Rear brakes

[WoodyFL]

Was on the way back from Cocoa Beach this morning. Had to pull of to the side so Laurie could get something out of the trunk. Brakes worked fine.
Cruised along 520 on to 50 westbound and made a few stops at some lights. Came up on one light and the rear brake pedal went 'to the floor'. Front brake worked fine but scared the s*** outta me!
Took it nice and slow along 50 all the way home.
Currently trying to search the tech board but running really slow. Wondering if anyone has any ideas?

Bob

[Grumpy]

out of brake fluid ?

[WoodyFL]

Just got her up on the lift.
Pads are completely gone! Checked the Owner's Manual. The two PO's were pretty good about documenting all the service in there. The guy I bought her from (which happens to be Lauries' brother) replaced the brakes about 9,000 miles ago. Seems very low mileage for brake pads to wear out.
Anyone hear of pads falling out before?

Bob

[John Schmidt]

Falling out!!  They do sit in a notch on one end but can't see how they would fall out. Wonder if you blew out(ruptured) the cup inside the master cylinder, I've seen that happen on other bikes so guess it's possible. Might be a bad brake line also.

[WoodyFL]

Well, I opened my mouth up again before I had the facts  ???
Pulled the hard bag off and removed the pin. They were still there but worn completely down. Front pads still have some meat on them. Perhaps a bad caliper that needs rebuilding?
What should the normal mileage be on those rear pads?

Bob

[hubcapsc]

If they were hanging because of dirty pistons in the caliper I'd
think you'd notice it, like when you pulled into a parking slot
somewhere, you'd realize as you jockied the bike around
that last little bit that it seemed like the brakes were on.

My bike did that when I first got it... I changed the fluid
and pads, and just mashed the dirty pistons back up into
the caliper to make room for the thicker pads... once I
realized what was going on, I could put spit on
my finger and touch the rotor and it would sizzle.

It's pretty dang easy to re-furbish the calipers...

Another time when my pads got thin, I noticed a
squeaking sound as a little warning tab on the pad holder
started hitting the rotor... I was coming back from some
long ride, maybe one of those far north inZanes... I
just mostly used the front brakes the rest of the
way home... it is such a habit to go for both of them,
that was kind of weird...

-Mike

[The emperor has no clothes]

Well, I opened my mouth up again before I had the facts  ???
Pulled the hard bag off and removed the pin. They were still there but worn completely down. Front pads still have some meat on them. Perhaps a bad caliper that needs rebuilding?
What should the normal mileage be on those rear pads?

Bob

If you are using the rear more than 25% that's too much in my opinion . The rear brake is not nearly as effective as the fronts and aren't going to last very long if that's your primary stopping power.

[OnaWingandaPrayer]

some aftermarket pads wear faster than mothers own/ OEM .

[WoodyFL]

If you are using the rear more than 25% that's too much in my opinion . The rear brake is not nearly as effective as the fronts and aren't going to last very long if that's your primary stopping power.

no, always use them together.
Just curious as to what the normal mileage is for the pads

[Bighead]

If you are using the rear more than 25% that's too much in my opinion . The rear brake is not nearly as effective as the fronts and aren't going to last very long if that's your primary stopping power.

no, always use them together.
Just curious as to what the normal mileage is for the pads

I got 30+k out of my last set of rears but I also use about 80% or more front to stop.

[WoodyFL]

Same here, I normally use the fronts primary, with the rear.
Not sure why the rears wore out so fast.

Bob

[Valkahuna]

If you are using the rear more than 25% that's too much in my opinion . The rear brake is not nearly as effective as the fronts and aren't going to last very long if that's your primary stopping power.

no, always use them together.
Just curious as to what the normal mileage is for the pads

To each their own! But front brakes supply about 80% + of the braking power. I use the rear primarily only while stopped to relax my hand, and during emergency stops BUT ONLY AFTER I'VE APPLIED THE FRONT FIRST. I agree with Meathead about the low percentage, and feel that many accident are caused from over using the rear brakes, locking the rear wheel, and losing control. I further believe that many accidents are caused by folks skidding the rear, and either high siding or laying down the bike. It's weird to hear how many claim that they "had to lay the bike Dow" to prevent hitting something. When the rear is locked up, there is no control. Go out into a big, empty parking lot and practice emergency braking. Then, go out on gravel, or dirt or sand and try emergency braking again. That's the time to learn how to stop, NOT when a car pulls out in front of you.

Sorry, but I get surprised by how many so called "experienced" riders just don't know the physics and fundamentals of what makes a two wheeled vehicle, start, turn or stop!

