[6on2by1]

i'm curious to find out what other nineT owners are seeing with rear brake pad wear.

my nineT has just over 5k miles on it and i wore the brake pads down to the metal and ground the **** out of my rotor. (made for an expensive day today getting it replaced). i only noticed a grinding noise a week or two ago and didn't really consider that it might be pad wear since i was used to going at least 12k+ miles with the rear pads on my previous GS and K75.

i'm certain a big part of it is heavier-than-usual brake use during commute, from stop and go traffic to speed control while filtering through cars, but i had those same habits with the GS. the brake system checked out otherwise fine, so i'm left wondering how much of the wear is my riding style and how much is just the nature of the bike.

the techs gave me some ideas on how to change my riding habits to decrease the rate of wear in the future, but i'm curious if any of you have noticed a shorter life with your nineT's rear brake pads compared to other bikes...

 

[Lost Rider]

Over 18k miles and I haven't needed to replace mine, sometime soon for sure, but they are still in spec. I'm hoping since my girl rides the NineT more than me nowadays and is much less aggressive they will last to the 24k service.

I used the rear brake often, especially when in the canyons so I'm not sure if there's something different about this bike compared to others. I got similar milage out of my R1200R, but it has linked brakes so I only used the rear for turning and not under normal coming to a stop braking.

Is it possible you've been letting your foot rest on the brake while riding on accident, since the NineT is different than a GS? Does a GS have linked brakes?...

 

[6on2by1]

hey finn, thanks for the input...

yeah, the GS had linked brakes (with really noisy servos) but i want to say it was front brakes triggered the back, but not the other way around? is that the nature of linked brakes? i've always used rear brake at slow speeds to help stabilize the bike and i don't remember it affecting the fronts with the GS.

it's possible that i rest my foot on the brake, and that's one of the things the tech suggested, but it would be really unconscious of me and i'm not aware of it. on the mostly highway ride home from the shop i paid attention to my foot position and it's pretty centered on the peg and pointing slightly outward, well away from the brake pedal. i know that i cover the pedal when i'm filtering through traffic, but i'll have to pay attention to just how much over the next few days being more focused on it. but of course, now that it's on my mind, my behavior has probably changed already.

over 18k miles already? ****... i'm doing that wrong too.

 

[Lost Rider]

My pleasure.

We're all different and when I hear some people tire milage I just can't even comprehend how they get that many miles out of them.
Same with this, but generally I'm not on the end of getting most milage out of anything that wears.

Maybe it's a combination of riding style, and possibly the GS has different rear pads, for "less" performance and better wear?

 

[Marc - Australia]

Same here... hit 18000km last weekend and pads are still good...

As Finn said... maybe your foot accidentally sits on the brake.

 

[Karamazov]

i'm curious to find out what other nineT owners are seeing with rear brake pad wear.

my nineT has just over 5k miles on it and i wore the brake pads down to the metal and ground the **** out of my rotor. (made for an expensive day today getting it replaced). i only noticed a grinding noise a week or two ago and didn't really consider that it might be pad wear since i was used to going at least 12k+ miles with the rear pads on my previous GS and K75.

i'm certain a big part of it is heavier-than-usual brake use during commute, from stop and go traffic to speed control while filtering through cars, but i had those same habits with the GS. the brake system checked out otherwise fine, so i'm left wondering how much of the wear is my riding style and how much is just the nature of the bike.

the techs gave me some ideas on how to change my riding habits to decrease the rate of wear in the future, but i'm curious if any of you have noticed a shorter life with your nineT's rear brake pads compared to other bikes...

I started sensing a grinding noise at 8500 miles (didn't hear it with plugs in). Sure as sh!t, rear brake pad is gone and I'm into the rotor.

I'm absolutely certain it's not riding style - I'm not a heavy rear brake user and my last three BMWs went to 25k plus before the pads wore. And two of them had linked brakes. It's also not a foot resting on the brake situation, I wear a size 8 and have never had rear pad wear like this before in 10+ years riding.

In any case, it was at the dealer at 6k and again at 7k for a new rear tire, so it should have been caught. I highly doubt it went from 50% to chewing up metal in less than 2k miles.

