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Messages - Ken4004

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1
CB750 / Re: Front brake pads
« on: February 23, 2026, 07:22:56 PM »
I suppose selecting the appropriate alternative brake pad material that works bests with these older bikes would be best answered by a brake pad manufacturer like Ferodo who spend time researching the best materials for all applications.
Most developments are born from racing and the fruits of these improvements then spill over to main stream  bikes.

It would be interesting to see what brake pad materials are being used in classic bike races as I am sure they would like a pad that had half a chance of slowing the bike down.
I suppose the other consideration is that most race bikes will have a total rebuild after heavy duty racing so they are not really worried about getting 20,000 miles out of a set of pads and discs !

Maybe someone in this group has raced or knows some who has raced this age of bike .



spill over into

2
CB750 / Re: Front brake pads
« on: February 23, 2026, 05:30:18 PM »
Feel can often be about pad material, too hard and it feels wooden. Organic is normally the best for feel but suffers with dust and quick wear and of course brake fade if used very hard. Sintered are good but can be hard on the discs, still a dust problem though. I'm going to try some carbon pads next, got them on my 1300 and they are great, almost no dust, stop like hell and are kinder to the disc than sintered.

Have you bedded the pads in and removed the old bedding from the disc surface? Makes a hell of a difference if done correctly.

I always thought that brake pad material should match the brake disc material as Odd job stated sintered brake pads can be hard on discs.
On my modern bike ( Triumph 1050 ) the brakes are extremely good as you would expect from a modern bike but I have heard of people using non standard brake pads to give even better performance under heavy braking , unfortunately this has created excessive heat and caused the brakes discs to warp .


Now this is probably not the case on the older bikes because the braking force at the disc is not as great so heat produced is less than a modern machine but personally I would not fit non standard brake pads to my old Honda for fear of damaging the discs .

Please see this information from a brake manufacturer Ferodo :-

Brake pads must match the disc (rotor) material and type to ensure optimal performance, prevent premature wear, and avoid noise. Matching the friction material to the disc ensures proper "bedding-in" and effective heat management, as mismatched components can cause uneven rotor wear or brake failure.
Ferodo
Ferodo
 +2
Key Considerations for Matching Brake Pads and Discs:
Material Compatibility:
Steel Rotors: Standard, high-carbon steel discs are compatible with organic, semi-metallic, and ceramic pads.
Ceramic Pads: Ideal for daily driving, providing quiet, low-dust, and durable performance.
Semi-Metallic/Sintered Pads: Best for high-performance, heavy-duty, or racing applications, offering superior heat management, though they may be louder.
Carbon/Ceramic Discs: Require specialized pads; standard steel-compatible pads will not work.
Performance Matching: If you have high-performance, vented discs, you should use matching high-performance pads to handle increased heat, rather than base-level organic pads.
System Integrity: It is recommended to replace brake pads and discs as a matched system to avoid premature wear and brake pulsation.
Quality Standards: While brands can differ, ensure pads meet required safety standards (like ECE R90) for compatibility.
Ferodo
Ferodo
 +6
For most street vehicles, matching the manufacturer's original equipment (OE) material recommendation is the safest approach for balanced performance.

Would be interested in what the more experienced people in the group think , I have as I said not deviated from the standard pads for fear of causing damage to discs so my comments are not based on personal experience.
It would however be interesting to fit sintered pads  to my bike along with a compatible discs.

3
New Member Introductions / Re: New Member
« on: February 21, 2026, 06:06:05 PM »
Welcome to the forum Roger , from my experience you will always get an answer from this group of very knowledgeable people who are always keen to help.
You will also notice that any issue is also discussed thoroughly and in detail.



4
Project Board / Re: Neils 1978 CB550 F2 Project - Newbie Let Loose
« on: January 31, 2026, 05:27:28 PM »
No Problem Bryanj

I just thought that even if the assembly was not exactly the same the internal  might be , big companies like Honda will also try and use existing designs instead of re inventing new parts every time to keep design and production costs down.

I did have slot of issues with my switches when I rebuilt my bike but managed to re fettle everything and now it’s working well.
These switches when exposed to the elements over long periods of time just disintegrate into a pile of rust, I actually totally retired my bike because every time I fixed one thing something else went wrong so I decided to rebuild the whole wiring loom.
During this adventure I found lots of corrosion throughout the loom with lots of wire nearly corroded through so well work doing, sorry waffling on too much.

5
Project Board / Re: Neils 1978 CB550 F2 Project - Newbie Let Loose
« on: January 31, 2026, 12:39:20 PM »
You might find if the switch is not exactly the same the internal parts maybe

6
Project Board / Re: Neils 1978 CB550 F2 Project - Newbie Let Loose
« on: January 31, 2026, 12:34:08 PM »
Hi Neil

Just seen this on eBay if you’re interested.

Regards Ken

7
CB500/550 / Re: What Special Tools Will I Need?
« on: January 29, 2026, 05:47:14 PM »
I would say a must is a decent set of JIS screw drivers , an impact driver with JIS screw driver bits, torque wrench , volt meter or test light /probe,


8
Project Board / Re: Keiths 400/4
« on: January 29, 2026, 02:49:46 PM »
Where did you get the exhaust from looks quite nice, is it single wall thickness on the down pipes, I have heard that some of the replicas because of the reduced wall thickness they can discolour when heated up .
This is not a bad thing infect I like the look of the different colour bands , reminds me of when I started my apprenticeship where we heat treated chisels and punches a few years ago now .

9
New Member Introductions / Re: Hi from Kent, England
« on: January 28, 2026, 07:11:25 PM »
Hi Neil welcome to the forum , you have come to the right place for advice and support .


10
Project Board / Re: Winter project on ebay
« on: January 27, 2026, 12:22:11 PM »
I not struck on the look and being so in original would make it harder to sell on and as we all know you don’t make any money on old bikes at the moment it’s just the pleasure in doing the work.
Original parts are hard to come by now and when you do find them crazy prices !

11
Project Board / Winter project on ebay
« on: January 27, 2026, 03:40:21 AM »
Just seen this on eBay , not so sure about black and it looks a little expensive for an unfinished project.
You would really want to at least hear the engine running after all that works been carried out
https://ebay.us/m/q0TOZj

12
Project Board / Re: Keiths 400/4
« on: January 26, 2026, 05:07:16 PM »
That sounds like a fair price because it looks good in the photos, My bike was originally candy red but I fancy the yellow so it’s been re sprayed.

On my last CB400 I had it sprayed Candy and it did look amazing but as I remember the paint was really expensive but worth it for the finished product.

13
Project Board / Re: Keiths 400/4
« on: January 26, 2026, 03:25:30 PM »
Looks nice , do you mind me asking how much you paid for the bike ?

14
Misc / Open / Re: Rubber coating on cable clips etc
« on: January 26, 2026, 03:19:43 PM »
Let me know how you get on , looking at the price it must be fairly good stuff but time will tell.

The fact that it is on a sealed can you probably have to use it fairly quickly before it goes off as it looks like a solvent type dip.


15
Misc / Open / Re: Rubber coating on cable clips etc
« on: January 26, 2026, 01:42:39 PM »
https://youtube.com/shorts/ig47YhdFlI8?si=BpvK-WaSEe8kEnOx



This is a plastic dip in a can maybe something that would work

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