Anyone have any good experiences with some of the cheaper aftermarket brake pads out there??? I just think the harley pads are overpriced and dusty as hell. Every other bike i've owned had pads that at most cost around $25 for stock, they worked good, and were fairly clean. I've seen aftermarket pads for sportsters range from $15-100 per set, yet even with all the pricy ones, it seams reviews are really mixed.

If anyone has any suggestions i'd really appreciate it, i'm due for pads both rear and front and like to keep it below $30 a set if theres any good ones out there.

 

not being a smart *** but when it comes to brakes, CHEAP n GOOD do not mix. unless they are stolen.

 

Well expensive n good don't seem to be the case either. And atleast with my previous bikes cheap and good ussually was the case. But based on the harley aftermarket pads, seems I see equally as many compaints as praise for any type of pad.

 

I picked some up for around $20 shipped. The link to the ebay seller is below. Seem to be wearing well after about 5k miles. The local indy started stocking some aftermarket pads instead of the (overpriced) HD sets recently. Can't see spending that much for a single set of pads.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-B...Q5fAccessories

 

How is the brake dust, any better than harley pads or about the same? The dust is the number one thing I hate about the stock pads.

 

There's dust, but I don't know how to compare it to the stock pads. I bought my bike with some pretty oxidized and pitted aluminum parts including the rear wheel. I cleaned and polished the rear wheel and changed the pads. A while later I noticed that the wheel was "dirty" and somewhat oxidized again, moreso on the left (brake) side than the right side.

I removed the wheel, cleaned and waxed it again. Now I make sure to wash the wheel very well when cleaning. But I also had problems with the rear wheel on my '05 XL1200C which had stock HD pads on it. The chrome was lifting from the aluminum in a number of places especially on the left (brake) side.

The brake dust is nasty stuff and I think you'll run into problems no matter what brand pads you use. It's a matter of maintenance and cleaning. BTW, I polished my aluminum fork sliders, triple trees and levers and they are also oxidizing again. I think it's just something you have to deal with.

 

I recently put some high dollar Lyndall pads on my eg.Don't really notice any difference except they were a heck of alot more money.

 

You beat me to it.

By the way when is it normal to change out the brakes?

Normal driving conditions applied?
I have 3k on my nightster and the rear brake isn't what it used to be.

 

I've had exactly the opposite experience. I've used nothing but LRBs as replacements for the past decade. If you break them in the way the instructions tell you (10 firm stops from slow speed followed by 10 firm stops from higher speed) you can actually feel them getting stronger during the process. Lyndalls stay strong long after the cheaper brands start fading. Two things I won't scrimp on are tires and brakes. There's too much depending on both of them.

 

I got pads from Kcint.com (KC International) or kcint on ebay. Even know the pads come in an unmarked, generic box. (Probably from a bulk pack) They are inexpensive and seem to work well with minimal dust.

Watch the wear pattern, on my 02, the front was rubbing the rotor in one place and upon removal of the caliper, I saw that one pad was wearing at an angle. I changed the pads (stock pads) and all is well. I think the pad wore at such an angle, the pistons got jammed on one side of the caliper and wouldn't retract properly.