SOK Brake Pads

[indybobm]

I really hate to start a new thread on non-oem brakes, but ---
Does anyone have any experience with SOK brake pads?

This is from the ad:
Brand New brake pads! Advanced compounds designed to get maximum performance combined with great durability. Our KEVLAR brake pads are made of copper, alloy, iron, graphite, and other metallic elements which are far superior to the standard metal powder mixed into organic pads. KEVLAR brake pads provide exceptional stopping power, longer life, and superior operation under all conditions. Excellent pads at an affordable price!

Will these eat brake rotors? Will they work? I already have a set for front and rear and need to know if I can use them or should rthrow them out.

thanks

[old2soon]

On our shop talk page the sarge is installing kevlar brake pads from Vesrah. When i replaced all the brake pads on my 99 i/s i used all o e m pads. I'm NOT  telling you to throw out your pads or what pads to use. Most folks on this board reccomend o e m pads with o e m rotors. Basically match the pads to the make of the rotor. We have heard horror storys about other than o e m pads on o e m rotors. That being said any rotors for these fat gals of ours ain't cheap. Some others are sure to chime in and be happy to relay some information to you. I have no complaints with the o e m pads i'm running. They stop my i/s quickly and safely. Yuppers-happy camper with my o e m brake pad choice. Good luck with your quest. RIDE SAFE.

[vanagon40]

On July 19, 2011, I stated I wound NEVER reply to another brake pad thread => http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,30825.msg282410.html#msg282410

BUT, because you are New: Welcome to the VRCC, and

Because you have "indy" in your handle, and

Because it is Saturday night and I have been drinking, I will provide some insight.

My personal opinion is that after-market brake manufacturers are perfectly capable of making brake pads that will meet or exceed the specifications of Honda OEM pads.

To answer your specific question, I have absolutely no experience with SOK brake pads.  Sorry.

Almost everyone at the VRCC will recommend using OEM pads with OEM rotors and EBC pads with EBC rotors.  Due to this inherent bias, you will be lucky to find opinions regarding SOK brake pads.

The subject of brake pads has been discussed in great depth on multiple occasions in this forum.  Use the search function (and/or look at the link I provided above).

Good luck with whatever you decide to use as replacement brake pads.

[R J]

http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=982673

They are made in China, (Taiwan), that should answer your question before you go to the above Link.

[indybobm]

Thank you for the information. They will be sent back.

indybobm

[indybobm]

Actually, I want to take one more stab at this. I have spent the better part of the last two days reading the posts and replies about the brake issue. As a result, my head is spinning. For the most part, there is a general consensus that OEM is the ONLY way to go. I do not have a problem with that at all. There is also a lot of contradictory information that just confuses the issue; brand loyalty, personal opinion that varies with who is posting, etc. Besides the OEM opinions, there are a number of people who strongly believe in kevlar, organic pads with stock rotors. I have just bought my second Valkyrie Tourer after an absence of five years. When I apply either the front or back brakes, it does sound like a swarm of cicadas. Does that mean that mean that I have EBC brake  pads? Could it be anything else? If I read the posts correctly, a Valkyrie has stainless steel rotors and the pads are sintered brass, correct?

Are Sixity’s full-metallic HH Sintered Bronze Motorcycle/ATV pads safe to use? The ad says that they are for 00-03 Valkyrie Tourers. Is there a reason that they cannot be used on 97-99 Valkyries?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3984Q2em1423Q2el2649QQitemZ380366499600QQsspagenameZSTRKQ3aMEWAXQ3aIT

There also seems to be some confusion about what constitutes semi-metallic pads. Many of the organic pads offered on ebay claim to be semi-metallic containing metallic elements or metallic powder. What is the difference between these and traditional semi-metallic pads?

Time for another beer.

[Robert]

I have used Kevlar pads not on a motorcycle but on a car, they do stop better have less or equal amount of wear (on pads and rotors) that oem pads have and dont squeal. Really if I could find a good Kevlar pad and had stock rotors I would buy them. I looked for other pad compositions before I made the switch to EBC HH pads and wave rotors. I couldn't find anything that was consistent and would be around for awhile except the EBC. I dont remember Kevlar pads containing metal at all and would have to question the composition of the pads you found. As for the composition of the oem Honda pads there is no bronze in them either I think there organic.

