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Ever drop a rear brake pad?

Wizeguy

Wizeguy

Guest
Guest
Found a nice new feature on my rear brakes. Took a freeway offramp Sunday morning after a really nice 100mi wakeup ride. Applied my front brakes coming up to the light, started to apply the rear a bit, didn't feel right. Applied it again, and heard something metal skipping on the road behind me. Pulled over, removed the hard case, and it was clear as could be that the small pad had dropped right out of the caliper. WTF?? The bike was a little hard to push backward out of the garage that morning, so I'm thinking I may have gone for my ride with a rear brake that was a bit hung up. Based on what I found upon disassembly, I guess the piston just had enough material built up on it that it wouldn't retract properly. Still seems a little weird to actually drop the freakin pad right out of the caliper. Anyone else experience this before? Mike B / Gig Harbor, WA
 
Not me thank goodness, that'd be pretty disconcerting. Thanks for the heads up though, I'll be thinking about if my rear brake ever starts feeling funky.
 
Had the same thing happen. Fortunately it was at home in the garage during a rear tire change. It appears that a small tab on the retaining spring broke off. The pad and the backing plate are bent. I've ordered new parts from Bike Bandit.
 
Dropped a front pad in some sticky traffic this past February...pulled the lever, no brakes, pumping like a madwoman and heard the "clink" under the bike. I had to "crash" the bike gently into the curb in a parking lot (less than 3 mph) to stop it, as it was sand and I didn't dare lift my feet off the ground for the rear brake or dump the clutch and make it buck. On the way out the pad scored up the buttons on the rotor but only cosmetic damage. The pad was nearby so I could put it back in, but the 14mm in the junk stock tool kit was stripping the bolt head so I had to walk about half a mile in full leathers to to the Big Box Store to buy a set of "real" box end wrenches, which are part of my new improved tool kit :) It was my error, I'm sure I pushed the pistons too far into the caliper when I re-installed the wheel recently, and didn't have the pads set right when I put it together. Mine's an 05 (bought in '06) with 36k miles. Glad your mishap at speed was the rear!
 
I have heard of this on the forum before. I sure want to understand it better though. It seems like real poor engineering to allow a pad to fall out no matter what. ---------------------------------- South Central Area Director Email scad@cog-online.org
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On my Chevy Venture van ('02 model) the front caliper got more or less stuck. Continued driving in that condition led to some serious heat on the rotor and pads. The heat apparently destroyed whatever adhesive held the pads to the backing plate, and they fell off very easily indeed. Maybe some similar situation pertains here? Sahagan
 
I have also had this problem and as mention by someone else my problem was a damaged spring. A small section of the middle tab had broken off during a rear brake pad replacement. I didn't think much of it at the time but had intended to replace the spring, howerver before I got around to it I loast rear pad next to the piston while getting on the freeway one day. I didn't really notice anything but thought I heard a noise, but the first time I applied the rear brake I realized what happened. The rear spring is very important in ensuring the pad is locked into the caliper properly. John Ashton Ft. Worth, TX COG 6513 AMA 1078826 05 Concours
 
After dropping the rear inner pad I now replace the retaining springs whenever replacing pads. It is a small price to pay. I've also just rebuilt all three calipers. I don't think this is a task we do often enough. In the future I'll inspect closely at every tire change.
 
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