 

[6on2by1]

@Karamazov thanks for the feedback. this adds to my suspicion.

since this happened i've been monitoring my ride, foot position and brake use and there's just no way that i was inadvertently applying rear brake. my relaxed foot position is angled out slightly, well away from the brake.

i'm still at a loss because the brake system checked out okay when it was serviced, and though i trust the techs that work on my bike, i still can't help but suspect faulty brakes.

 

[tomcatt]

i'm still at a loss because the brake system checked out okay when it was serviced, and though i trust the techs that work on my bike, i still can't help but suspect faulty brakes.

Thx for the heads up. Sounds like a set of rear brake pads sitting on the shelf would be a good idea.

I suspect you're just wearing them out. Issues with dragging pads (be it mechanical or hydraulic or from your foot on the lever) are usually accompanied by an obviously blued disc...

 

[6on2by1]

Sounds like a set of rear brake pads sitting on the shelf would be a good idea

indeed.

didn't know about blue discs until just now. thanks, tomcatt (and google). i pulled out the replaced rotor and there's no blue, but something i hadn't noticed before was that the outer surface of the rotor was ground down and the corresponding pad was just non-existent. but the inner surface was still smooth and it's corresponding pad still had between 1 and 2mm of padding left. mis-aligned calipers? improperly mounted caliper housing? will be interesting to monitor over the next 5k miles.

 

[Karamazov]

indeed.

didn't know about blue discs until just now. thanks, tomcatt (and google). i pulled out the replaced rotor and there's no blue, but something i hadn't noticed before was that the outer surface of the rotor was ground down and the corresponding pad was just non-existent. but the inner surface was still smooth and it's corresponding pad still had between 1 and 2mm of padding left. mis-aligned calipers? improperly mounted caliper housing? will be interesting to monitor over the next 5k miles.

Did they replace your pads and rotor under warranty?

 

[6on2by1]

Did they replace your pads and rotor under warranty?

they did not. they determined that nothing was defective and was therefore my own fault.

 

[tomcatt]

indeed.

...the outer surface of the rotor was ground down and the corresponding pad was just non-existent. but the inner surface was still smooth and it's corresponding pad still had between 1 and 2mm of padding left. mis-aligned calipers? improperly mounted caliper housing? will be interesting to monitor over the next 5k miles.

That I'd call normal. In a perfect world the pads would wear exactly evenly but in our world a <2 mm difference is pretty good.

 

[Karamazov]

they did not. they determined that nothing was defective and was therefore my own fault.

That's a shame. I probably would have pushed for it. 5k is pretty excessive wear. You shouldn't have to prove it wasn't rider error.

I'm assuming mine will be covered since my dealer asked for pics (they only ask for pics when they need something to send their BMW rep to get approval for warranty work). If BMW warranty doesn't cover it, I'll insist my dealer does - since he's had the bike twice and should have seen the wear. If not at the tire change - when it should be caught, definitely at the 6k service, being a checklist item.

In any case, now I know to keep an eye out for early wear on my rear pads.

 

[tomcatt]

... it should be caught, definitely at the 6k service, being a checklist item.

And your 6,000 mi service checklist might give you "a leg to stand on", but still only for additional damage (a trashed disc) caused by them missing it. Otherwise, unless there's a demonstrable defect, it's just wear. It would be like wanting your rear tire warrantied because you only got 4,000 miles on it...

Then there's stuff they fix as "goodwill".

 

[Karamazov]

And your 6,000 mi service checklist might give you "a leg to stand on", but still only for additional damage (a trashed disc) caused by them missing it. Otherwise, unless there's a demonstrable defect, it's just wear. It would be like wanting your rear tire warrantied because you only got 4,000 miles on it...

Then there's stuff they fix as "goodwill".

I understand your point, but it'd be more like wanting my rear tire warrantied because I only got 1000 miles out of it. And if I tore through a rear tire in 1000 miles, you can be sure I'd be talking to the manufacturer about my experience and expecting a replacement.

I'm not usually the kind to say "well you guys should have caught it" and not take responsibility for my own bike. But like I said, at this mileage, it wouldn't have even occurred to me to look. But it is the dealer's responsibility to check it at 6k (where there would have been more then 50% wear) and I would certainly expect that a competent tech at least sees the brake pads when he changes a tire (at which point the pad was nearing full wear).

