Dan

Great show. I love it. This guy House is a real hoot.

Best,

Dan

Recently I found my self needing to select new brake pads for my bike so I opened the question up to the forum and, as usual, got a lot of interesting supplemental information about extra steps that people take when doing a brake job.

In the thread two post were made which I felt would be particularly helpful to anyone planning a brake job. I have included them here.

Post made by THX1139 on 4/24/07

BRAKE SYSTEM AND ROTOR PREP

IMHO prepping the rotors and maintaining the system has at least as much to do with good brakes as pad choice. When my pads are worn enough to replace, it's time for a caliper rebuild.

Not as big a job as it sounds; and if I don't have a hanging piston and the seals look good I don't buy a rebuild kit. Just carefully pluck the seals/O-rings with a wooden toothpick. Rubber gets cleaned with soap&water, everything else with alcohol.

I polish each of the pistons, mounting them on an expanding rubber mandrel that spins in my drill press. With careful application of some 1500 wet-or-dry they shine like mirrors.

Pistons, O-rings, seals, get reassembled with AGS Sil-Glyde while sliders/pins get synthetic moly caliper grease.

ALWAYS clean my discs with 220 folded in half around the friction ring and wash with acetone. Always hose down pads with brake cleaner, even brand new ones.

Then the master cylinder gets the same clean/polish/Sil-Glyde treatment.

Spending the extra effort really makes for a precise, needle-bearing-like feel at the lever; and so far I haven't felt the need for anything stronger than the stock Honda pads.

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The following is a very helpful reference contributed by Gatekeeper on 4/23/07.

From http://www.braketech.com/tech/bedin.html

Racing Brake Pad | Bed-In Procedures

Racing is serious business. Virtually everyone involved with racing spends tremendous time, energy and money in the pursuit of checkered flag. So assuming you want the best from your brakes, please take the time to read and follow these simple procedures:

1. For best results, prepare the disc rotors by using a Rotor Hone (BT-RH10.0) or glass-beading the brake swept area. This is particularly important if you are switching from a sintered metal pad as the copper deposition layer burnished into the surface of the rotor can be a barrier to allowing a carbon/metallic pad from bedding-in properly. Maintain your rotors by rotor honing or glass-beading every time you replace your brake pads. On liquid cleaners; Acetone or denatured alcohol on a clean shop towel is recommended, Do not use an aerosol brake cleaner as many leave a residue that promotes brake pad glazing. Take this opportunity to check for fluid leaks. For best performance, we recommend changing your brake fluid every 2-3 events with a premium fluid (more frequently in humid climates).
   Please note: DOT 5 Silicone brake fluid is not recommended.
   
2. Heavy braking should be avoided until the new linings are fully seated across the entire mating surface. A visual inspection may be required. Scored discs will require substantially greater bed-in time, reduce overall stopping power and are potentially dangerous. We recommend replacing badly scored or distorted rotors with our advanced composition Ductile Iron or Stainless full-floaters.
   
3. Initially, the brakes should be used lightly (roughly 60-70% of normal) but frequently. As you feel the brakes come in, follow this with progressively harder braking to maximum pressure with momentary cool-down between applications. The goal here is to impart an even transfer film layer from the new friction material to the operating surface of the rotor. Do not try braking hard until they do and you are reasonably certain this is accomplished (usually 3-7 laps).
   
4. If a fall-off in performance is experienced due to heavy braking prior to the new pads being fully bed-in, it is important to allow the brakes to cool down before continuing. A “glazed†surface condition can usually be easily remedied by either utilizing the Rotor Hone or bead-blasting the brake swept area to the remove the burnished deposition layer left by the previous pads. Remove the glazed surface of the pads friction face, reinstall and repeat bed-in procedure.
   
5. CHRONIC GLAZING: Characterized by a very firm brake lever with very poor braking performance regardless how hard the lever is applied. Most motorcycle manufacturers utilize a heat-treated surface hardening process on their stainless steel rotors in an effort to help them survive with sintered metal pads. This sometimes creates a problem with semi-metallic compounds during bed-in. If glazing persists, glass beading of the brake swept area can eliminate the problem by thoroughly cleaning the surface and attenuating the heat-treatment with a more compatible shot-peened version. As a reminder, it is always a requirement to thoroughly clean the rotors with Acetone or denatured alcohol after using a rotor hone or bead-blasting. Reinstall de-glazed pads and allow 1-2 laps to bring up to operating temperature, the results should be most satisfying.
   

