hellindustries

Well, with proper sintered pads it seems to me that there's less degradation from weathering. I've had plenty of bikes across my bench at work with pads in terrible shape, but lots of pad left on them. Some have split in two, others are rusted to hell. Some have worn into the disc etc... You rarely see this on sintered pads. They also work better when hot or cold, where cheap pads will feel wooden when cold, and tend not to work well when too hot. Sintered pads are better than organic/Kevlar/cheap pads in every way. They really are worth the little extra money. Brand is a personal choice, but i only run EBC on my bikes, and we put EBC pads in the bikes at work. The EBC pads are some of the best you can get for the bike for road use. Considering the small price difference between EBC and cheaper pads, you may as well get the best for the sake of a little cash. As for your sharp brakes: I have the opposite problem. I wish mine were sharper and stronger. I just don't want to spend the money on braided steel lines, and i really should bleed the brakes this year - My 40,000 mile service is just under 3000 miles away, so i might leave it until then, as it'll have to be done as part of that service anyway.

1. In order of most needed first. One at a time. 2. That's going to take time. It's not hard work, but takes a few hours. If you can confidently do it yourself you can save a large chunk of money. C&S approx 1hr Bar kit 1hr Cable routing 2hr Brake line routing 2hr Brake bleed and assemble 2hr+ Head bearings 1hr Throttle cable 1hr Total hours: 10 Assuming nothing goes wrong/other issues in the way/You have supplied the correct parts I'd imagine it might take a little longer depending how experienced the mechanic is. I'm basing this very roughly off my workshop experience. For reference; We charge £45/hr +20% tax/VAT. So your 10 hours minimum time would cost you at least £540 And No. 99.9% of workshops will not let you help to save money. It's not about saving you money, they will have to watch over you, instruct you, tell you where tools are or how to use them, fix your mistakes, and that's without considering liability insurance concerns. It'd take longer with you helping. 3. It's all the same. 4. Not really, but know that there are a lot of junctions with a linked brake system which will push the time and cost up. And it all has to work perfectly. 5. Maintaining the callipers is always a good thing, especially the rear as it tends to get ignored (easiest to service with the rear wheel off). Know that you might have/want to replace the calliper seals/rings or even the pads while you're getting all of this done. (Use EBC FA261HH on all).

I get a similar issue from time-to-time. I 'fix' it by turning the bike off, gear to neutral, kill switch to off, bike on, kill switch to on. Usually works first time.

It's a royal pain to remove. I took mine out without removing the rearset, and had to squeeze and scream at it to get it back in. If i ever have to do it again, i'll be removing the damn rearset...

£200! Bloody hell, that's expensive for a battery! I think i'll stick to Varta at trade prices (hooray for working in a motorbike shop...), even if i have to change it once a year due to the cold. I'd consider it if i was keeping the bike for at least several more years, but i plan to sell it mid next year for something (a lot) bigger (2014 Suzuki M1800R BOSS) But i'll totally consider a Shorai battery for that bike.

Now over 100 miles on to my 5s and VERY happy with them. Not once have i felt less than totally confident in the tyres. Great feel, too. To me they feel SO MUCH better than the 4s ever did.

I shall take the advice. I've never lubed the cables, so that's needed! I regularly lube the ignition and other bits. I had suspected the battery, too. Guess it's time for another one. The bike is usually all good unless the temp drops to below -5, only then do i have problems. Be great if i had either a garage or even the luxury of a heated storage area! Can't do anything about the lower octane of fuel, 95 or higher is all i can get. Oil: I'm reluctant to change it for two reasons: 1. Oil & filter done in the last thousand miles 2. I can get 10-40 at work, but not anything 'special' like that. (Special being anything we don't sock in large amounts), so it'd cost me.

We're having some unusually cold weather here in the UK, i know, i know... other places are colder :P Fun things my 5th gen has been doing these last few days: * Almost not starting due to the cold killing my battery * Throttle freezing in place (that's a first for me!) * Indicators barely working * Very low idle on start * Awful throttle response until warm It's so cold that the clear plastic solar charging window on my bike cover has become so brittle it's cracked open in several places. Winter wasn't this cold! I've now given up. Have arranged for a lift in to work tomorrow. I've ridden through a few winters, and i'm a year-round rider except when there's ice on the roads, but it's rare that it gets this cold. 'Feels like' temps are down to -12c / 10.4f and i can agree that it DOES feel like -12c! At least it *should* be over by mid next week.

Welcome, and great to see you're taking good care of it! (minus the drops :P ) Don't see many blue ones. Stud removal: Honestly, i'd say just take it to a bike shop you trust. They've done that sort of thing a fair few times, have all the tools, and are liable if they do any damage in the process. If you get it wrong, well.. you're in for an expensive time. Brake callipers: I notice in the pics above this post you've had the calipers apart to renovate. Where the caliper mounting bracket joins the caliper via the two pins, you've used copper grease where you should be using rubber grease. Not a major problem, just resolve it next time you're working in the area for maybe a pre/post winter clean, or a pad change. Caliper pistons: Maybe the pic doesn't show it (or was before you did it), but the pistons are seriously lacking in copper grease. This is much more urgent. If you haven't done that, do so ASAP.

Things to check/do: 1. Did you pull the pads out of the rear brake and check/clean the general area? Are there any seals protruding around the pistons? 2. Did you use all new crush washers when installing the new line/s to the rear? 3. Have you checked the condition of the rear hydraulic actuator? (cracks, leaks etc...) 4. Have you made sure that the rear pads are properly cleaned and that no grease or brake fluid has contaminated them? (if they were contaminated any more than 'very slightly' you'll want to just replace them). 5. With the rear pads out; Have you confirmed that the pistons move in and out properly and fully, with even motion? 6. Have you checked the condition of the hose linking the res to the actuator? It could be old and just bulging when you hit the brake, thus not transferring pressure fully.

I've now had my Road 5s a week/30 miles. So far they feel pretty good. Better than the 4s, and don't feel like they need much scrubbing-in at all.

I KNOW i'll miss my VFR after i sell it next year and replace it with an M1800R.

+1 to screens being a personal preference. You'll hear people praise and hate the same screens across all heights and use-cases. I thought i'd love the MRA touring screen i bought, but i hated it. Went back to the no-name short double-bubble i had before which is much better for me.

I have a pair of Road 5s sitting at work waiting to be fitted during the post-winter clean next week. I ride in everything but settled snow, so i'll report back on wet/cold grip and how it performs with little warm-up (my commute is 10-15 mins/4-5 miles each way) I know this already: They look cooler than Road 4/3/2 tyres.

Far as i know you're either spending real money on a proper solution, or wiring-in resistors, and replacing relays.