stupid brake pad question

[ddragon63]

The manuals I have read say not to use agressive compound pads as the rotors are too soft

Ya you'll warp the crap out of the rotors with aggressive pads. Heat and brakes dont get along much

[motoman]

Not gonna happen as thick and hard as these stainless rotors are. Even with the rotors on my ST being half as thick as these on the XS, have seen results of others using non OEM or non sintered pads on these....pads gone in short order. Over thirty years have used bout every type of pad there is on the XS rotors and they will digest anything thrown at them. If you get these rotors hot enough to warp........they're red.

[crazy steve]

You can run metallics OK, but do expect more rotor wear. Metallic pads can eat rotors up much faster than organics, and sooner or later the supply of cheap OEM rotors will dry up...

[motoman]

and sooner or later the supply of cheap OEM rotors will dry up...////////doubtful, pad AVAIVABILITY likely be gone first....lol...

[cywelchjr]

Since we use the same pads as 650's, it's not likely we will run out any time soon and there are at least two aftermarket rotor sets, they just aren't cheap.

[ViperRon]

safety

I do aggree with all here that the XS11 has weak breaking as compared to other bikes and for the experienced driver many improvements can be made. I am not trying to discourage improvements as they can save lives. I do have one thought to mention to any novice XS11 riders and expecially to anyone that has this as their first bike. The XS11 is quite heavy in comparison to current bikes (crotch rockets) that you can lock the front wheel and bring the rear wheel up maintaining control. The XS11 also along with weak breaking tends to have a weak front suspension system and narrow front tire in comparison to the weight of the bike. Experienced drivers know that the majority of breaking power comes from the front but we also know the pitfalls. The XS11 will break as well as any bike in a straight dry road condition but comming into a signal light with oil deposites or on a wet country road with uneven surface the weight of the bike can easily force the front to break traction making recovery very difficult on this bike expecially if the front shock system is not 100%. I caution anyone who is not well experienced that if they make changes to the front brakes to make sure they are followed with the same emphasis on the shocks along with practice braking in less than dry conditions.

[fredintoon]

Since we use the same pads as 650's, it's not likely we will run out any time soon and there are at least two aftermarket rotor sets, they just aren't cheap.

Hi Cy,
not us Special owners. Yes, we can get XS650 front disks but we are stuck with the tapered pads for XS750/850/11 Specials, not as many of those around, less if the XS750/850 pads ain't the same, I've never checked that.

[jetmechmarty]

I do aggree with all here that the XS11 has weak breaking as compared to other bikes and for the experienced driver many improvements can be made. I am not trying to discourage improvements as they can save lives. I do have one thought to mention to any novice XS11 riders and expecially to anyone that has this as their first bike. The XS11 is quite heavy in comparison to current bikes (crotch rockets) that you can lock the front wheel and bring the rear wheel up maintaining control. The XS11 also along with weak breaking tends to have a weak front suspension system and narrow front tire in comparison to the weight of the bike. Experienced drivers know that the majority of breaking power comes from the front but we also know the pitfalls. The XS11 will break as well as any bike in a straight dry road condition but comming into a signal light with oil deposites or on a wet country road with uneven surface the weight of the bike can easily force the front to break traction making recovery very difficult on this bike expecially if the front shock system is not 100%. I caution anyone who is not well experienced that if they make changes to the front brakes to make sure they are followed with the same emphasis on the shocks along with practice braking in less than dry conditions.

I found my braking much improved when I replaced the front springs with straight rate and added the emulators. I know those things don't grip the rotor and slow me down, but I sure do feel more in control when the front end isn't diving.