Replacing front brake pads - 1994 model

[Leblon]

Hi all,

I was changing my brake pads yesterday and I couldn't replace the front pads correctly. The inner pad is retained by the pins, but the outer pad just sits there with nothing holding it in place.




The manual says that the protrusions on each end must be on top of the pad guide but the pad guide is a bit further behind and anyway I can hardly see how it would maintain the pad in place.




What am I missing here? Has anyone ever faced this issue or has a good tip on how to put them back?

I know it is supposed to be a relatively straightforward job and I am a little perplexed to find myself in this situation, any help would be much appreciated.

Many thanks,

Simon

[The Buddha]

Hit the brakes a few times till the brakes start to bite. The outer pad stays there cos it cant slide inward (the disk prevents it) and those things that let it hang - well just let it hang. Yea I dont like it either, but it did stay for 100's of 1000's of miles on various GS'es and GS related bikes of mine.

Cool.
Buddha.

[Leblon]

Thank you for the answer. As of now the outer pad would litterally just fall off the caliper if I were to hold it upside down, is it really how it is supposed to be? Only maintained by the friction with the disc? Apologies for insisting, I just want to make sure I get this right.

[The Buddha]

Stuff a piece of cardboard about the thickness of the disk between the pads pump em and hold it upside down and see if it will fall off.
That is exactly how it sits in the bike - not friction, its the thickness of the disk keeping it there (if you installed it correctly).

1000's of people have changed it on this site, you seem to be not sure to the point I think you may have made a mistake putting it on. If the disk was worn super super thin, and that pad was worn super super thin, like wear the pad and wear through 80% of the metal backing plate - which is a impossibility on the bike cos the static pad wears 3X as fast, so you'd have to literally change the static pad 10 times without changing this even once, and likely change 5-10 brake rotors cos the steel backing plate will destroy the rotor - then you can get it to fall out when on the bike - if installed correctly.

If it bothers you that much, swap to a 89-96 katana 600 Front end - then you get dual opposed pistons with 2 pins put through holding the pads like they were curtains in front of the dual opposed pistons. As a side benefit you get incredible braking, stoppie ability and brakes that last for ever - like 5X as long and disks too. In less than 50K miles it will have paid for itself in that alone, not to mention easier fork seals to swap out, legs are better quality so seals dont leak as easy etc etc. Oh yea guages, lock etc dont work (unless you did some of those mods and parts I made, but I dont have em now - all gone or only 1 was made)

Cool.
Buddha.