PRACTICE, practice, practice!

[Valkahuna]

If you are using the rear more than 25% that's too much in my opinion . The rear brake is not nearly as effective as the fronts and aren't going to last very long if that's your primary stopping power.

no, always use them together.
Just curious as to what the normal mileage is for the pads

If you are getting less than 25k you are either racing, using the rears too much, or have a mechanical issue. It's amazing how many are actually wearing the rear brake out by partially "riding" the rear brake pedal.

[Sbond22]

To each their own! But front brakes supply about 80% + of the braking power. I use the rear primarily only while stopped to relax my hand, and during emergency stops BUT ONLY AFTER I'VE APPLIED THE FRONT FIRST. I agree with Meathead about the low percentage, and feel that many accident are caused from over using the rear brakes, locking the rear wheel, and losing control. I further believe that many accidents are caused by folks skidding the rear, and either high siding or laying down the bike. It's weird to hear how many claim that they "had to lay the bike Dow" to prevent hitting something. When the rear is locked up, there is no control. Go out into a big, empty parking lot and practice emergency braking. Then, go out on gravel, or dirt or sand and try emergency braking again. That's the time to learn how to stop, NOT when a car pulls out in front of you.

Sorry, but I get surprised by how many so called "experienced" riders just don't know the physics and fundamentals of what makes a two wheeled vehicle, start, turn or stop!

PRACTICE, practice, practice!

I would either heed this advice or do myself a favor and start riding a bike with a linked braking system and/or ABS. And then I would still follow the above advice.

[John Schmidt]

My guess is your rear brakes aren't fully releasing for some reason. That would cause early wear down for sure. I'd probably pull the rear caliper and see if things could use a good clean up or possible rebuild, then use OEM pads and reinstall....followed by a good flushing. 

[hubcapsc]

But front brakes supply about 80% + of the braking power. I use the rear primarily only while stopped to relax my hand, and during emergency stops BUT ONLY AFTER I'VE APPLIED THE FRONT FIRST.

I apply both brakes together. I think using only one brake or the other is not the way to go.

I hate the idea of linked brakes. I've seen one linked Honda, and heard of another, go down in the
low speed "S" test at the MSF course because of them.

-Mike

[Valkahuna]

But front brakes supply about 80% + of the braking power. I use the rear primarily only while stopped to relax my hand, and during emergency stops BUT ONLY AFTER I'VE APPLIED THE FRONT FIRST.

I apply both brakes together. I think using only one brake or the other is not the way to go.

I hate the idea of linked brakes. I've seen one linked Honda, and heard of another, go down in the
low speed "S" test at the MSF course because of them.

-Mike

I guess I should ammend my statement to include that I do use the rear brake during slow speed maneuvers for Trailbraking, and if I feel that the front alone is not going to scrub off all the speed I want to lose before coming to a total stop. I am not fond of linked systems, and would rather be the one to control what and where gets actuated. I am however a big fan of ABS (newer systems) like what is on my Indian Chieftain.

The main point I was trying to make, (maybe not so eloquently) is to NOT jump on the rear brake without first applying the front first. Doing so is what gets most folks into trouble.

[hubcapsc]

I am however a big fan of ABS (newer systems) like what is on my Indian Chieftain.

I wish I had ABS on my 1800 Valkyrie... it was real hard to find  a dealer that would
give me a test ride, so I bought "what they had" from the dealer who let me ride, and
he didn't have one with ABS...

I wonder... besides being good brakes... are they harder to work on? Bleeding? Removing
calipers and refurbishing? I guess there's sensors and valves and a pump somewhere
and a controller... I've felt ABS kick in on my car, and I've looked at the ABS wiki page, but
I don't really know what's what when it comes to maintaining them. They malfunctioned on
my pal Kent's truck, so he had his buddy the ace mechanic fix them for him by by-passing
them  ...

-Mike

[Valkahuna]

Mike,

They are definitely a much more complex system. I won't be afraid to change brake pads, but bleeding might be a bear simply because of all the stuff in the system that is dependant on speed and pressure sensing. Bikes are like cars these days from a complexity standpoint. Having a good relationship with your dealer is a good thing. See below.

Interesting comment you made about "hard to get a test ride". When I bought the INdian, a Honda F6B was also on my short list. However, the stealer (this one was just that) in Connecticut would not let me ride it first. Instead, I would have had to buy, register, title, etc, and then he wanted to give me a day to see if I would like it. If not, I could return it then. Obviously, I told him to take his F6B and park it up his keester. Oh yeah, and that led to some words and shouting.