Motorcycle Glossary

Brake pad

In Turkish: Fren balatası

In short

A brake pad is the friction-lined part that the caliper pistons press against the brake disc to slow the motorcycle.

A brake pad turns the motorcycle's kinetic energy into heat through friction. There are three main compound types:

Organic: quiet, gentle on discs, suited to city use; fades at high temperatures
Sintered (metal): strong in the wet and at high temperatures, long-lasting; wears discs a little more
Semi-metallic / ceramic: somewhere in between

When to replace them

Replace pads when the friction material reaches the manufacturer's wear limit (on most pads when the wear groove disappears, at roughly 1.5–2 mm). New pads need bedding in over the first kilometres. Choose pads by the correct code for your model and make sure they suit your disc.