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[Chief]

I went by Traxxion Dynamics after work and picked up the new brake pads to try out. First impression is that they look like, well, brake pads. The pad material did look thinner than what I expected, more on that later.

Here's a shot of the new and old. The new pads have a gas groove to help expel the gases generated when braking.

[Chief]

Here's a shot of the side of the pads. It is clearly visible that the new pad has a much more substantial base then the OEM pads. But, because there is only so much room for the pads and rotor, material had to be removed from the brake pad material. Pad replacement life is a concern.

[Chief]

Here's a comparison of the base material thicknesses: Harley Pad 0.126"

[Chief]

Traxxion pad: 0.159"

[Chief]

As for the pad comparison, the OEM pads I removed with 3,750 miles on them measured 0.185" and the new Traxxion pads measured 0.131"

Depending on wear characteristics, this may be a moot point.

As soon as the local thunder gets out of here, I'll get out and ride it some to see how they feel.

[Fired00d]

Here's a shot of the side of the pads. It is clearly visible that the new pad has a much more substantial base then the OEM pads. But, because there is only so much room for the pads and rotor, material had to be removed from the brake pad material. Pad replacement life is a concern.

Are the hair looking things on the old pads brake fibers (dust) or did you find Don's dead cat?

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

[Hoist!]

Thanks Chief, wear could be a concern. There's substantially less brake material. I never thought to compare the Lydall's to the stock one's when I changed them on the WG. But if braking is much better, it's worth the cost of admission! Hoist!

[Chief]

Are the hair looking things on the old pads brake fibers (dust) or did you find Don's dead cat?

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

You mean this one?

[Chief]

So much for testing and bedding-in the brakes tonight. We're getting some very much needed rain, so I guess I'll just have to do it tomorrow on the way to work.

[Chief]

Rode the bike to work today and the new Traxxion pads feel good. They're still new and continuing to bed in, but right now they feel very comparable to the stock pads, if not better. My ride is only about 10 miles, so there is probably still more to be gained.

A lot of the braking improvement can probably be attributed to me paying more attention to stopping quickly and an improvement in my emergency braking skills.

[RJ749]

Rode the bike to work today and the new Traxxion pads feel good. They're still new and continuing to bed in, but right now they feel very comparable to the stock pads, if not better. My ride is only about 10 miles, so there is probably still more to be gained.

A lot of the braking improvement can probably be attributed to me paying more attention to stopping quickly and an improvement in my emergency braking skills.

I know after the Traxxion suspension replacement and the standard suspension dive being gone, I would rate my standard pads much better than before the Traxx upgrade.  I'll be interested to hear what you have to say when you get a chance to do a longer ride with some frequent braking, like on the dragon when your pads are tested during repetitive braking.

[Chief]

I know after the Traxxion suspension replacement and the standard suspension dive being gone, I would rate my standard pads much better than before the Traxx upgrade.  I'll be interested to hear what you have to say when you get a chance to do a longer ride with some frequent braking, like on the dragon when your pads are tested during repetitive braking.

The plan is to get up to Traxxion today. That's why I stopped in yesterday to get the pads installed and bedded-in before going up for them to thrash it around a bit this afternoon.

Maybe once they're all bedded-in, I'll swap back to the OEM's for some comparison braking. This is when I'm thinking it would have been a good idea to mark the pads as they were removed.

I just hope the pad wear is less than the stockers since there is a good bit less of it to start out with. Maybe they could compromise on the backing plate thickness for another 30 mils of pad without losing all of the increased integrity of the thicker backing plate.

[RJ749]

The plan is to get up to Traxxion today. That's why I stopped in yesterday to get the pads installed and bedded-in before going up for them to thrash it around a bit this afternoon.

Maybe once they're all bedded-in, I'll swap back to the OEM's for some comparison braking. This is when I'm thinking it would have been a good idea to mark the pads as they were removed.

I just hope the pad wear is less than the stockers since there is a good bit less of it to start out with. Maybe they could compromise on the backing plate thickness for another 30 mils of pad without losing all of the increased integrity of the thicker backing plate.

Looks like a racing pad set up to me.  Backing plate for heat transfer with hard braking etc. and I would presume that the material is harder than the stock stuff so it would wear longer.

I would think that the Traxx guys know the compound and could give you a pretty good idea of the wear to be expected.

[Chief]

Looks like a racing pad set up to me.  Backing plate for heat transfer with hard braking etc. and I would presume that the material is harder than the stock stuff so it would wear longer.

I would think that the Traxx guys know the compound and could give you a pretty good idea of the wear to be expected.

I agree. Since racing is their heritage I'm sure its some pretty good stuff. Hopefully less dust too. I wonder if these pads will turn our rotors into a wear item requiring more frequent relacement.

[RJ749]

I agree. Since racing is their heritage I'm sure its some pretty good stuff. Hopefully less dust too. I wonder if these pads will turn our rotors into a wear item requiring more frequent relacement.

Looks from the compound that the dust would definitely be less, not much graphite looking material there.  I doubt the rotor wear would be excessive for our purposes.  You would just get a big improvement when it is most needed.

Normal braking wouldn't cause wear issues.  Howie most likely would have them paper thin in weeks though.