K8 Front Brakes

[gsx1395]

Has anyone had any issues with their front brakes fading on the 08 (after about 10-15 mins of riding the lever will pull to the bar). mine started getting hot and fading after about 400 kays from new, the discs are blued and now have heat spots all over them. the dealer suggested a braided line from the master which i did, but it still did it so they warranted a set of rotors and some pads. i havent replaced the parts as yet as im thinking it is going to do the same thing. the brakes still operate, just the feel sucks. the temperatures are a bit extreme here in Alice on some days so dont know if that has anything to do with it.

[Dan85]

must have been a dud set of brakes mate had no problems with mine when i had mine in townsville during summer.

[kawasuki]

All depends also on pads and how u ride the bike ,some ride the bike normal and some ride it above normal standards.Shit pads can hot spot the rotor after heavy braking ,also u only get off Suzuki enough to get u over the line,thats why we have aftermarket braking systems that can cost a shitload of money and some other systems that are very good and are a reasonable price.

[BUSGO]

Nothing wrong with the stock 08 brakes.
They are much better than the GEN 1 system.
I reckon you must have had a dragging or non retracted set of pads or something to cause that to happen.
(unless, of course you are doing stoppies from high speed).

Of course the dealer will tell you anything to get out of a warranty issue and Kawasuki is always prepared to sell some after market gear.

Braided lines would improve the braking feel of course, but not if one of the pads is not seated properly in the caliper.

[BLACKZOOK]

Everyone is raving about the K8 brakes but to be honest I'm not at all impressed with them, my K8 feel wooden, lacks bite and feel compared to my 04 with braided lines and Braketec rotors.

K8 is over rated IMHO

[spamanglenn]

i rode the rapid gen2 and thought the same.Guidos felt alot better though.Probably factory pads and too hard blades as per usual for suzuki when you give them a bit of stick, they turn to shit.

[kawasuki]

i rode the rapid gen2 and thought the same.Guidos felt alot better though.Probably factory pads and too hard blades as per usual for suzuki when you give them a bit of stick, they turn to shit.

Ssshhh,, Glenn i might sell some brakes to busgo?

[BUSGO]

What a crock! Bloody salesmen and their henchmen!

None of you guys, except Dan, have offerred gsx1395 anything in the way of advice except to buy new brakes.
There is nothing wrong with the stock K8 busa brakes if they are working properly.

In all honesty mate, there is something wrong with them and they should be fixed by Suzuki if the condition of the rotors is what you described after 400 ks of normal riding.
The k8 brakes have been beefed up to handle the extra power.
You only need to make them better if you are a track day specialist.

[spamanglenn]

Im merely talking from the perspective of someone who has aftermarket brakes,has ridden 2 different gen2,s and noticed the difference and knows how to fix the problem permanently.every factory padded bike i have ridden with stock rotors has eventually gone wooded in feel.Unless you like pulling your pads and rubbing them on the driveway every few 1000 ks.ultimate braking power may indeed not change at all but light lever pressure bite varies a huge amount,which is where most of us ride most of the time.metal pads will give better bite and power but can glaze over time,organics will give less cold performance and less bite until they heat up but feel much smoother regardless of brand.choose your poison but remember busgo you said there was nothing wrong with the gen 1s brakes until you bought a gen 2.well my brakes are much better than a gen2,s so you can now see where i was coming from.And then theres dads brakes which are just ridiculously good.Good brakes with light one finger feel can be appreciated at all speeds,i enjoy mine everytime i squeeze the lever.Id be checking if the front wheel free spins on that bike,sounds like the pads are binding and boiling the fluid.Maybe the wheel is on backwards?

[BUSGO]

It took you a long time to get there Glen, but your last sentence is what its all about.
I doubt that a wheel could be fitted backwards at the factory though....


I only upgraded my gen 1 brakes when the pads wore out and then again when the brake lines were due for replacement.
(On the issue of pads - of all the different brands that I've tried, I have found the Bendix and Ferrodo, to be the best)

Of course braided lines and different pads will give better feedback but the issue here is not a design fault, just an assembly quality control issue I reckon.

[kawasuki]

yep the K8 brakes are beefed up,they made them smaller,with a bike with 25kgs more weight and 25 more hp makes sence to me.

[BUSGO]

Front ones are smaller but thicker Ray - and better calipers.
Rear ones are bigger.

[BLACKZOOK]

What a crock! Bloody salesmen and their henchmen!

None of you guys, except Dan, have offerred gsx1395 anything in the way of advice except to buy new brakes.
There is nothing wrong with the stock K8 busa brakes if they are working properly.

The k8 brakes have been beefed up to handle the extra power.
You only need to make them better if you are a track day specialist.

OK Ray for a f*&^ing start I do not endorse anyones products for the hell of it and am offended by your comments. I am no ones henchemen, look at my past posts where I have been the most critical of others salees techniques.

Fact the K8 brakes may be an improvement over the earlier busa's but dont even come close to a quality aftermarket setup.
I own a K8 and CAN make an informed statement.

The guy who started this post has a problem and should take it back to the dealer and insist its fixed.

Your statement about only needing a brake upgrade if you are a trackday specialist is laughable. Better brakes are an improvement in safety.

Have you ever heard anyone complain that their brakes give them too much feel, stop them too quickly or are too easy to use. Didnt think so mate.

Yes I suppose I highjacked this thread by making my original observation on an earlier post without offering advice to the original poster.

I expect this post to be deleted or shit canned by you as most others are that comment on your recent attitude or make negative comments on the beloved K8.

I stand by my comments the K8 is overrated. If I had a stock gen 1 busa and traded up to the K8 I would be dissapointed with it especially after reading all of the biased hype on this and other forums.

You love your new bike and that is understandable but keep the blinkers off for gods sake.

[gsx1395]

Just flicked through all the replies and thanks to all that offered advice???

[gsx1395]

oh yeah, my brothers black and grey had a hard run in and the rotors are nowhere near as bad as mine