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

Although all modern Ferodo Ltd friction formulations are non-asbestos, it is prudent and recommended to take adequate precautions while working with any manufacturers friction materials. Please observe the following:

1. Operate in a well ventilated area and avoid creating dust.
   
2. Machining (not required in proper application) should only be carried out using approved dust extraction equipment.
   
3. When fitting brake components, use appropriate dust extraction equipment or a damp cloth to remove dust.
   
4. Do not use an air hose or brush to remove dust.
   
5. Dampen dust, place it in a properly closed receptacle and dispose of safely.
   

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Just as an FYI, I found the Braketech web site tech area to have a lot of valuable, additional information about this. Their URL is, http://www.braketech.com/tech.html

I hope that this reference page is helpful.

Best,

Dan

I just removed the stickers from my VFR. I've removed stickers before but never motorcycle stickers. These stickers have some real serious glue under them. In the process of figuring it out I tried a few different methods that had worked for me in the past but only one really worked. My guess is that if you've never removed motorcycle stickers before you could waste a good deal of time figuring it out (like I did) so I decided to write a How-To on it. (These steps are for the large stickers. Once these are done the smaller ones on the nose and tail will seem like a cake walk.)

The short steps;

1. Cover floor.

2. Remove side sticker A.

3. Mask below sticker A.

4. Spray Goo-Gone and allow it to soak in.

5. Remove side sticker B.

6. Mask below sticker B.

7. Spray Goo-Gone and allow to soak in.

8. Return to side A and remove sticker glue w. credit card.

9. Do the same for side B.

10. Wax and polish side A and B.

The expanded steps;

The way I did it was with a blow drier, some Goo-Gone, painters tape, a credit card, a clean rag, newspaper and auto wax.

To remove the stickers I used the blow drier to soften them up and separate them from the glue backing. They came right off. Note this!... It's easier to remove the stickers from the end of the words back. Pull the lower descender of the "R" in "VFR" back to where it meets with the rounded part of the "R." Next, do the rounded part of the "R" to the same point. Finally, work the entire sticker from the end of it to the beginning. If you take your time and use the right amount of heat you should be able to remove the entire sticker (without tearing it) with one long pull.

Once the sticker is off the work starts. The glue is dark and kind of hard. It's also quite impermeable. First, put some newspaper down under your bike. Since Goo-Gone can leave a mild haze I decided to mask off below the sticker and drape a piece of plastic off the part of the fairing below the sticker prior to spraying so as to prevent run-off on to the paint. Both of these tips will make cleanup a lot easier.

Spray the Goo-Gone on it and allow it to soak in. Spray enough so as to see it setting on top of the sticker. The Goo-Gone should sit on there for around 10 minutes. It will minimize the elbow grease you'll need but not eliminate it. You can go start the other sticker while it's soaking.

After the soak time it's time to go at it with your credit card. I put a slight bend in the card and basically wiped away the Goo-Gone and glue in long, narrow strips starting at one end of the top of the glue spot and going all the way to the other end. Start working from across the top and work your way down. It makes for less mess and allows any excess Goo-Gone to move down to the areas of the glue that you are about to remove. As you're doing it don't get too carried away with perfection. You'll be able to go back and wipe away any spots you missed as you clean up. Also, there is a certain angle and bend to hold the card. It's hard to describe but you'll have plenty of time to figure it out and when you do you'll know it. You'll just be able to remove a lot of glue in one long swipe.

As you remove your stripes of glue take the time to spray extra Goo-Gone on it. Every now and then you'll want to wipe the credit card clean, too.

Once you're done give the entire area a good, cleansing wipe to make sure that you're clean of all glue. Next, do the other side.

Your last step should be to wax and polish the areas to eliminate any potential for haze left from the Goo-Gone and to be absolutely sure that all of the glue is gone.

I hope this helps. :)

Best,

Dan