Installed a new set of rear pads about a month ago. Bought pads from a well known local shop and installed them. Ive installed numerous sets on several different kinds of bikes and never had a problem. Since I have installed the pads the rear brake drags making it sound like my rotor is warped and serves basically no brakeing help. pads have started to groove up my rotor so i have quit using the rear brake which is unsafe! in the process of getting new pads and possibly a rotor. Any idea what could cause this??

 

pull them off and take a look? did you scuff the surfaces of the pads before installing? not sure why they would groove up the rotor though.

 

scuffed the pads with some mild sandpaper. I had a buddy follow me the other night and he said that whenever i got ont he rear brakes that there were sparks coming from the rear caliper.

 

Pull the tire assembly out and make sure the wheel is in the center look at the brake anchor. The brake piston is probbaly pushing the rotor into the anchor.

 

Definately not assembled correctly. Brakes should not shoot sparks.

 

Gonna go ahead and pull them off as soon as i get back in town. Just trying to get a few ideas.

 

I put some new pads on the back recently and they were binding slightly.

Just sanding the paint off the back of the pads was enough to fix it.

 

Could the problem be you did not get the pistons clean before pushing them in. On these small pistons Harley even calls for a lube when you rebuild caliper. You should never push them back in before pulling old. You actually need to pull old pads and using brake pedal carefully push them out just a hair more and be sure they are shinny spotless before pushing them back in with some fluid removed from master cylinder. The push again ever so slightly and insure all 4 or 2 however the case may be to insure all move to ensure they are not stuck. If stuck, you need to rebuild caliper. I use these spacers you see to keep from going too far when I work on them. If your's is same design make sure this little bumper did not fall out or is broken like this one was. This is just my opinion but no one makes a better allaround pad then Harley. They fit, stop good, are soft quite but to be that way they wear fast, are dirty and slight abrasive to the rotors. They will bring a rotor to near minimun thickness in about 40K. And of course Harley charges 2 times tooo much. They ought to sell them at cost knowing full well you will buy another chrome or black (nowdays) part from them if they get you in there.

 

Thanks for the diagram. im gonna be back at the house in an hour or so and gonna pull the caliper off. Ill update when i get done.

 

For what it's worth...

A friend of mine got a set of after market pads and rotors for a " really good price".
With in 500 miles the rotors were trashed with grooves around the pad contact area. The pads weren't worn that much so he reinstalled the stock rotors, cleaned (scuffed up) the pads and reassembled every thing. In no time at all the stock rotors were just as trashed!

On another occasion we were riding in the mountains... half way down a long decent he pulls over because he doesn't have any rear brakes. The breaking material on his aftermarket pads had come off the metal backing plate!

His bargain priced brake jobs always cost more than twice as much.