Hi fellas,

I’m about to change my brake pads on my Roadie for the first time. My 02 RS has 43,000 miles and it would be nice to upgrade braking power a little bit. So I went to different stores and spoke to many friends and no one seems to agree on the type of pad to use. I’m a smooth type kinda guy when it comes to braking, always use both front brake lever and rear pedal simultaneously and this in a very progressive fashion.

By type of pads I mean ordinary OEM organic vs double sintered like EBC or Goldfren brand made from sintered copper alloy or ceramic carbon technology.

Some clerk told me that if I was looking for maximum stopping power I should go with double sintered because they are the grippiest street brake pads available and most suitable for wet, dry, hot or cold riding condition, but the downside is they wear the rotor down much faster than organic pads. Others told me the sintered would be very noisy when used in a smooth progressive manner like I do and would heat up rotors tremendously with their abrasive material.

Some mechanics told me they’re well suited for front and rear brake application while others suggested sintered in the front and organic in the back to prevent rear wheel from blocking. Woooow !

So what’s your thought on this……and which material or brand would you go for?

Thanks

RG

I use soft (read organic) pads on my bikes and trucks. They may not last as long but they don't eat the rotors as bad and I'd rather do pads than rotors. I suppose the harder pads grab better but I've never had a problem locking up my tires with the organics. So I'm not sure what the benefit of locking them up more would be. My .0000000004.00002 cents anywho.

On my street bikes, I use a sintered pad. Yes, they wear the rotor down at a faster rate than organic, but you get better stopping power. On my dirt bikes, I always ran organic, as dirt/mud/water/ were already wearing the rotor, and pads for that matter at a fast rate. Both stop fine, it's really a matter of preference. BB

I prefer organics as they wear the rotor more slowly ..... especially as my rotor is polished.

Organics produce more dust than the sintered pads.

Doc

I believe I would put the same pads you have now back on with that kind of wear.

I finally decided not to go with sintered and bought EBC soft organic pads, cost me half the price of Yamaha’s and like Musky, I'd rather do pads than rotors. I was very satisfied with the OEM, but at half the price, I’m willing to try another brand and see what happens.

Thanks guys.

RG