Taken from another site but saved me typing

Semimetallic: This formula, containing about 30 to 65 percent metal, typically includes chopped steel wool or wire, iron powder, copper or graphite mixed with inorganic fillers, and friction modifiers that bond all the ingredients together. These pads are more durable and have excellent heat transfer, but also wear down rotors faster, have intrusive noise characteristics, and may not perform as well under low-temperature conditions.

Nonasbestos organic: Sometimes listed as organic or NAO, this type of pad is made by mixing nonasbestos fibers, such as glass, rubber, carbon, and Kevlar, with filler materials and high-temperature resins. These pads are softer and create less noise, but they wear faster and create more dust.

Low-metallic NAO: These are made from an organic formula mixed with small amounts (10 to 30 percent) of copper or steel to help with heat transfer and provide better braking. With the added metal, there is more brake dust and they may be slightly noisier.

Ceramic: These are composed of ceramic fibers, nonferrous filler materials, bonding agents, and possibly small amounts of metal. Lighter in color and more expensive than other brake pads, ceramic pads are cleaner and quieter, and offer excellent braking characteristics without wearing down the rotors.

[Ricky-D]

I think brake pads can be classified into three categories: soft, medium and hard.

The harder the pad the more they will wear the rotors. Rotors can be carbon steel, stainless or ceramic.

The soft pads are organic, will wear the rotors less, may take more effort, can tend to fade, and will wear out the quickest.

The medium pads are like organic pads but have some metal elements included to make them harder for better braking characteristics but will tend to wear out the rotors quicker. These could also include Kevlar but I think that is just a sales gimmick and probably these type pads are softer also just a shade harder than organic.

The hardest pads are the metallic pads, including sintered and will usually have the best braking characteristics but will wear out the rotors the quickest.

There will be arguments about rotors and pads and compatibility but generally the better braking characteristics will cost you greater rotor wear since there is nothing for free.

The best determining factors are actually the way you ride and where you ride.

Myself, I am a fairly conservative rider so I want organic pads for the longest rotor life. I've already wore out one set of rotors and am on the next set which I am sure will last longer since I am using organic pads.

On the other hand if you ride like an enduro rider, and wear tires out in less than 6k miles, them maybe you would want better braking characteristics at the expense of your rotors.

I am not convinced that keeping with the same manufacturers rotors and pads will yield the best results but you will find many proponents of just that theory. They all want to sell pads and rotors. The manufacturers that is!

The are no pads that will immediately fail and kill you so trying a different pad isn't dangerous and if you don't like the way they work, well just buy a different type.

I think the stainless rotors are softer than the carbon steel rotors so they ought to wear out quicker. Ceramic rotors need special pads made by the same manufacturer as usual.

My first set of front rotors wore out at 71k miles using pads from the dealer. They got to a very thin condition and they sure were shiny.  I'm sure with braided cables I could have gotten a lot more mile out of them.    Not really!

 

***

[indybobm]

This is the last post concerning my brakes. Since I had already purchased the SOK Pads off of ebay and I wanted to get the EBC rotor eaters off of the bike, I decided to go ahead and try them. 
I love them. The pedal and lever is very firm, the brakes are quiet and smooth, and they stop the bike much better than the EBCs I took off. The person I bought the bike from had evidently installed the EBCs just before he sold the bike. The whole bike is now quieter and smoother and much more enjoyable to ride. No more cicadas chirping or whatever they do when I put on the brakes. I will monitor the wear and longevity of the brakes but they seem to be fine.

Thanks for all the input

[MP]

Do you have a link to the ebay auction?

[indybobm]

This is the link to the set I bought. I'm not sure if he has them on ebay now, but you can ask him.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260828324835&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Seems like all he sells is SOK brakes. Over 19,400 sales with 100% feedback.