Replacing the Front Brake Pads

Sintered pads don't seem to wear out, they just seem to get harder and harder. After nearly 11,000 miles, mine still had a lot of friction material on them, but not a lot of bite. It would stop, but not without a lot of effort. I was way overdue for new pads.

Click on image to enlarge I haven't tried a lot of different pad brands, but I'm always impressed with EBC HH's on the track. They seem to work very well with stainless rotors, and when warm they are great with iron rotors too. I decided to try the EBC HH pads on the Falco, part number FA 244 HH. The Falco, Mille, and RS250 Challenge share the same pads, so there's sure to be a lot of different brands to try.
After removing the two M10 bolts, the calipers can be removed without removing the wheel. Sometimes, its necessary to push back the pads a bit to make clearance to tip the caliper. Only remove one caliper at a time so you don't overflow your master cylinder! Plus, it never hurts to leave a caliper intact in case you forget how to put it together. Click on image to enlarge
Click on image to enlarge To remove the pads, you need to remove the two retaining clips, then the two slide pins. The pads will then slide out of the caliper.
It is possible to remove the pins and pads without removing the caliper. But if you have time, you'll probably want to remove the caliper in order to clean the dust from around the pistons. Click on image to enlarge
Click on image to enlarge Make sure you have a little airspace at the top of your master cylinder, then carefully pry back the pistons to make sure they are free. This also allows the new (usually thicker) pads to fit over the caliper. If you flip the pads and place them in the calipers, you can pry back the pistons squarely without damaging the pads.
Sintered pads are hard. Very hard. Like modern clutch plates, they can be work hardened to the point of losing friction properties long before they wear out of spec (< 2mm). On the left is the new EBC pad, with less friction material than the 11,000-mile old stock pad on the right. Click on image to enlarge

Before reassembly, there's a few things to do.

When EBC HH pads first came out, the trackside vendors had posted a notice from EBC on proper break-in procedure. I think the posters have long since disappeared, but from memory, this is how EBC recommends breaking in their pads for track use. I imagine for street use, you can adapt this technique, or simply follow the back of the packaging which says that 250 miles of frequent, light use is needed to bed in the pads.

EBC HH Pad Break-in Procedure for the Track

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