......there are, however, after a wash theres some very small wear/score marks on about half of the pistons - and that's just the bottom edge I can see. There's no fluid leaks though, and all the pistons can be pushed back by hand easily enough.
R1150GS - poor brakes and pad choices....
- Thread starter Bikermike1411
- Start date
Blue/Black Ceramic and they're fab
Cheers for that Johnny. I've ordered....EBC HH. All the pistons move freely, the marking is negligible and they've cleaned up well. A new pair of ANY pads should make a big difference, and if not i'll investigate further.....
Interested to see whether ýou find an immediate improvement Mike. My bike was sat unused for many years until I bought it last year. Never been impressed with the brakes and had vaguely wondered if it could be due to the pads being very old.
I'll keep you posted Jamie! I don't reckon they could be much worse though.
I'm still debating whether to put myself through the pain of a full bleed at the same time. I'll see how I feel when they arrive in couple of days!
I'm still debating whether to put myself through the pain of a full bleed at the same time. I'll see how I feel when they arrive in couple of days!
The brakes on my old 1150GS always felt rubbish after changing the pads, it would take quite a few miles of gentle bedding in to get them to feel right.
Update - new pads came yesterday from Demontweeks. £39 for a pair of EBC HH's, can't complain really! I've thoroughly cleaned out the calipers, but the pad pins were absolutely knackered - i've seen fewer craters on maps of the moon, and I couldn't bring myself to put them back in again. I've a pair of shiny stainless ones coming early next week, thanks to a five minute call to Sid at Motorworks.
I've pre-emptively removed the securing colletts from the outer end of the old pins as the new ones don't come with them (remember they're not the geuinine Brembo ones - they were twice the price and apparently poorer quality), and kept the old R-clips. I just hope I can get them back onto the new pins, they're a little oval after prising them off with a pair of screwdrivers.....
I've pre-emptively removed the securing colletts from the outer end of the old pins as the new ones don't come with them (remember they're not the geuinine Brembo ones - they were twice the price and apparently poorer quality), and kept the old R-clips. I just hope I can get them back onto the new pins, they're a little oval after prising them off with a pair of screwdrivers.....
What bike are you comparing your GS to?
If you have been riding an R6, using a single finger on the brake lever then the GS will feel wooden.
A lot of people coming from sports bikes have to recalibrate their brain to use the rear brake as this is certainly needed to haul down the GS, or any adventure bike, from speed.
On my R1150GS I was very happy with the OEM BMW pads or the Ferodo Platinum jobs you can buy from Steptoe or many reputable sources.
If you have been riding an R6, using a single finger on the brake lever then the GS will feel wooden.
A lot of people coming from sports bikes have to recalibrate their brain to use the rear brake as this is certainly needed to haul down the GS, or any adventure bike, from speed.
On my R1150GS I was very happy with the OEM BMW pads or the Ferodo Platinum jobs you can buy from Steptoe or many reputable sources.
I'm coming off a Blackbird Wessie (linked brakes - I loved them, many loath them). However, my GS needed four fingers and a fistful to haul it down, and then I had absolutely no idea how hard the pads were gripping. At first I thought it might just feel different due to the lack of fork dive, but every review I can find praises the brakes.
It's interesting that many folk seem to highly rate the harder organic pads, like the Ferodo Platinums (which mine had in), but Grizzly's research suggests that OEM BMW pads are sintered, and a seemingly soft compound at that.
I'm not riding at sports bike speed, but I feel absolutely certain that there should be significantly more bite and feel than I had (which was absolutely none!).
It's interesting that many folk seem to highly rate the harder organic pads, like the Ferodo Platinums (which mine had in), but Grizzly's research suggests that OEM BMW pads are sintered, and a seemingly soft compound at that.
I'm not riding at sports bike speed, but I feel absolutely certain that there should be significantly more bite and feel than I had (which was absolutely none!).
Just a quick update - I changed the pads and pins yesterday, and had a run up to Glasson Dock to see how it felt with EBC HH pads. First impressions were....it's better, definately comes up quicker but still lacking feel at the lever for the first 1/4 of the pull. However, a bigger squeeze (two fingers, not four now) definitely hauls the bike up much more urgently.
I'll price up a seal kit and maybe have a look at it over the next few months (along with a fluid change), but for now i'm just going to ride the bike!
BTW, i'm very, very surprised by it. It's an absolute hoot to ride around on, and i'm not worrying about my license!
I'll price up a seal kit and maybe have a look at it over the next few months (along with a fluid change), but for now i'm just going to ride the bike!
BTW, i'm very, very surprised by it. It's an absolute hoot to ride around on, and i'm not worrying about my license!
metallic_lt
Registered user
Mike,
I own R1150GS ABS 2001 brembo brake calipers and I agree brakes give very little feel. Comming from sport touring bike with linked brakes doesn't help as well.
In the nutshell, on GS you have to squeeze brake levers harder. Try to move your right hand to the RIGHT on the handle bar grip and you will be naturally applying more braking.
If you want to improve braking start using REAR brake lever VERY aggressively.
By the way, congrats on moving from ridding rollacoster to ridding TRACTOR
With GS you will live longer for sure
I own R1150GS ABS 2001 brembo brake calipers and I agree brakes give very little feel. Comming from sport touring bike with linked brakes doesn't help as well.
In the nutshell, on GS you have to squeeze brake levers harder. Try to move your right hand to the RIGHT on the handle bar grip and you will be naturally applying more braking.
If you want to improve braking start using REAR brake lever VERY aggressively.
By the way, congrats on moving from ridding rollacoster to ridding TRACTOR
With GS you will live longer for sure
