A Brief Look At Brake Pads
I've been noticing distorted information in forums / social media about brake pads, types and their uses for some time now. Aiming, in this way, to help the layman fellow motorcyclist, below is a summary of what I believe to be the most important for now. It is noteworthy that I am not a technician on the subject, but only a curious and passionate about motorcycle mechanics, open to criticism from those who have a more technical knowledge of the subject. Also consider ceramic brake pads vs semi metallic
TABLET DESIGN
The designs of the pads vary among them and aim to meet the specifications of the fittings of the mechanisms of the brake models adopted on the motorcycle by the manufacturer company.
So, it doesn't matter if you have the 150cc “YX” bike or 1200cc “MW” bike, if the mechanism is the same, the brake pad design will work for both bike models. The difference will even be in the exorbitant price charged by certain manufacturers when it comes mainly to a more luxurious motorcycle, the brand and, of course, the type of composition (remembering that the composition of the pad is not the cause of the huge discrepancy in the price of the brake pad ).
HOW TO CHOOSE THE BRAKE PAD
The COMPOSITION of the brake pad is for me the main point to be considered when purchasing brake pads, along with:
a) checking the manual (obviously);
b) the way you ride & cost: “ardour riding”, long life, smooth, etc.
c) and if you practice enduro sports, motorcycling, traveling motorcyclist, etc. All of this affects the driver's behavior when braking.
TABLET DESIGN
The designs of the pads vary among them and aim to meet the specifications of the fittings of the mechanisms of the brake models adopted on the motorcycle by the manufacturer company.
So, it doesn't matter if you have the 150cc “YX” bike or 1200cc “MW” bike, if the mechanism is the same, the brake pad design will work for both bike models. The difference will even be in the exorbitant price charged by certain manufacturers when it comes mainly to a more luxurious motorcycle, the brand and, of course, the type of composition (remembering that the composition of the pad is not the cause of the huge discrepancy in the price of the brake pad ).
HOW TO CHOOSE THE BRAKE PAD
The COMPOSITION of the brake pad is for me the main point to be considered when purchasing brake pads, along with:
a) checking the manual (obviously);
b) the way you ride & cost: “ardour riding”, long life, smooth, etc.
c) and if you practice enduro sports, motorcycling, traveling motorcyclist, etc. All of this affects the driver's behavior when braking.
TABLET COMPOSITIONS
The best information I found on brake pad compositions was published by “Ride Apart”. See below:
“Organic” – Made from cellulose and “phenolic” resin, resistant to high temperatures. In the past, asbestos (asbestos, etc.) were used to improve their properties at high temperatures, but these materials are currently prohibited. Today, kevlar, fiberglass or mineral fibers are used instead. Organic pads have a good coefficient of friction under low strain, work well when cold, don't wear out too much on the brake disc, are cheap and make almost no noise. On the other hand they wear faster, glaze more easily and tend to create a relatively thick oxide layer on the disc. They are best suited for urban use, without commitment to high performance. They are the most common in the parallel market.
“Metallics/Semi-Metallics” – inserts typically have brass, iron or bronze added to the resin to increase the coefficient of friction at high temperatures and the mechanical strength of the composite. These are usually excellent inserts for day-to-day use on larger motorcycles. The added metal causes more wear on the brake disc, some noise when braking, a slightly higher cost than organic ones and less friction when cold, but their qualities are making them standard in daily use and high performance.
“Synthesized” – These inserts are made from a mixture of powdered metals, typically bronze, brass, copper, iron and ceramic – the latter facing high temperatures, molded at high temperature and pressure, making a solid and relatively homogeneous block. . They can be formulated to work best at low, medium or high temperatures, but usually have only average behavior when cold. Also depending on their composition they can be more or less aggressive to the disc. It is the trend of the modern motorcycle industry.
“Carbon” – Carbon pads for motorcycles are not like those used in formula 1 cars, space shuttles or jet fighters. They're not carbon fiber either. They are, rather, semi-metallic tablets that have carbon in their resin, in order to increase their efficiency at high and low temperatures. Many have the cold performance of good semi-metallic and hot metallic/synthesized inserts above average. The degree of aggressiveness to the brake disc also varies depending on its formulation, except for the carbon pads produced exclusively for racing – these are very aggressive. It's the best of both worlds! But everything has a price and this is no exception, and literally the price is high, in reais. Another inconvenience is the large production of a black powder, non-corrosive, but very messy, like powdered graphite…
The best information I found on brake pad compositions was published by “Ride Apart”. See below:
“Organic” – Made from cellulose and “phenolic” resin, resistant to high temperatures. In the past, asbestos (asbestos, etc.) were used to improve their properties at high temperatures, but these materials are currently prohibited. Today, kevlar, fiberglass or mineral fibers are used instead. Organic pads have a good coefficient of friction under low strain, work well when cold, don't wear out too much on the brake disc, are cheap and make almost no noise. On the other hand they wear faster, glaze more easily and tend to create a relatively thick oxide layer on the disc. They are best suited for urban use, without commitment to high performance. They are the most common in the parallel market.
“Metallics/Semi-Metallics” – inserts typically have brass, iron or bronze added to the resin to increase the coefficient of friction at high temperatures and the mechanical strength of the composite. These are usually excellent inserts for day-to-day use on larger motorcycles. The added metal causes more wear on the brake disc, some noise when braking, a slightly higher cost than organic ones and less friction when cold, but their qualities are making them standard in daily use and high performance.
“Synthesized” – These inserts are made from a mixture of powdered metals, typically bronze, brass, copper, iron and ceramic – the latter facing high temperatures, molded at high temperature and pressure, making a solid and relatively homogeneous block. . They can be formulated to work best at low, medium or high temperatures, but usually have only average behavior when cold. Also depending on their composition they can be more or less aggressive to the disc. It is the trend of the modern motorcycle industry.
“Carbon” – Carbon pads for motorcycles are not like those used in formula 1 cars, space shuttles or jet fighters. They're not carbon fiber either. They are, rather, semi-metallic tablets that have carbon in their resin, in order to increase their efficiency at high and low temperatures. Many have the cold performance of good semi-metallic and hot metallic/synthesized inserts above average. The degree of aggressiveness to the brake disc also varies depending on its formulation, except for the carbon pads produced exclusively for racing – these are very aggressive. It's the best of both worlds! But everything has a price and this is no exception, and literally the price is high, in reais. Another inconvenience is the large production of a black powder, non-corrosive, but very messy, like powdered graphite…