[AusEr6guy]

RSV is where I got my rear sets from they arrived a little later than first estimated but they’re a good honest vendor. Quality is pretty good.
In order to use these(they make a 100mm version as well)
You’ll need a pair of callipers, and I recommend changing the master cylinder to match callipers as well to retain stock levels of performance.
You can often find sets from older sport bikes at wreckers on line with master, lines and callipers included
Good callipers to upgrade to are anything from japanese sport bikes zx10, r1 gsxr, etc
They also make an upside down hanger for brembo racing rear caliper so if you want to match front and back, you can
If you buy used it might be wise to factor in pads, seals/calliper rebuild kit as well.

rule of thumb
European bikes have 100mm radial callipers(spacing between the bolts. Japanese use 108 spacing. Stay away from the r1 six piston callipers they will only fit r1 forks.

you may also need to space the callipers out to fit the disks you have as all forks and callipers are a little different in that respect

if you need to space the callipers you may also need longer bolts to suit.

 

[GR rider]

Addendum to my previous impressions after my 3300+kms road trip. The rear SBS pad really shined and retained all the positive attributes mentioned above. The attitude over distance and under max weight load was extremely stable and the only natural change was pedal modulation (as was lever modulation for the front brake). The stabilizing effect and locking limit threshold were even better and crisper with the extra weight on the rear. No warm up needed – zero noise. Really enjoyed using the rear brake for the duration of my trip.

I also had the chance to form a more complete opinion about the front Sinter Evo pads. They really shined over their Brembo predecessors during highway braking with the front tire fully loaded by weight and momentum. In Italy this kind of braking was quite frequent as they tend to service parts of their highways by leaving one lane open to traffic thus I often had to brake from 140kmh / 90mph to around 70kmh / 45mph in order to fold in line and follow the single line for about 3kms before exiting and accelerating to normal highway speeds again.
Initially I had to release the front brake lever as I was getting more stopping power than I expected while still getting that nice linear feeling instead of a vague, wooden sensation. I could also feather the front brake while rolling down steep alleys paved with shiny, ultra slippery cobblestones and even fine gravel, conditions where front brake usage is usually a big no-no. The brake feel was so crisp that I even intentionally tested the locking limit of the front, so very impressive indeed.
As always keep in mind that the improvements in feel were within the effective braking range dictated by the oem brake pump and master cylinder of my bike – so don’t expect miracles but tangible great improvement.

I can only say once more that on a bike with basic braking hardware like the Er these pads are a real upgrade and worth every cent of their price, which is rather good for premium items anyway

 

[GR rider]

Nice video about brake upgrades with a Versys as an example of a bike with shoddy brakes

Man is our hardware (in)famous or what!

Never thought about scrubbing the discs with brake cleaner and scotch pad before installing new pads, seems to make sense and speed up the bedding procedure.

 

[Antares]

Nice video about brake upgrades with a Versys as an example of a bike with shoddy brakes

Man is our hardware (in)famous or what!

Never thought about scrubbing the discs with brake cleaner and scotch pad before installing new pads, seems to make sense and speed up the bedding procedure.

Watched that video haha, might even find my comment on there.

 

[Paul B]

Nice video about brake upgrades with a Versys as an example of a bike with shoddy brakes

Man is our hardware (in)famous or what!

Never thought about scrubbing the discs with brake cleaner and scotch pad before installing new pads, seems to make sense and speed up the bedding procedure.

Just bought a 50k bike priced so I can freshen it the way I like. Brakes will get steel lines, service with new pads and rotors. I have the bike in bits for suspension upgrade to replace the old and tired. Also bearings will get changed for new. 50k is a number that demands a lot of maintenance and why not upgrade at the same time. Maybe Arashi discs. Hoping to get some feedback on these.

 

[Antares]

Just bought a 50k bike priced so I can freshen it the way I like. Brakes will get steel lines, service with new pads and rotors. I have the bike in bits for suspension upgrade to replace the old and tired. Also bearings will get changed for new. 50k is a number that demands a lot of maintenance and why not upgrade at the same time. Maybe Arashi discs. Hoping to get some feedback on these.