Also, as I said - if warranty doesn't cover it, I'll expect my dealer to.

 

[BlueBrick]

hey finn, thanks for the input...

yeah, the GS had linked brakes (with really noisy servos) but i want to say it was front brakes triggered the back, but not the other way around? is that the nature of linked brakes? i've always used rear brake at slow speeds to help stabilize the bike and i don't remember it affecting the fronts with the GS.

it's possible that i rest my foot on the brake, and that's one of the things the tech suggested, but it would be really unconscious of me and i'm not aware of it. on the mostly highway ride home from the shop i paid attention to my foot position and it's pretty centered on the peg and pointing slightly outward, well away from the brake pedal. i know that i cover the pedal when i'm filtering through traffic, but i'll have to pay attention to just how much over the next few days being more focused on it. but of course, now that it's on my mind, my behavior has probably changed already.

over 18k miles already? ****... i'm doing that wrong too.

TheBMW method for linked brakes is that the hand lever actuates both front and rear brakes. Since there are two rotors on the front and one on the rear, the rear pads tend to wear faster, (at least they do on my K1200RS)

Honda and Moto-Guzzi have the foot brake operate both front and rear brakes and the hand brake actuates an additional cylinder on the front only. I think that is a pretty goofy system. I want the rear brake to be operable by itself.

The RNineT does not have linked brakes, so that is a moot point.

What I think may have happened to your rear brake is that the brake plunger was set too long without any clearance. This could cause the rear brake to be partly engaged. If set too tightly, it would prevent the bike from moving and the brake light would not even come on.

 

[roadrunner]

I started sensing a grinding noise at 8500 miles (didn't hear it with plugs in). Sure as sh!t, rear brake pad is gone and I'm into the rotor.

I'm absolutely certain it's not riding style - I'm not a heavy rear brake user and my last three BMWs went to 25k plus before the pads wore. And two of them had linked brakes. It's also not a foot resting on the brake situation, I wear a size 8 and have never had rear pad wear like this before in 10+ years riding.

In any case, it was at the dealer at 6k and again at 7k for a new rear tire, so it should have been caught. I highly doubt it went from 50% to chewing up metal in less than 2k miles.

Check for excessive lateral play/wobble in the rear wheel by grabbing and 9 & 3 o'clock position.

 

[tomcatt]

FD186G1532 is Galfers' Kevlar/Ceramic, very easy on the disc, rear pad for our R Nine Ts. Think I'm going to have to try a set as I'm not impressed with the OE pads or the rear brakes' performance.

 

[Joe]

Hi guys,

Just taken my bike in for it's yearly service (only 1650 miles on the clock) to the local BMW dealership. They've just rung to say that the Rear Brake Master Cylinder has seized and the rear brake pads have worn completely out, and destroyed the disk etc. As it is caused by a fault they are happy to replace under warranty.

Worryingly though, they've said that the Front Brakes are nearly completely worn out too! They're going to replace and see if they can find any fault, but nothing has shown up yet, and if not I will have to pay for the Fronts. Is there anything I should say to them as I bought the bike brand new, have only ridden it gently, and done 1650 miles, so that seems like they've worn out very quickly for that mileage.

Any help, much appreciated. Cheers,

Joe

 

[BaldyDave]

Hi guys,

Just taken my bike in for it's yearly service (only 1650 miles on the clock) to the local BMW dealership. They've just rung to say that the Rear Brake Master Cylinder has seized and the rear brake pads have worn completely out, and destroyed the disk etc. As it is caused by a fault they are happy to replace under warranty.

Worryingly though, they've said that the Front Brakes are nearly completely worn out too! They're going to replace and see if they can find any fault, but nothing has shown up yet, and if not I will have to pay for the Fronts. Is there anything I should say to them as I bought the bike brand new, have only ridden it gently, and done 1650 miles, so that seems like they've worn out very quickly for that mileage.

Any help, much appreciated. Cheers,

Joe

IMO it would be up to BMW to PROVE you were doing something wrong, if they say that there is no fault on the bike. I have indicated my thoughts on the other thread you have contributed to.

No discs/pads should wear out under normal usage at this mileage!