Disc Brake Tech, Part-1.

How-To Revitalize and Maintain Your Disc brakes.
Most motorcycle riders cannot afford to buy a new motorcycle every time something goes wrong with our motorcycle or needs adjusting. As consumers, we are familiar with the ever-so-painful and expensive trip to the local our motorcycle dealer or favorite shade tree motorcycle mechanic.
You probably have thought about the idea of performing basic maintenance tasks on your own motorcycle, but may be concerned with your ability to do basic motorcycle maintenance on your bike. We all feel that way, especially when we take a look at the complexity of modern motorcycles. None of us wants to tackle a job on our bike and end up making things worse than they already are. One maintenance task most of us can do is replace the pads on our bikes disc brakes. The basics of most motorcycles equipped with are all basically the same and reasonably easy to tackle by the average rider in their own garage. However, you must use a great deal of caution when dealing with your motorcycle brakes because of how important they are to your safety. If you don't feel comfortable working on your motorcycle brakes by yourself, then by all means have someone with more knowledge and experience help you.

 
Whether you ride a sportbike or a modern cruiser, the elements in your motorcycle braking system are pretty much the same. They all take advantage of a fluid element that is pressurized to provide the required forces (better known as hydraulics) to squeeze the brake pad material onto the rotor. As easy as this sounds, there are a few key tricks to making sure that your motorcycle brakes are up to spec.

 
First task is check and make sure there is no air in the hydraulic or brake fluid lines. Air in your motorcycles brake lines is a big problem and can get you into serious trouble if the necessary precautions are not taken. The second most important aspect of the motorcycle's braking system concerns the amount of friction material on your brake pads. As you use your brakes, the surface of the pads are slowly rubbed away in order to provide enough friction to stop your motorcycle. The third and often over-looked important aspect is the freshness of your brake fluid. Brake systems are not a yearly check-and-forget item on your bike. As your motorcycle fluid gets old, it starts to breakdown and will absorb moisture, reducing the fluids ability to perform its job.

 
Most motorcycle disc brake systems are basically the same and fairly easy to tackle by most motorcycle owners-riders. 
Replacing stock or worn brake pads is the quickest way to bring back your bikes original braking power. The different manufacturers make many different types of replacement brake pads for today's motorcycles. Some claim to last longer, while others claim to give your motorcycle more feel and braking power. If you are unsure which aftermarket brake pads to use just buy a new set of the original pads that came on the motorcycle. This will usually be the best option for most riders unless you are a real hotshot and feel you need the extra breaking power provided by expensive aftermarket performance pads will give. One thing to remember when replacing your motorcycle's disc brake pads is the manufacturer of your motorcycle spent a lot of time and effort into developing your braking system so there is no telling what a different type of pad material might do to your particular motorcycle rotors. Or how well different pads will work with the overall design and setup of your bike. If you have any doubts, then stick with original factory pads.