I got over 50k on mine, it's definitely needed everything at some point, front wheel bearing 3x due to some issues caused by the 1st wheel bearings practically exploding. It's all sorted now and current bearings are in there for 10k+. Got headstock bearings, rear wheel bearings, changed oil in forks about 10k ago, but didn't rebuild them. Shock is still original with 50k and the bike handles sublime for it's age. Haven't replaced shock's bearings though. I've done brakes all around, currently on EBC XC discs for the last ~23k miles. Rebuilt front calipers 2x due to lot of winter riding. Haven't rebuilt MC though. Got a clutch cable replacement, but not cos the old one was sticky or worn, just the adjuster on the engine side broke. Rear disc same time as front disc, rebuild 1x just recently. Valves done at 40k had quite a bad clearances, almost half were out of spec, i put that down to the bike running without a tune on a full system pretty much from the start of it's life, some valves were out by quite a bit but it ran good before and even better after. Plugs done 2x last about 8k miles ago. Clutch done when around 25k miles ago, in hindsight it might not have needed it, stiffer clutch springs from barnett improved feel massively. Couple small electrical gremlins here and there, all sorted (brake switch, left switchgear plug under tank had corrosion, park light/sidelights with intermittent contact issues). Been reliable as a rock, never left me stranded except for dead battery, but even then I could push/jump start it. That's all the common maintenance items I can think of not including common consumables, (pads, chain & sprocket, tyres, oil and filters). I've probably spent over around 2k on maintenance and parts on this bike but 950 quid of that was one big job (both tyres, new exhaust, old exhaust had rusted/broken studs that had to be extracted by mechanic). I'd like to believe my ER6 is one of the nicest ones out there especially considering age but then so does everyone else lol!

 

[GR rider]

I got over 50k on mine, it's definitely needed everything at some point, front wheel bearing 3x due to some issues caused by the 1st wheel bearings practically exploding. It's all sorted now and current bearings are in there for 10k+. Got headstock bearings, rear wheel bearings, changed oil in forks about 10k ago, but didn't rebuild them. Shock is still original with 50k and the bike handles sublime for it's age. Haven't replaced shock's bearings though. I've done brakes all around, currently on EBC XC discs for the last ~23k miles. Rebuilt front calipers 2x due to lot of winter riding. Haven't rebuilt MC though. Got a clutch cable replacement, but not cos the old one was sticky or worn, just the adjuster on the engine side broke. Rear disc same time as front disc, rebuild 1x just recently. Valves done at 40k had quite a bad clearances, almost half were out of spec, i put that down to the bike running without a tune on a full system pretty much from the start of it's life, some valves were out by quite a bit but it ran good before and even better after. Plugs done 2x last about 8k miles ago. Clutch done when around 25k miles ago, in hindsight it might not have needed it, stiffer clutch springs from barnett improved feel massively. Couple small electrical gremlins here and there, all sorted (brake switch, left switchgear plug under tank had corrosion, park light/sidelights with intermittent contact issues). Been reliable as a rock, never left me stranded except for dead battery, but even then I could push/jump start it. That's all the common maintenance items I can think of not including common consumables, (pads, chain & sprocket, tyres, oil and filters). I've probably spent over around 2k on maintenance and parts on this bike but 950 quid of that was one big job (both tyres, new exhaust, old exhaust had rusted/broken studs that had to be extracted by mechanic). I'd like to believe my ER6 is one of the nicest ones out there especially considering age but then so does everyone else lol!

I think Paul first posted this on the ZX-14 forum so maybe his 50k bike is a ZX-14, I am not sure though.

Hell of a nice overview of your bike's conditon though and definitely informative

 

[Paul B]

I got over 50k on mine, it's definitely needed everything at some point, front wheel bearing 3x due to some issues caused by the 1st wheel bearings practically exploding. It's all sorted now and current bearings are in there for 10k+. Got headstock bearings, rear wheel bearings, changed oil in forks about 10k ago, but didn't rebuild them. Shock is still original with 50k and the bike handles sublime for it's age. Haven't replaced shock's bearings though. I've done brakes all around, currently on EBC XC discs for the last ~23k miles. Rebuilt front calipers 2x due to lot of winter riding. Haven't rebuilt MC though. Got a clutch cable replacement, but not cos the old one was sticky or worn, just the adjuster on the engine side broke. Rear disc same time as front disc, rebuild 1x just recently. Valves done at 40k had quite a bad clearances, almost half were out of spec, i put that down to the bike running without a tune on a full system pretty much from the start of it's life, some valves were out by quite a bit but it ran good before and even better after. Plugs done 2x last about 8k miles ago. Clutch done when around 25k miles ago, in hindsight it might not have needed it, stiffer clutch springs from barnett improved feel massively. Couple small electrical gremlins here and there, all sorted (brake switch, left switchgear plug under tank had corrosion, park light/sidelights with intermittent contact issues). Been reliable as a rock, never left me stranded except for dead battery, but even then I could push/jump start it. That's all the common maintenance items I can think of not including common consumables, (pads, chain & sprocket, tyres, oil and filters). I've probably spent over around 2k on maintenance and parts on this bike but 950 quid of that was one big job (both tyres, new exhaust, old exhaust had rusted/broken studs that had to be extracted by mechanic). I'd like to believe my ER6 is one of the nicest ones out there especially considering age but then so does everyone else lol!

