What type of brake pads are best (New CityX owner)

[Allaband]

Hello everyone. This is my first post on your forum. I'm glad to know there is a Buell community I can become part of! I bought myself a 2005 Buell Lightning CityX (I think it's a CityX) for Christmas. It's a high mile bike (87,000 miles) but was well taken care of by the previous owner (first owner). I'll have A LOT of questions in the future (I want a fender eliminator for the rear) but the most important thing right now is brake pads. I need front and rear. This Buell has a nice smooth rear disk and only slight distortion on the front disk.

I have been riding a 1987 Yamaha FJ1200 for the past 7 years and I always used organic pads because I heard the synthetics groove out the rotors. Should I stick with that plan? Does anyone know a good place to buy them? Can you give me a link?

Thanks for your help! I look forward to putting a lot more miles on this bike! Once I get new pads it will replace the FJ as my daily commuter.

David Allaband

 

[Cooter]

Hi David, welcome to the forum!

You'll find the service manual is a handy thing to have. You can find a free .pdf download at Buellmods.com or Buelltooth.com. It will have a Vin decoder in the front that will define whether it's a City X or not.

EBC HH pads are pretty much agreed as the best all around brake pad for these. I'd PM Lunatic for them. He is super knowledgeable and has brake pads (and rotors) as well as many other service parts. You won't find a better source

Be aware that dirty brake hardware and improperly bedded brake pads can easily fake you out and act like a warped rotor which is really rare on these.

Enjoy the new bike! They are full of character, just like the guys on here:angel:

 

[LouWambsganss]

I have EBC HH pads on the front of my XB12 and I think they are probably well suited to aggressive/track riding. On the street, they lack the initial bite of an organic pad. They are sintered pads with a high copper content, so I think they dissipate too much heat and don't get warm enough to work well during normal street riding.

I have heard good things about Lyndall Gold organic pads. https://shop.lyndallbrakes.com/collections/all/products/buell-front-brake-7228

On the rear, it doesn't matter too much either way.

 

[GregoXB]

I put ebc on the front in conjunction with a Braking wave rotor, no complaints. I put ebc on the rear with the OEM rotor, squeaks pretty bad. Tried scotch brite with no success. Going to install OEM pads with the next tire change in hopes of quieting things down.

 

[rchuff]

Front pad# FA 345 HH. Rear pad #Fa 140 HH both are EBC numbers.

 

[Silverrider]

I put ebc on the front in conjunction with a Braking wave rotor, no complaints. I put ebc on the rear with the OEM rotor, squeaks pretty bad. Tried scotch brite with no success. Going to install OEM pads with the next tire change in hopes of quieting things down.

This may help with your rear squeak, GT85, https://gt85.co.uk/products/disc-brake-cleaner/

 

[Cooter]

Scotchbriting/sanding a rotor is an old wives tale, unless you're looking to solve a problem like a pulsing brake on a flat rotor, I'd never recommend. It removes the pad material that is transferred to the rotor during proper bedding procedures and is vital for maximum braking performance:upset:

The 'metal' in semi-metallic pads meant for the street doesn't need to heat up to work at max efficiency. There are many, many, different compounds both organic and semi-metallic that work differently. The 'metal' isn't the difference.

If you aren't getting 'bite', you also aren't getting friction. So your brakes aren't working as well as they could. The cause could be a large number of things including bleeding, old fluid, and mis-alignment. Before blaming the pad material, look at your brakes for problems and try bedding them properly. It's free:eagerness:

If you are getting squealing it's from the caliper, not the rotor or the pads. Disassemble and clean the caliper VERY well, including scotchbriting anything that moves. A little anti seize where things need to slide and 99% will be silent for the life of the pad. Use the shims!

 

[user_deleted]

thanks for the kind words shaughn.
i stock new OEM and EBC rear rotors.....stock new EBC front rotors.....stock all the EBC HH pads for every buell ever made. sell everything to board members at 10% above dealer cost.
your bike is 13 years old and both front and rear brake system should be drained, flushed and replenished with DOT-4 fluid.
pm me if you want parts

 

[vicenzajay]

I know you don't need to hear it again - but you will *not go wrong if you order what you need from Lunatic. Follow his advice as well....he's been around the barn a few times...

 

[njloco]

He was around before the barn was built,( oops, come to think of it, so was I )

 

[vicenzajay]

Yeah - I'm in that boat (or barn) as well...

 

[Allaband]

Thanks for all your help everyone! I have a better idea now. I'll look into it this weekend.

 

[jl551c]

Can break lines wear out? Like become stretched out or flex with hydraulic pressure after long usage?

 

[Silverrider]

Can break lines wear out? Like become stretched out or flex with hydraulic pressure after long usage?

I have not seen this on any of my XB Buells.

 

[Cooter]

They won't wear out per se. But they are subjected to abuse being exposed on a motorcycle. They won't rupture internally and swell under pressure like rubber ones, they aren't a victim of ultra-violet light degradation either, and they won't metal fatigue enough to have a replacement interval. If they are damaged, replacing them is easy but be SURE to use OEM, ONLY. Heres why:

Fun Fact:
I was told by a very reputable source that Buells were the first production motorcycles to come with stainless braided brake lines. Yay, us! The reason why no one had done it before was that none of them could pass the infamous DOT "whip test".

 

[maintenceman]

Can you explain the 'whip test' and what possible problem it actually replicates on a real motorcycle?

Thanks.

 

[Cooter]

Explain it? Did you watch the video? Every DOT approved brake line design must pass the 'whip test', car, truck, whatever. It's proof that pre-mature fatigue under pressure has been appropriately dealt with by the boffins.

Fun fact: Monroe shocks cites that for every single mile travelled, a suspension will cycle over one million times. Fatigue is real man:eagerness: Buells DOT approved brake lines are simply the first of their kind to pass the test.