How long do brake pads last

[FIRECAT]

I have a 2012 RSS and I see no scoring on break discs but my pads do look pretty thin how long have any of you people have gone without your first replacement of brake pads? I just turned over 69,000 KM which is just shy of 43,000 miles! I’ve heard some people spending 100,000 miles on this 990 twin which is very impressive but how often are the brakes getting done again it’s all about city versus Highway traffic right?

 

[Docster]

You're gonna get hundreds of different answers to a question like that. Sure, city vs. highway plays a role but so does style of riding, aggressiveness of braking, riding the brakes, quality of components, speed, etc. Many variables.

 

[UtahPete]

Until they wear out. Seriously. You should do the brake pad check when suggested, and when they start getting obviously thin, replace them. It's a lot cheaper than having to also replace the discs, and a lot safer than finding out the hard way that they're toast.

 

[BajaRon]

Brake pad mileage varies a great deal. There are so many variables that there really is no answer to this question.

 

[canamjhb]

I find that I use the brakes A LOT more on the Spyder than I do on my Goldwing. I expect that the pads will need replacing somewhere around 40K on the Spyder. Have never had to replace pads on the wing and have over 100K miles. But the wing is driven by shifting down to stops and brakes are usually only applied at the very end of the stop. The Spyder needs more braking so I guess the pads will wear sooner. How much sooner.?......time will tell. But my best guess is about 40K. I have 25K on mine and will know pretty soon.

 

[PistonBlown]

In my case around 25,000km for the back and 50,000km+ for the front. Lots of twisty and hilly roads + tourists driving on the wrong side of the road (unfortunately very common). So lots of braking - don't really have what you'd call highways here As others have said it really depends on roads, riding styles, etc.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I have 25K on mine and will know pretty soon.

Better take a close look at them! My driving is mostly highway and Interstate and still my pads were completely worn out a 26k!!!!!

 

[Bfromla]

It's not "How long" but " How much"

Regardless of miles or kilometers take a good look & then know what to do:lecturef_smilie: INSPECT ​your pads:shocked:
many thanks to finless :2thumbs::firstplace:for a quick how to:

 

[BajaRon]

Regardless of miles or kilometers take a good look & then know what to do:lecturef_smilie: INSPECT ​your pads:shocked:
many thanks to finless :2thumbs::firstplace:for a quick how to:

Very good advise! After checking your pads a few times you will get an idea of how long they will last. You need to check the pads on both sides of each rotor. If there is a problem with your calipers, 1 pad may look brand new and you think you are good to go. But the other pad may be very thin.

Also, a little known fact is that pad wear is not linear. The thinner the pad is, the slower it wears. So, new pads wear the quickest. And this wear rate gradually diminishes as the pad gets thinner. In other words, you get a lot more miles from the last 1/2 of your pad thickness than you do from the 1st 1/2.

 

[Chupaca]

Well....

It's the when,where and how of it all....
When as to the weather and climate in your ryding area...
Where as to the roads as to lots of twists and turns with braking or long smooth highways with little in town driving...
How as to the ryding style...

My RS 2012 sm5 went 33,000 with pads left on the rear. Did a tire change and had a set of EBC's on hand so replaced them. The fronts have over 40,000 and still within specs. Being a manual and using engine compression I don't use the brakes that much. Semi automatics tend to wear out faster as do the RT's....:thumbup:

 

[BajaRon]

Semi automatics tend to wear out faster as do the RT's....:thumbup:

Yes, they certainly do. But the F3 riders are, by far, the hardest on brake components. I wonder why that is...

 

[UtahPete]

Regardless of miles or kilometers take a good look & then know what to do:lecturef_smilie: INSPECT ​your pads:shocked:
many thanks to finless :2thumbs::firstplace:for a quick how to:

Great resource. Thanks for posting.

 

[canamjhb]

Another very informative thread. After watching the video, I couldn't get out to inspect fast enough. And, at 25K, everything looks A-OK.

 

[Deanna777]

In May the OEM brakes/pads were replaced in the front/rear on my 2014RTS-SE6. The mileage was 22,538.

This is the 2nd set of brakes/pads.

Deanna

 

[cyclelover63]

I have a 2012 RTL and we always ryde two up. I now have 30,000 miles. The rear brakes have been replaced twice and the front are original. My mechanic says that since we ryde two up,the system compensates by having the majority of the braking power in the rear. He said he can change the percentages if I brought my wife up or have someone sit behind me with same weight. We have pulled a small trailer app 8,000 miles out of the 30,000.