I just got mine and done minimal riding with it. It has roadworthy, new tires, chain/sprockets. The top seals were done for roadworthy with tappets that were OK, plugs and top seals. Going to do the suspension upgrade and brakes. This was the plan from the start. So it has pretty much been sitting till I get all this done. I don't want to get a muscle memory for the wrong things. Also have new rearsets going on and bit of bling. Yes it is ZX14 2007. I also have ZX12R A1 that I bought new. The old girl is 21 already and starting to be collectible and it is in stock condition. Hardly gets ridden anymore.

I'm looking into the Arashi discs for the ZX14.

 

[Antares]

So here are my final on-road impressions for the SBS pads:

705SP

www.sbs.dk

687LS

www.sbs.dk


It took quite a while to completely bed in the front pair with a few high speed 140+ to 40kph cycles included. They worked extremely well from the get go of course, and kept improving with time. The rear pad was pretty much ready after a week and about eighty rolling cycles. When properly bed in, a brave dose of brake cleaner in the calipers and a good wiping of the rotors brought the whole braking system to 100%.

I will start with the rear pad as it impressed me the most. Very nice feeling on the pedal, assertive and accurate bite, crystal clear locking point. Ideal for riders who use the rear brake either in town or to help the front end of the bike keep the desired line while turning. It makes filtering and city riding along with the traffic a doddle – the front brake is needed only to bring the bike to a complete stop or when the speed increases. Unique and excellent feeling and control when the rear wheel lightens up during hard braking and it works amazingly well with the front Evo Sinter pads as advertised. Best reap pad I’ve ever tried.

The front pads provide very sophisticated feel, linear and full at the same time, excellent bite and power, and a broad and well defined range of operation which fills the rider with confidence. Sweet violence as I wrote above, which is contradictory and quite difficult to achieve and my personal absolute favorite when it comes to braking. They also produce less brake dust than the previous red Brembos and they feel and sound much friendlier when squeezing the rotor hard. Both front and rear pads are very user friendly with little to no warm up time needed, fade proof and completely silent in their operation.

Best brake pad combo I’ve ever used and thus totally recommended!

Just ordered a set of 742LS for my XR, will be here in a couple days, will report back if they work as well in that bike as in the ER6

 

[GR rider]

Just ordered a set of 742LS for my XR, will be here in a couple days, will report back if they work as well in that bike as in the ER6

Great, take your time and let us know when ready

 

[stephan750]

Just ordered a set of 742LS for my XR, will be here in a couple days, will report back if they work as well in that bike as in the ER6

I doubt that you will see much difference with so massively better hardware but interesting nevertheless!

 

[Antares]

I doubt that you will see much difference with so massively better hardware but interesting nevertheless!

The OEM rear pads are Organic brembos, organics tend to have better initial bite making them ideal for rear pads but the SBS LS feels like organic compared to the EBC HH i had in the ER6 in the past.

 

[GR rider]

I doubt that you will see much difference with so massively better hardware but interesting nevertheless!

The difference on the Er when compared to a sintered pad was massive so I bet Antares will be pleasantly surprised 😁

 

[Paul B]

Pads and discs go together. Also the caliber used makes a big difference what pad you should choose. Round and drilled discs often stock work very different to waved and slotted aftermarket discs. Just the wrong combination will result bad feel, over heating, hot spots, warping of the discs or short life. How you like the feel is a matter of taste and different brands offer variations yet very close in quality. With stock round and drilled it might be best to use organic and ceramic pads for the road. Copper sintered metal pads are aggressive and maybe over the top for many road users on round and drilled stock discs. Waved and slotted you will need copper sintered double H pads because these pads has very little give and strong bite with minimal disc surface. As long as pads are double H you are pretty alright. There is differences in HH pads some take a little more time to heat up even that HH means that the friction is at standard in cold and hot operating temperatures.

Rating Coefficient of Friction
E .25 – .35
F .35 – .45
G .45 – .55
H .55 – .65

H signifies a coefficient of friction greater than 0.55, so an HH pad offers that friction at both high and low temperatures.

It is usually the pads where people go wrong when replacing to upgraded aftermarket discs. Wrong pads will damage the disc.

 

[Paul B]

Also I found that many of the name brands are from China. That means there is often a Chinese brand that is stamped different but 100% same. Often it is also without too much information given to protect the main brand and the contract between the Chinese factory. You can save hundreds if you do your research about these ebay and Aliexpress brands. This goes with many things. For example Dainese or Alpinestars I just bought 100% genuine leathers, gloves and textiles worth +$3000. I paid about $1000. I take that saving any day. Same with pads the name brand set of front and rear $300 I paid $65. So don't get ripped off.

