Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 998 / 996 / 916 / 748 > 748s 2002 brakes feeling very flat and dull.

[weeksy2]

Hmmmmm

rode the Missus' 748S on Sunday for 20-30 miles.... she was a little worried about her brakes.... and rightly so... they were bloody awful.

So she's got standard 2 pads calipers, running braided lines. So i'm assuming at this stage neither of them are at fault.... could easily be the fluid being old and tired though i guess... or possibly the pads....

So assuming it's the pads... what are you guys running on a standard set-up please ? don't want a set of PF race pads that will die in 1000 miles.... just something decent and reasonaly long wearing too if possible.

thanks,

[andyb]

A pair of new std ones then..........?
Why assume anything? Is the bike used in all weathers? How are the pistons in the callipers, do they need cleaning freeing?

[weeksy2]

Based upon how the wheel spins and bites when on a stand i'm making an assumption it's not the pistons. the pads have plenty of wear in them... which is a slightly confusing bit i must admit...

Well we have to make a certain ammount of assumptions or we'll never get anywhere will we !!!

Bike is used only in summer apart from a recent trip to France where it got wet more than a few times... but the brakes were like that before she went. That was the first time it ever saw rain.

[Jools]

Pads could be glazed ???

What I would do is take the calipers off the bike and get the pads out. While the pads are out do a general clean up of the calipers. There are loads of threads on here about the best way of doing this but my preference is to put something solid between the pistons to stop them popping right out, then push them out as far as they'll go. Remove all the crud around the pistons with brake cleaner and an old toothbrush and then lubricate the pistons with brake fluid. Lever the pistons back in to refit the pads.

If you're feeling mean you can rough the surface of the pads up with a file or coarse emery cloth to bust through the glazing. If you're feeling flush you can drop in a new set of bendix pads which I've found were brilliant.

When using your brakes again for the first time after deglazing them or changing them, you need to bed them in. The best way to do this is to make sure that you don't do anything like trail braking while bedding them in. Light but lengthy applications of brakes just puts a lot of heat into them and galzes them again. I always start on a straight piece of road and make sure there's nothing behind, get up to about 60 then brake to about 10-20 using fairly firm brakes (not standing the bike on it's nose, but quite firm). I then ride for about half a mile to let the brakes cool and do it again. I repeat this process, getting progressively harder on the brakes as they start to bite better. However, as you've found with your P34's, even if you've given them an initial bedding in like this they might need 100 miles or so of normal riding before they really come good.