Rear brake pad inspection

[Cruisco]

How much of the rear brake pad should be visible on inspection to determine if pads need replacement? Was out yesterday and had to hit the rear brake pretty hard and it seemed to pulsate and make a bit of noise. I did a visual inspection and there seems to by some pad left, but I am not sure how much is to little.

As alway, thanks in advance for the feedback.

[Lechy]

Pads are cheap, don't take any chances, replace them.

[emoji41]

[Herb]

The pads on these bikes can wear unevenly. One end can look good and the other be into the metal backing. It only takes a couple of minutes to change them out, or, if you prefer, pull and inspect them.

[Spacecoast]

The pads on these bikes can wear unevenly. One end can look good and the other be into the metal backing. It only takes a couple of minutes to change them out, or, if you prefer, pull and inspect them.

The front pads on my bike was just like that...very uneven wear. But yet both pistons were working just fine. It was a simple replacement. If you can see a lot of the piston, then the pad is thin.

[old time rider]

I don't use the rear brakes much at all.I motor brake a lot.My 1400 wore its rear pads faster than any bike I ever owned.One set did not last as long as the rear tire! I think they rattled around and wore or something not right?So cheap,easy ,and fast to put on not that big a deal. Most the old 70s and early 80s GS models were about the same. About five minutes after you have done it a few times.I like to take a little more time a clean the pistons some,grease the slide pins ,and feel disc to make sure its still level.
Only time I ever had a disc warp was done by someone doing me a favor [emoji2] winter of 77/78 had a fresh 750/843 Yos motor drag bike with 29 smooth bore carbs on it. A Suzuki shop in Somerset,Ky. had been to some of the same tracks as we had run and had a fresh 750 hop up all so.Mine had been run a few times and just one Sunday to go at our local strip.I was going to run another bike that Sunday so they still had not got the 29s for the motor yet in the mail.Told them they could use mine so took them off bank and all and they used them the one day.They brought them back to our shop the next week end and after looking my bike over asked"Would you like your disc drilled?" They had a school close that did them free as a favor to them for things they had done for them. So we took them off as the bike was going to be at the shop awhile to look over and fine tune.When they brought them back they looked great."They told us they turned the front one for you as looked like it needed it.I ran flat bed grinders most of my time on the machine floor at IBM and feel they just went too fast..Must have been as first time at the strip when braking after a run it would do a slight chatter as it got down to around thirty miles a hour.Not real bad but sure that's what did it.

[Herb]

If your bike still has the stock shims behind the pads, throw the damn things away. They cause uneven wear, shorter pad life and poor braking performance. Especially if they have been on the bike a few years.

They start to rust under the epoxy paint, causing bubbles that hold the pads against the rotor. If you let it go long enough the bubbles will get large enough that you have to pump the brake to get any stopping power.

[Cruisco]

Never done pads before. Is there a post around that would help guide me?

[Herb]

Never done pads before. Is there a post around that would help guide me?

At the top of this forum there is a link to the manual for the 1400. You can download it, it will be your best friend, believe me.

The pads are easy to changed but there are a couple of things to watch for.

You take the cover off, on the rear it is a plastic piece that snaps on, on the front it is chrome and held on with a screw.

Under the cover there are 2 pins that go through holes on the pads. The pins have spring clips that go through holes in the pins. pull the spring clips and you can push/pull the pins that hold the pads in pace. My advice is to spray PB Blaster on the pistons that push the pads into the caliper before doing anything else.

After using the PB Blaster use a couple of screwdrivers, between the pads and the rotor, to pry the pistons back into the caliper. Then there is a spring that goes between the 2 pins, on each pad. it is kind of obvious when you look at it. You need to check how it is situated on the pins and pads, if it is backwards it can cause problems. When you pull the first pin make sure you have your hand over the springs otherwise they will fly out and they can be a bitch to find. The first time I changed them one of the springs flew out and I spent 20 minutes looking for it.

When you have it all reassembled you need to pump the brake until it is a good pedal otherwise you won't have any rear brake for the first few times you TRY to use it.