FOR THE DO-IT-YOURSELF DUCATI OWNER

CHANGING BRAKE PADS PLUS: HOW TO KILL BRAKE NOISE

$0-?, depending on brake pads fitted (if fitted at all)

Torque Wrench, 6mm allen bit socket, scissors or blade, aluminum can (for the rear brake trick), Disc Brake quiet or similar (optional), sandpaper, brake parts cleaner, rag

Changing the brake pads is quite an easy process, but intimidates many new owners.  No bleeding is necessary because the lines and pads are two separate systems, so it's out and in with the pads fairly quickly.  This job is performed on the rear caliper, but the process is identical on the front brake.  I also decided to test a tech tip regarding quieting down the awful groan of the rear disc brake in slow stopping conditions.  It sounds like a garbage truck, and I've tried all kinds of stuff to no avail.  Then a member over at the Speedzilla Ducati board suggested making a shim out of aluminum can to soak up the noise.  I was willing to try anything, so I did it here for your amusement.  The preliminary results are very encouraging.  Stay tuned for further tests.

Start by breaking loose the bolts holding the caliper to the caliper mounting bracket (don't loosen the two lower bolts that hold the caliper together).  It is possible to slide the pads out with the caliper still on, but in my opinion it would be a pain to try to pry the piston back in its bore while still mounted (you'll need to because the new pads will be taller).

Once loose, the caliper slides right off.  At this point, it is necessary to say DO NOT press the brake lever, or you will never get the caliper back on because the pads will lock together with the absence of the rotor.  If you are worried, you can also clamp the brake line shut with Vice Grips or something similar.

Now, take a screwdriver and pry the pad holding pin's retaining clip off, then pry the retaining pin out.  It's a tight fit, but should come out easily with a tap.

Now the retaining clip for the pads should come right out.

After that, both pads should fall right out.

With the pads and all the other stuff out of the way, you can clean the caliper up using some disc brake cleaner.  Be careful not to get it on any painted surfaces, and wipe it off of the caliper quickly.  Once clean, I'd neutralize it with some soap and water- the brake cleaner does eat finishes.

Whether re-using your old pads or new, it's a good idea to give them a little scuff job for proper seating.  The pads need to mate with the surface of the rotor perfectly, and if glazed or brand new it's hard to get them to do that.  So, just buff some of the top coating off with sandpaper.

Once ready, you can just slide the pads in, making sure not to touch the surface (the grease will ruin braking power), and making sure that the pad surface faces the rotor.

Now you can slide the other pad in- take note of the shim on the backside of the pad, and the direction it is facing.

Take the pad retaining clip and put it in on top of the pads.  Take note of the direction- mine has a very light arrow facing forward.  I don't know if it makes a difference, but I wasn't willing to find out.   By forward, I mean forward when the caliper is mounted on the bike.

Next, take a little disc brake grease and lube up the pad retaining pin.  This is also a source fo vibration noise.

Finally, re-insert the pin through the hole, through the first pad, over top of the clip, through the second pad, and finally out the other hole in the caliper, then re-install the retaining clip.

If you find it difficult to re-install the caliper (which you no doubt will if installing new pads- the distance between them is now smaller), just insert a small screwdriver and gently pry them apart.  It shouldn't be hard to get them to separate.

Now, refit the caliper, and torque the bolts down.  My spec is 24 Nm, but be sure to check your specific bike's spec before tightening.   And, you're done.  Now you need to seat the pads to the rotor.....

Breaking in new or sanded pad needs to be done properly the first time, or glazing will occur, leading to ineffective braking and noise.  To do this, take your new pad out to a long stretch of road and perform several long, hard stops form a high speed so as to heat the pad and rotor up and mate the two surfaces.  After the stops, allow the pads to cool down by not using them.  Once cool, perform several more stops, and let them cool.  At that point, the pads should be pretty well mated to the rotor.  The key is to avoid overheating them, yet still get them up to temperature.   That is why you take a break between stops.  If it doesn't work (you get noise and poor stopping power), the pads have probably been glazed and you'll need to sand off the top a bit and start over.  It's a tricky process, but worth it for maximum braking efficiency.

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This is a trick that somebody suggested to kill the noise of the brakes.  
The reason brakes are noisy is because the metal surface on the back of
the pad rubs the metal surface on the piston, causing a squaek or groan.  
By sticking a aluminum shim between the two, it absorbs the vibration.  
Disc Brake quiet spray worked fine for the front caliper, but on the rear it
had little effect.  It still groaned really loud (braking forces are
tremendous and cause a lot of vibration).  So, I cut a shim out of a can the
same size as the back of the pad, but a tiny bit smaller.  It works well to
spray some of the Disc Brake quiet on to hold the shim in place while
mounting.