As we all know one of the great thing about this forum is learning how to fix things and do mods. As we all share our experiences we all learn more. Not every mod is for everyone, and there are lots of different styles in riding and trails we all take.
That being said I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit a mistake I made when it came to keeping up on maintenance and making sure my brake pads were okay. The nice thing about the HondaSXS forum, there doesn't seem to be that "one guy", or guys, that post crappy comments and make people feel stupid. Maybe that is because most of us are a little older.
My Talon has about 1,500 miles on her. Most of that is trail riding in VA/WV/KY. We ride pretty hard, on and off the gas, up and down hills and braking pretty hard. I hadn't used the paddle shifter much to down shift to slow going down a hill or out of a speed run. But that will change. On my last trip to VA/WV, the Talon had 1,250 miles to start. We rode about 250 miles on that 3 day trip. I could feel the brakes rubbing some. I thought okay the pads are getting worn time to change them. I used the paddle shifter a lot to slow down on that trip as I didn't want to ruin the rotors. Well, it was too late. I took off all 4 wheels and checked the pads. Each wheel had 1 pad worn all the way down and was eating the rotor. So lucky me, I got to buy 4 new rotors at about $140 EACH! The Honda brake pads aren't cheap either. I went with the EBC set as I have had good luck with EBC, and they sponsored a road race team I was a pit crew member for back in the late 80's/ early 90's. I put the new rotors on this morning and will put her back together the rest of the way today.
So learn from my mistake. Check your pads! I know many folks will get lots of miles on their pads as they ride on different terrain, use the paddle shifter more, and ride at different speeds. But if your a heavy trail rider, and you didn't or don't use your paddle shifter to downshift, you will want to keep and eye on those pads at around 1,000 miles.
Going forward I am using the paddle shifter a lot more. I'll probably just change the pads once a year. That is cheap insurance. A lot cheaper than the close to $800 I just spent on rotors and pads!!
That being said I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit a mistake I made when it came to keeping up on maintenance and making sure my brake pads were okay. The nice thing about the HondaSXS forum, there doesn't seem to be that "one guy", or guys, that post crappy comments and make people feel stupid. Maybe that is because most of us are a little older.
My Talon has about 1,500 miles on her. Most of that is trail riding in VA/WV/KY. We ride pretty hard, on and off the gas, up and down hills and braking pretty hard. I hadn't used the paddle shifter much to down shift to slow going down a hill or out of a speed run. But that will change. On my last trip to VA/WV, the Talon had 1,250 miles to start. We rode about 250 miles on that 3 day trip. I could feel the brakes rubbing some. I thought okay the pads are getting worn time to change them. I used the paddle shifter a lot to slow down on that trip as I didn't want to ruin the rotors. Well, it was too late. I took off all 4 wheels and checked the pads. Each wheel had 1 pad worn all the way down and was eating the rotor. So lucky me, I got to buy 4 new rotors at about $140 EACH! The Honda brake pads aren't cheap either. I went with the EBC set as I have had good luck with EBC, and they sponsored a road race team I was a pit crew member for back in the late 80's/ early 90's. I put the new rotors on this morning and will put her back together the rest of the way today.
So learn from my mistake. Check your pads! I know many folks will get lots of miles on their pads as they ride on different terrain, use the paddle shifter more, and ride at different speeds. But if your a heavy trail rider, and you didn't or don't use your paddle shifter to downshift, you will want to keep and eye on those pads at around 1,000 miles.
Going forward I am using the paddle shifter a lot more. I'll probably just change the pads once a year. That is cheap insurance. A lot cheaper than the close to $800 I just spent on rotors and pads!!