I had just taken the bike 70 miles london to Stowmarket to visit family and test ride the clutch repair. Clutch is fantastic btw.
Brakes were fine on way down, but before I set off on the Sunday I got just by the main road and could feel resistance and hear a squeal. I initially thought it was a wheel bearing on its way out. stopped and checked (nearly thought ‘we’ll, it will be fine until I get home’) and the RHS front disc was scalding, whilst the LHS was cool.
Slowly rode it back to my brothers - usefully he is a mechanic of 13 years. He stripped the pads out and showed me.
I guess the point I want to make is two fold: first do not ignore the signs. I nearly, in my ignorance, tried to ride it back assuming it was a bearing on the way out. I am so glad I checked though. By the time I was at my brothers I had stopped twice to let it cool down, the bike was wailing and vibrations were comig up through the handlebars.
Secondly, beware the MOT inspection. I think all who read this will be shocked whenn I announced this was put through a 12 month inspection about 2 weeks ago!!
yes, I get 4 callouts a year with carol nash insurance. with a ducati, you need 'em all!
I could have called breakdown but needed to be in london prompt so chose to get a train instead and leave the bike at my brothers place. we plan to change oil and filter at same time.
Also means I get to return next weekend and pick up some eggs from his hens scrummy!
I just replaced mine in my monster last weekend. The pads were down to about 1mm from 5 on the new ones.
Might be worth getting some soap and a toohbrush in there while the pads ore out - cleans the caliper pistons and ensures that they’re free to ‘retract’.
A good argument for doing your own maintenance… you’d have spotted those problematic pads ages ago and popped some new ones in
I am somewhat surprised that the MOT tester let that through - he’s obviously a bit hard of thinking
hmmm why do people automatically think that a MOT means the vehicle is safe for 12months …
the MOT is only actually valid as a safety certificate at the time it is present in the MOT Station
If bike has been parked up for a while its safe to assume that in this time Brakes had bound on partly hence the heat build up and the resistance which would gradually wear away the friction material …
TimR - the short answer to your question, I am afraid, is I don’t (automatically think that a MOT means the vehicle is safe for 12months)
But I have done less than 100 miles since MOT, and these are the pads they passed on?? get real… you are not trying to suggest these pads were MOT-passable 2 weeks and 100 miles ago are you?
You are not trying to argue in that the condition of these brake pads were “valid … at the time it is present in the MOT Station” are you?
My point is, they were not picked up at MOT and should have been, by any reasonably competent tester…?
please note my suggestion regarding binding brakes … be suprised at how normal braking can feel yet brakes are binding …as for the Mot http://www.ukmot.com/bike_3-2.asp#Text_top
f.
(i) Brake linings or pads (other than sintered pads) less than 1.5mm thick at any point
(ii) Sintered brake pads less than 1mm thick at any point
is the guidelines that an inspector would be working too
and bearing in mind that no physical inspection is allowed only visual
but then again same could be said for Personal pre ride inspections
Agree, we should all carry out pre-ride inspectoins before setting off, but I do believe as a first journey since being MOT’d these were already beyond their life. I believe the images above demonstrate the lining is/was likely to be no more than the absolute minimum (1.5mm) at time of test, yet not even an advisory was issued if this wa the case…?
just to put my 2pence worth in, i have seen many,many times, on both ducati’s and aprilia’s (as they use the same 4-pad callipers) the friction material becoming detached from the backing plates. this looks like what has happened here. on inspection, the pads look fine, but its not till the calliper is actually removed that the problem becomes visible, as when they are in the calliper they look fine. i myself have visually inspected brakes before a service which have loads of material left, only to remove the callipers to say, change a tyre, to then find that the friction material simply falls out of the calliper, leaving the backing plate behind. after the first time i found it, i made a point of actually removing them during a service to make sure they were ok. the fact that there is almost no witness marking on the backing plates from them touching the discs,means it cant have been like that long as any contact with the disc would leave shiney marks on the backing plate face
the mot tester will only have carried out a visual check, which they no doubt passed.
They look fine to me buddy, you should get at least a few more trackdays out of’em! Seriously, when I first looked at the images I thought was that the friction material had corroded off?:hehe:
LOL! I know, but actually the rest of the bike is pretty good. I might head over to a Borough meet soon and bring it along (hopefully not as a box full of parts)
A series of unfortuante events, I keep telling myself.
Just ordered new oil £40, filter £12, front brake pads £70
Seriously, when I first looked at the images I thought was that the friction material had corroded off?:hehe:
