Pad fade at the track - Help!!!

[Kim-n-Dean]

No one seems to be able to answer this so, I thought I'd try the good ol' list.

At the track - My first session is fine. After that I can only get about 3 or 4 laps in before my brakes start acting up. Going into the turn everything feals fine but, by the time I'm ready to lean in the brakes are gone. I'm sqeezing the lever like I'm trying to break a tennis ball and no brakes. They stink somethin' awful too right before I lose them.

This started after I switched to EBC HH copper pads. I also got a lot faster at the same time so, the factory pads never got the same work out. Should I try switching back?

Any ideas besides air in the lines? I'm guessing 'pad fade' but, how do I get ride of it?????

[Nick_Ninja]

For what it's worth ------ brake pads are brake pads. They can 'glaze' after heavy use.

http://www.se-r.net/car_info/brake_performance.html

[Anonymous]

Have you changed your brake fluid? You've been doing a lot of track riding, which will make the fluid go bad faster than street riding. Yamaha suggests (for the R1) that brake fluid be changed every 2 years. This definately isn't often enough! My fluid was brown at 8400 miles and I asked the service guy at Vickery about it - he said they only do it every 2 years (or something like that). I asked Scott at TFOG and he said it should be done at least once a year on a street bike.

What color is your fluid? When my R1 was new, when I started up the bike, the neutral light would cause the brake fluid resevoir to glow green, after a year, it was brownish. I didn't notice any problems like you described, even at the track, but it's definately something to look into. Do you have SS lines too?

[Kim-n-Dean]

Have you changed your brake fluid? What color is your fluid?

The factory fluid (4 mo. old) was perfectly clear when I put the Silkolene race DOT 4 in.

Nick's link confimed what I was thinking. It's definitley pad fade. I guess I'm to expect a little fade. I'll sand the rotors and bed the pads next time.

Nick - you rule!!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

I'm assuming you didn't break the new pads in correctly?

Could be air in the line but you'd notice that right away typically. If your fluid is new, definitely the pads.

Don't sand the rotors! Get them bead blasted. I think TK will do it pretty cheap (or was it TFOG?) - either way do it right.

[Kim-n-Dean]

Don't sand the rotors! Get them bead blasted.

I guess bead blasting is considered to be better than the hatch pattern?