them on my bike. If this is what you are using, I would stay with it. If you are using organic Vesrah pads, I would switch to the sintered type. Spend a little extra and get the best brake pads you can find.

See Vesrah Sintered Brake Pads for more information. These pads for your bike can be purchased at Vesrah Sintered Pads for 1978 Suzuki GS1000EC.

[Grandpa]

A contrary opinion: buy the cheapest pads. No such thing as a bad pad. They're all the same as far as performance, and I'm a pretty aggressive rider.

Much more important to braking performance are:

-- the state of your master cylinder and calipers, including the cleanliness of the brake fluid, and, most importantly...

-- the quality of the lines. I have braided steel lines, and that's what made a real, substantial, noticeable difference in my braking.

Buy cheap. Save money. I buy mine on eBay, bidding just once. If I get it, I get it, and if I don't, that's fine too.

Right now I have a set of front and rear EBC pads waiting, hanging from a nail in the garage. Why EBC? Because they're cheap. I've tried Ferodo, Vesrah, EBC, stock Suzuki, SBS, generic brands, and no difference whatever.

My left front caliper has a set of Ferodos, while my right has EBC. They're both wearing at the same rate, provide the same level of performance. I reversed them last week and couldn't tell the difference.

I know this doesn't jive with what some others are saying, but it's one opinion based on 20 years and 240,000 miles of GS riding -- 850's and present 1100G.

[Boondocks]

Surly, for an overview of different brake pad materials, see Brake pads: What to look for.

The idea that there is no difference in brake pads is just plain silly. Different pads and materials have different coefficients of friction (by which they are graded) and hydraulic pressure requirements (pedal pressure in cars). Pad performance varies under cold, hot, and wet conditions. Pad compositions are proprietary guarded secrets. On the other hand, in spite of available evidence to the contrary, some believe that the earth is flat and that the lunar landings were faked. Why should facts get in the way of an opinion?:?

For more information, see Motorcycle Brakes.

Brake pad performance is a compromise between friction, rotor wear, brake fade, brake lever pressure, brake dust, pad life and cold, hot, and wet performance. The best pads have better all around performance for the conditions under which they will be operated. Motorcycle brake pad minimum performance requirements are regulated by ECE R78 in Japan and US FMVSS 122 in the U.S.. See the small PDF file at Motorcycle Brakes General Technical Requirements for a comparison between these two motorcycle standards and brake pad water absorption and retention testing. Pay particular attention to page 8, which acknowledges the wet stopping deficiency of standard (non-sintered) pads with disc brakes

If a bike isn't coming close to locking the front wheel with the available lever force, pads with a high coefficient of friction will be "grabbier" and allow it to stop faster. Consider this Stopping Test on a heavy (Harley) motorcyle when racing pads were installed.

[koolaid_kid]

Wait just a minute. The lunar landings were real???? #-o
Sorry, couldn't resist.