HELP!! what kind of brake pads do I need??

[snowbeard]

I think I know about the scintered metal OEM thing, but what I'm having trouble with is knowing what pad to even look for?? I see alot of pads on ebay for the GS550 GT550 GS750 GS 1000, but I have the GS650G, will they be the same or are they actually different??

I actually haven't even caught on to how to read a description or what I should be looking for... I don't want to have to pull the front wheel just to see what size and shape the pads are??

so is there anywhere on the site that has the specs?? anybody know offhand?? my clymer doesn't even specify the "part #" or anything!!!

drat.

thanks!!!!

[jimcor]

You can get a copy of the Dennis Kirk Catalog, free. They have an 800 phone number, call and they will mail you one. Or try their website www.denniskirk.com. They sell 3 or 4 brands of brake shoes/pads in various compounds. Just find your bike's listing for each brand and compare prices. If there is no listing for your 650 for a pad made of stopemnowzium you know you can't use it. (which is why they don't make it!) I have used SBS pads and now have EBC pads and they both work great.

[Dink]

I have tried SBS, EBC, Vesrah and stock pads.I personally found the Vesrah to be the best of them , so much so I use EBC's in the rear brake currently to deaden it!
If you go to www.vesrah.com and peruse there catalogue for your model, BTW ALL Vesrah pads contain kevlar, not just the "race" compound ones.
Dink

[Anonymous]

You 650 will take the following EBC pads: 36 on the rear and 51 on the front.

Shop price. I've tried them all brands and found no difference in performance. I always get my pads on eBay. I bid the starting price and quite a few times I've ended up being the only bidder, which means usually a bargain.

I plan ahead and get pads long before they're needed. Right now I have perfectly good pads on the bike, with a complete set of pads, still in the packages, hanging from a nail in the garage.

Nick

[snowbeard]

cool, ebay is what I'm thinking already, so that'll help. I'm leary of just listening to what they say it works on, not everybody has a grasp on reality there!! 8O so I wanted to be able to id the right one's on my own too!

thanks for the infos!!

[Anonymous]

I asked the same question a few months ago. I received a lot of opinions. I came away from the discussion thinking that riding style and conditions seem to have a big impact on what a person thinks is a good brake pad. Some people do a lot of hard braking, some ride in rain, some like a very positive brake action, some like a subtle or gradual action, and the list goes on.

I wasn't interested in shopping eBay for weeks or months until I found someone selling the brakes I thought I wanted. eBay does provide the possibility of a good deal, but you have to anticipate what you'll be needing. I have several parts in my spare parts area that I have set aside for future purposes and many came from eBay vendors. One thing I do before bidding for parts on eBay is to get the part number and look it up on one of the sites like Bike Bandit to make sure the part fits my bike.

For brakes though, I just went to Bike Bandit. When I entered my bike info, they only had one brake listed (EBC). So I bought them for about $25 per set. After riding with them for several months I can say that they seem to work just fine. I may have spent a few dollars more, but I got them when I wanted them. And, by the way, I don't do a lot of hard braking and we don't see much rain in the area where I live.

[duaneage]

pads

I replaced the pads on my 81 GS650 with EBC. They were originally sintered bronze pads. I buffed the rotors with a orbital sander using 100 grit paper to clean them up a little and reinstalled everything.

It takes about 100 miles to break in the new pads so the brakes are a little weak at first. I did the front pads one month and the rear disk the next month so I would have stopping power while they broke in.

I got my pads for about 28 dollars a rotor at a local shop. Online is supposedly cheaper but unless you get the pads on ebay for about 10 dollars a set the shipping and handling charges tend to nake it no difference. Dealing with people online can be a real hctib if they send you the wrong stuff, backorder something, steal your money, take forever to mail it, etc.

my .02

[Anonymous]

Online is supposedly cheaper but unless you get the pads on ebay for about 10 dollars a set the shipping and handling charges tend to nake it no difference.

That is correct. The last set of EBC rear pads I bought on eBay cost me a total of $10.50, which included shipping. I just started the bid and ended up the only bidder. One can't count on this happening, so patience and lack of urgency in getting the pads is absolutely necessary.

I've had nothing but pleasant experiences on eBay. The worst was the one guy who took about a month to give me positive feedback -- what a lazy bum. He did deliver the goods, though, which is what's really important.

Nick