My front brake was howling like crazy. Any semi hard braking under 20 mph and it sounded like I was trying to stop a freight train. I took the calipers apart and cleaned them. I used brake pad grease on the back side of the pads when I reassembled it. The howl was gone for maybe 2 days. I asked Hall's about it, and they recommended some new brake pads, EBC X. I had them ship me a pair. I again cleaned the calipers up. This time, I didn't grease anything. I just cleaned them thoroughly. I was greeted with much better feel at the lever. The braking is now much easier to modulate. Even better, they are dead quiet. So, if anyone wants some good pads, EBC X! Now I want to get some for the rear.
EBC is good stuff, I use their Redstuff pads on my old Thunderbird. Big car, little brakes, those pads made a world of difference and have a pretty good service life too...
Looked this up on the EBC web site. So the X pads are carbon-based and their main benefit is they run cooler than sintered pads. The downside is that they wear out sooner than sintered and are not as good in muddy/wet/sandy conditions. Does anyone know what comes stock on the TE630? Has anyone tried other aftermarket pads?
The X pads are what Hall's recommended when I asked them about my freight train brakes. If they wear out more quickly, so be it. Pads are cheap. I haven't had the chance to get them muddy/wet/sandy yet, but I will if I'm lucky!
I didn't mean anything by my email - it was more for informative reasons for myself and others. I'm also interested in aftermarket brake pads but for different reasons: I need more stopping power. I understand off-road brakes aren't supposed to be as powerful as street brakes, but until recently I've ridden street exclusively so I'm used to very strong brakes with linear action and a firm feel, the harder I brake the harder the bike stops. With the TE630 brakes I don't get that, it's somewhat mushy and after the initial squeeze of the brake lever it doesn't slow down appreciably harder. I have a bad habit of late braking and I've gotten into a few oh-crap moments a few times getting into a corner hot. On the dirt though, I definitely see the advantage. Anyway, I'm hoping other people can chime in on other aftermarket brake pads that work well on both street and dirt. The more options the better.
The front brakes on my TE630 are also worse than rather crappy and innefective, interesting to see others are having the same experience.
It's kind of hard to explain, but the EBC X pads feel softer at the lever. At the same time, they feel easier to modulate. The stock pads are pretty grabby and easy to lock up off road. These should be a lot better. I'll be trying them out in the dirt tomorrow.
All along I thought it was because I didn't break in the pads properly at the beginning. Relieved to know it's something common. I crudely replicate abs braking with my hand. Just pump the lever really quick in small strokes. Not enough to engage and disengage the brake light. But together with the rear I can much more safely stop in emergencies than just squeezing really hard and skidding.
