Do new brake pads work weakly at first?

[NorwegianRT]

Hi friends!
I changed all the brake pads today on my 2012 RTS, and after getting the wheels back on the ground, I took a test drive in the neighbourhood.
Pedal felt fine, but the old pads stopped the bike better.
So my question is, will the brake effect be better after a while, or is there something I should have done other than just remove & replace?

 

[racoon]

You might need to "seat" the pads, also known as breaking them in.

 

[NorwegianRT]

You might need to "seat" the pads, also known as breaking them in.

Ok, thank you for answering :thumbup:
I will keep that in mind and drive carefully until then.

 

[pegasus1300]

Ok, thank you for answering :thumbup:
I will keep that in mind and drive carefully until then.

No go out and run them hard in a no traffic area and stomp on them hard several times until you can smell your brakes pads being hot, then drive around a little until cool. Do not stop completely or the hot pad resting in one place may warp a rotor.

 

[NorwegianRT]

No go out and run them hard in a no traffic area and stomp on them hard several times until you can smell your brakes pads being hot, then drive around a little until cool. Do not stop completely or the hot pad resting in one place may warp a rotor.

That I will do Pegasus :thumbup: And hopefully have them working better for the planned ride with some friends tomorrow afternoon.
I have also heared some people give the pads a brush over with a steelbrush before installing, any thoughts ?

 

[WRCLVR]

just bed the pads in like Pegasus said. That will not only clean the pads surface properly but the resins in the pad will coat the rotor surface evenly. that boundary layer is what really stops the bike. Check out EBC or Brembo websites for properly bedding in the pads.

 

[JayBros]

You did not say if the new brake pads were OEM replacement pads from a dealership or performance oriented pads from a third party. If the latter, the method Pegasus suggested is much more important for good brake performance.

Your Operator's Guide tells you to be careful about hard braking because everything on the Spyder is brand new and the lawyers won't let them tell how to bed in new pads using the method Pegasus suggested which is a better, quicker method of breaking in new pads.

You just need a straight length of quiet road with very little to no traffic. Accelerate the Spyder to 90 KPH and stomp on the brake pedal as hard as you can slowing the roadster to 30 KPH and then repeating that cycle two or three more times. As Pegasus said, DO NOT come to a full stop at any time during the cyclic braking and then just ride the Spyder for 10 - 15 Km to allow the rotors to cool down. If you feel the ABS pulsing during the hard decelerations that is perfectly normal. Remember too the hard deceleration is going to force your full body weight forward and you will feel that weight shift in your wrists. Be careful and safe! The procedure will enhance your confidence in the Spyder's emergency braking capability.

 

[NorwegianRT]

Hi JayBros!
The pads are from a local dealer that gave up on Can Am On-roads and since we live in a coastal town, just continued to sell Sea Doos. They did a little work on my RT in the past and gave me their entire stock of brake pads for the Spyder. :2thumbs:

Tomorrow I will find a place and do the procedure, I know of a nice road with very little traffic.

 

[NorwegianRT]

Hi all!
Back with final update - I did the brake sequence you suggested today, when the weather was good enough finally.
Three times to 90 km and slammed the brakes hard, continued on a little round trip, and the brakes are now 100% good. hyea:

Thank you to all for the good advice :thumbup: