I checked my brake pads today I seem to have at least a quarter inch of pad on the front. And one eigth on the rear pads. The bike has 7500 miles on it. I use the engine to brake. I would think the front should wear out first concidering 70 %of the braking is the front break. I should mention this is a 05 EG classic. All imput greatly appreciated. Thanks. Bob.

 

I replaced mine when I replaced the rear tire. Just did it at 9,800 miles.
Just the cost of the pads, my dealer didn't charge me for the labor on pads.
Since the wheel was off for the tire. 02 RoadKing Classic.

 

replace when you replace one or both tires. pads are cheap compared to your life.

 

The rears wear faster. My 05 classic had 1/2 pad at 13k in the rear and like new in the front. My 00 fatboy on the other hand the rears are toast every 5k and fronts last 20k. If i am not slowing in a hurry, i will use just the fronts to help the life of the rears. mike

 

I just traded in a '96 RK equipped with EBC Kevlar brake pads. These pads were installed on my old Dyna and driven for 10k miles, then swapped in 1997 when I bought the RK when it had 9k miles on the odometer. When I traded in the RK last week it had 106k miles and those pads were still on the bike with about 1/4 of the surface remaining. This sounds impossible, but it's true. I also replaced the rear with a new pad at 9K and it too is still on the bike with more pad life remaining. The rotors also show little or no wear, and you can run your fingernail across them without catching. I used EBC floating rotors on the front and stock HD on the rear.

These pads are available at Drag Specialties and are not expensive, leave little dust on the wheels, don't squeal, and have excellent braking. One caveat is that when very wet (e.g., riding in a major thunderstorm) there is a short lag between brake application and braking, but you get accustomed to it and adjust. Otherwise, these pads have no vices that I've noticed. When these new HD pads are worn out I'm definitely buying more EBC Kevlar pads for this new bike.

 

The rears wear faster due to the fact they are exposed to more grit and grime than the front. My rear seems to be a magnet for dust and dirt.

 

I don't know how many miles you should get but I have 24,000 miles on my '05 RG and have over 1/4" left on both front and rear. I may change them at 30 or 35k.

 

I think the minimum spec in the service manual is .040". I replaced my rear pads when I changed out the rear tire for the first time at 15,023 miles. Pads had about .100" of material left. I thought it was a good idea to change the pads while I had the rear wheel off.

As far as the fronts, I'm at 28,200 miles and still have pad material left. When it's time to change the fronts I'll probably try the Lyndall pads all the way around.

 

I have to be honest here, I go through Two sets of fronts for every rear set. My front pads wear FAST!!!! I rarely am using much rear brake when stopping. ill cover and slight pressure but I see alot of guys who use there hole foot on it every stop.

 

Bob;

I've put 12,000+ miles on my 2007 ULtra and one new rear tire in the
3 months I've had it. Both my front and rear brake pads look like new
still. I'm an ex road racer and ride the mountains of NC.SC.GA.VA.TN.
WV. all year round so I can be pretty hard on brake pads, I'm thinking
I'll get about 25,000 miles from the stock 07 Ultra brake pads. I also
pull a 2006 Lees-ure-Lite pop up camper with the Ultra and my Wing.

Go figure?

I think brake pad wear is different from rider to rider just like in a car
each driver gets different life from their brake pads.

One thing I can tell you is low mileage bikes IE: Rode 10,000 miles
a year or less, the pistons in the calipars get rusty and gunked up.
When this happens there is a very slight drag on the disc which wears
out brake pads in a hurry.

That is why if I buy used motorcycles or cars I look for the high mileage
ones over babied, pampered low mileage ones. At least with high mileage
you know all the rubber parts will be in next to perfect shape, instead of
rotten from lack of use!

I hope this helps, good luck and ride safe!
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