I just put new brake pads on my Raptor, It was a piece of cake but I did run into a problem.
The parking brake was causing the rear pads to drag on the rotor even when adjusting the parking brake all the way in!
I had to adjust the parking brake all the way tight & pull the lever hard several times to strech the cable enough to keep the brake from dragging.

I don't know if any one else has had this problem but when you change your brake pads make sure they don't drag. I rode less than a 1/2 mile slowly to check things out & the rear rotor was too hot to touch! If you ride this way too long you will ruin your rotor & may fry the seals in the caliper.

I also have come up with a problem on the front brakes. They worked fine one ride & a couple of days later they were very spongy. Even with the new pads you can pull the front brakes hard & they won't lock up they just slowly stop it.

The only thing I've done to my front brakes is put a billet cover on the resivoir & that was a month before they went soft. I have no idea how air got in my lines but I guess I need to bleed them.
The only thing I can think of is when I put the billet cover on the resivoir sone fluid spilled because it was at an angle but the fluid level was still above the add mark. Maybe the air got in the lines from rough trails allowing the fluid to foam or airorate enough that air got in the lines while braking. I guess you need to make sure your brake fluid is always full.

Anyone else have this problem?

 

Moose,

One of the first things I did was get rid of the parking brake, it's a pain, in my eyes, to adjust that thing everytime I turn around.

Regarding the front brakes being spongy, I "reverse bleed" mine every month. Reverse bleeding is to crack open the res, pump the brake lever 10-12 times, tie it with a bungy and let it sit over night (aprrox 10-12 hours). After that has been done, do it again before you go to work and when you het back home from work, your brakes will feel wonderful again.

I try to do this about once a month and have found that "reverse bleeding" them works the best! Maybe by using a braided line better results would be seen, but for now I have no reason to just go out and buy them.

One last item regaring brakes, make sure you use Silicone DOT 5 fluid, as I tried DOT 4 and they got real mushy no matter how many times I bled them.

 

Mine felt a little spongy the first time I changed pads. I drained the fluid and added new, it felt just as good as the days I bought it. It might not have been the fluid maybe air but when I switched fluid it stopped.

My question on pads, what do the friction ratings mean? Like how do I know which brakes will stop me the fastest? I am not worried about wear.

 

SWY, Thanks for the info I'll try the reverse bleed tonight & change to DOT 5. Can you mix DOT 5 & 4 or do I need to flush the system?

Ward I'm not sure how it works on a lightweight quad but on my SCCA autocrosser I took an old set of pads to Tulsa brake & clutch & had them put the softest material they had (I think it was clutch material) on them so they would grip immeadiatly. Most pads need heat to operate fully.

Until my spongy front brakes I had no problem with brakes so I put on EBC Sintered pads (the stock pads looked sintered also maybe just not as much). They also have Kevlar & carbon pads. I have no idea which of the 3 have the most gripping power.

 

Moose

You cannot mix DOT 4 and 5 together becusae they have different rating on it. I would flush the systems and use what they recommend either DOT 4 or 5. That way you don'r have both of them in same line.

Also get rid of the parking brake, they are eyesore! get a cool blocking plate to cover the rear parking plate.

 

mixing "dots" will cause crystalization in your brake lines and everything else. just ask my buddy. cost him nearly a grand on his harley after making that mistake. use what it calls for.

 

Thanks for the info guys.
I'll be sure to flush everything when I change fluid.