How to tell if my motorcycles have bad brakes?

There are a couple of different indicators that will tell you have issues with your brakes. If you have worn our brake pads or shoes, you will notice poor braking performance combined with loud squeaky brakes, and grooved brake rotors. If you notice your brakes are squeaking, take a moment to look at the brake pads, If the material on your brake pad that makes contact with your brake disc is 1/8” thick or less, it’s probably a good time to change your brake pads. If you notice your brakes feel soft, or the pressure in the hand lever is fluctuating, or if your brakes are getting really hot and your notice the brakes are dragging when they are not being applied, you may have dirty fluid, a bad caliper, or a reservoir that needs to be rebuilt.

Do I need to replace brake fluid when changing brakes?

No, if you are just changing your brake pads or shoes, you don’t usually need to change your brake fluid. It is always good practice to check your fluid level when you do change your bake pads. It should look clean and translucent. If your brake fluid looks murky and thick, it is probably time to drain it out and replace it with new clean fluid. This is done by bleeding the old fluid out of the system while replacing it with new fluid simultaneously.

How many miles do motorcycle brake pads last?

The length of time your brake pads will last is depends on numerous things. How heavy your bike is, how aggressively you ride, what type of brake pad you choose to run. Organic brake pads tend to wear faster than sintered brake pads, because they are made from softer materials. Good practice is to check your brake pads a few times a year. Just give them a good look every now and then to make sure the pad material is not getting too thin. They all wear differently so there is no rule on brake pad wear.

When to change motorcycle brake pads?

You need to change your brake pads if the brake material is worn down, or if you notice a decrease in brake performance and you already determined you don’t have any issues with other components of your braking system. If you know your brake pads are really old or if you have concern that they have been corrupted by oil or other chemicals that could cause the brake pad material to fail. This would be a good time to change your brake pads and give the calipers a good look to make sure everything is functioning as it should.

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Drag Specialties Rear Brake Master Cylinder Assembly - Chrome - 2007-13 Harley-Davidson Sportster XL
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