brake pads change question
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Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,824
Likes: 59
From: SW Burbs of Chicago
brake pads change question
Did I hear correctly that someone on this forum said you dont need to remove caliper to change out pads? Trying to do the fronts and I have a service manual that says to remove calipers, remove the master cylinder cover,etc. Any help would be great..
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,890
Likes: 73
From: MA
Yes, changing out the fronts is done per the manual. With regards to the rear, it is not necessary to remove the calipers. Doing so on the front is no big deal.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,004
Likes: 12
From: Parkton, Maryland
I've never had to remove either the front or rear calipers to change pads on my 2006 Ultra. They'll drop out just fine. If you use OEM pads there will be an instruction sheet included.
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Tourer
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 466
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i removed mine but one thing i would recommend is check your axels for grease. i had my tires changed prior to doing my own brakes and was suprised at how little grease was on my axles. my front was practically bone dry. it was more brake dust then grease. service techs don't always do the best job especially when they get paid buy the job and the more jobs they do the more money they make. just something to consider.
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Joined: Apr 2007
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From: Davie, FL
First of all how would anyone of you members clean your caliper pistons and remove the crud that builds up? You should remove your calipers every 2,5K miles and clean them out especially if you are running stock type (sintered pads).
These pads are a mix of metallic powders (to absorb heat), refractory material (to provide friction), friction modifiers (to alter feel), graphites (to minimize rotor wear and eliminate noise), mixed together, pressed to form the shape, then sintered at high temperature and pressure.
These pads wear the rotors and when the mix of metallic powders are left on metallic surfaces they produce corrosion. Why do you think your chrome wheels rust? The same is happening on your pistons as well as also forming a sticky which than forms a hard ring around the piston thus not allowing the piston to retract properly. Your pistons do not retract fully thus your pads drag all of the time.
Maybe the actual maintenance of a Harley Davidson should be left to the highly trained professionals as exhibited by the answers above. All of these answers are given on my site as well as proper brake pad installation and cleaning procedures. The calipers are shown with less than 7K miles.
These pads are a mix of metallic powders (to absorb heat), refractory material (to provide friction), friction modifiers (to alter feel), graphites (to minimize rotor wear and eliminate noise), mixed together, pressed to form the shape, then sintered at high temperature and pressure.
These pads wear the rotors and when the mix of metallic powders are left on metallic surfaces they produce corrosion. Why do you think your chrome wheels rust? The same is happening on your pistons as well as also forming a sticky which than forms a hard ring around the piston thus not allowing the piston to retract properly. Your pistons do not retract fully thus your pads drag all of the time.
Maybe the actual maintenance of a Harley Davidson should be left to the highly trained professionals as exhibited by the answers above. All of these answers are given on my site as well as proper brake pad installation and cleaning procedures. The calipers are shown with less than 7K miles.
Last edited by FastHarley; Mar 28, 2009 at 11:36 AM.