 

[GR rider]

Also I found that many of the name brands are from China. That means there is often a Chinese brand that is stamped different but 100% same. Often it is also without too much information given to protect the main brand and the contract between the Chinese factory. You can save hundreds if you do your research about these ebay and Aliexpress brands. This goes with many things. For example Dainese or Alpinestars I just bought 100% genuine leathers, gloves and textiles worth +$3000. I paid about $1000. I take that saving any day. Same with pads the name brand set of front and rear $300 I paid $65. So don't get ripped off.

Braking and safety gear are definitely not the fields to experiment and cheap out!

Buy only genuine, homologated products, and don't play with your safety and the safety of other road users.

 

[Antares]

Pads and discs go together. Also the caliber used makes a big difference what pad you should choose. Round and drilled discs often stock work very different to waved and slotted aftermarket discs. Just the wrong combination will result bad feel, over heating, hot spots, warping of the discs or short life. How you like the feel is a matter of taste and different brands offer variations yet very close in quality. With stock round and drilled it might be best to use organic and ceramic pads for the road. Copper sintered metal pads are aggressive and maybe over the top for many road users on round and drilled stock discs. Waved and slotted you will need copper sintered double H pads because these pads has very little give and strong bite with minimal disc surface. As long as pads are double H you are pretty alright. There is differences in HH pads some take a little more time to heat up even that HH means that the friction is at standard in cold and hot operating temperatures.

Rating Coefficient of Friction
E .25 – .35
F .35 – .45
G .45 – .55
H .55 – .65

H signifies a coefficient of friction greater than 0.55, so an HH pad offers that friction at both high and low temperatures.

It is usually the pads where people go wrong when replacing to upgraded aftermarket discs. Wrong pads will damage the disc.

I'd agree with most of this but you can mix any pad and discs based on the compound for specific results, sintered pads usually don't last long but are very gentle on rotors, organics are the other way. Sintered pads have different material compositions with different amounts of copper in them. Bottom line is EBC HH suck at every temperature apart from trackday braking. That's on their own Floating XC discs that they recommend with the HH, so they're most likely gonna be only worse if you miss match them or cause bad wear. Credit where credit is due, the Discs I have wore less than 20% of their life in 3 sets of pads, whereas OEM discs were absolutely destroyed by 25k.
Compared to the HH pads, the SBS works so much better in all scenarios, and does well enough even under hard riding, no unexpected wear, they're rather quiet, so no complaints, just a better product for all. As far as prices go in your 2nd post, I always bought the EBC sets for ~60 for the set on the ER6 and now on the XR the rear pads cost me exactly 25 GBP and they're about the size of some bikes' front pads (2x28mm piston rear brake). At this price it's simply not worth messing about with them.

Haven't got any longevity info yet but i only just got the rear pads for the XR and the ER has only been in for about 1-2k

 

[Antares]

Lol I just read to the end of the thread, this got off topic VERY quickly.

I personally find people like you uneducated, paranoid and haters. Get in with the program. EBC made in China. Brembo made in China. Galfer and Ferodo most likely made in China. Dainese and Alpine star made in China. SIDI is made in China. SATO Racing is made in China. MDI Carbon is made in China. Just to name few. Most of the shit is made in China no matter what the stamped on the product say. Most of the time only packet in destination country and stamped. Braided lines most come from China like HEL and maybe only crimped to size with added heat shrink for standards. If you know what to buy you can save thousands like me and get 100% same products. If you want to be stupid like you and pay thousands extra for the middleman then go for it and get conned and ripped off. If your hate for China is so strong that you need to voice it out then who do you think is the fool?

With regards to this, sure it's all made in china, but you get the shit ones going to no names, and the good samples that have actually been QC-d to name brands, it's always like this. Sure overpaying for Rukka might not make sense when an equivalent Oxford jacket is 95% there, but safety gear, especially critical parts like pads (discs are kinda okay as long as they're not warped as they're just a piece of steel) but pads, can literally disintegrate into powder as a mode of failure, and i've seen it happen multiple times on friends who cheaped out and bought the 20 quid ebay specials. Gadgets and shiny bits from no-name china brands? Okay. Brakes/chains/tyres? Absolutely not.

Anyway might want a Moderator to clean this thread up lol

 

[Antares]

 

[Richard Hawkins]

I personally have seen 2 different sets of Goldfren sintered pads delaminating and pulling of the steel backing plate. Ive been using SBS sintered for years so I would rather tust in something I know. They also supply OEM to several of the brake manufacturers.