[How To] Change Your Front Brake Pads (Monoblock Caliper)

A quick guide to changing your brake pads.
Brakes featured: Brembo M4 Monoblock Caliper
Bike featured: 2011 Triumph Daytona 675R
Intro music credited to: www.bensound.com and Instrumental produced by Chuki: / chukimusic
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Your simple guide to DIY repairs on motorcycles
/ howtomoto
/ howtomoto

[@RyGriff]

Great video. Tip I learned is to keep old brake pads in and apply brake pressure to clean the pistons. Then you can compress pistons (after cleaner) with old pads and then remove them. Insert new pads and you’re all set.

[@ramjeeadhikari8200]

How much does bermbo brake pad cost

[@howtomoto]

I personally have never used Brembo Pads, but depending on which compound you pick (SA, SC, RC etc.) the price will vary. Overall, they're quite expensive. I love the feel of the Carbone Lorraine brand.

[@puttipongruengpisan7686]

How much bolt torque?

[@nevn8912]

Great Vid...........but plz lose the terrible sound.

[@nevn8912]

Nice video but lose the friggin awful sound

[@daithimurphy1832]

Never tighten the calipers without pumping pistons out first and while holding the lever tighten the caliper bolts. Needs to be done this way to ensure calipers are lined up properly with the disc

[@godslayer8998]

Is it normal for dics to get warm after short test ride without even touching the brakes because of the pads drag

[@StoleNo1]

It is always good advice to step on a front brake before you tight those two bolts. That’s how they perfectly aligment with brake disk. Grate video (:

[@davidj.843]

Awesome video! This video has made me confident enough to do the brake/caliper work myself. Thank You!! I noticed you included brake fluid in the beginning as one of the "tools you'll need", but I didn't see you use it for anything. Brake fluid is only used when the pistons are completely removed from the caliper correct?

[@cfltitan]

Excellent video, thank you! On my old I used those same CL pads and they were phenomenal! My new bike (2018 Street Triple R) has Brembo M4.32 calipers which are monoblocks so I was just checking out the differences in pad changes and maintaining these expensive calipers.

[@polyrytm]

Really great and useful video. But please, lower the loop or take it out completely. It´s quiet disturbing. Other then that: great.

[@howtomoto]

Appreciate the feedback!

[@alski95]

Hey man love the vid but I think you forgot to mention the brake fluid reservoir overflow with the pushing of the pistons.. sorry if I missed it but any how very good video on cleaning brake calipers my friend 👍 BUT , if you you failed to mention that then shame on you 😒 very important lol

[@howtomoto]

Shame on me then haha, but very good point. thanks for sharing so others can see.

[@gustavoaldegheri18]

Are you sure it is 35Nm? I have the same bike which is a Daytona 675r and by manual it is 55Nm. Could you please check?

[@ReshardsAutomotiveWorkshop]

4 year old video, but very helpful to me today. Thank you 😎👍

[@superbikelife4501]

Thank you so much it's verry helpfull

[@howtomoto]

You're very welcome :)

[@15Kilo]

Excellent tutorial man! Could you possibly do a video on rebuilding the brembo’s seals pistons etc? Thanks again!

[@seventysevencats]

Very impressive how to, so detailled. I intend to move to Brembo (M4 or GP4-RX, don't know yet which), so I'll have to stop being lazy when changing the pads.

[@howtomoto]

Thank you! I say if you right more street, then the M4 it plenty overkill, you definitely don't need more. If you ride a majority on the track, then the GP4 would be worth considering. Definitely don't underestimate the M4 on the track though.

[@MotoDocRR]

Awesome awesome video. Thanks for the help I’ve been having uneven pad wear on my 14 Daytona 675R (same calipers as yours, M4) and will be looking to clean up and maybe rebuild the calipers. This is just what I needed to get started. Nice and clean so my intractable OCD has been satisfied 😁

[@howtomoto]

Thanks for the feedback, appreciate it!

[@LockOn728]

Hi, awesome vid. Used it to change my pads on my Street triple. 1 question though, is it okay not to put grease at the back of the pads where the piston make contact? When i removed mine there is like a coat of hardened grease at the back of the pads. Just some thing i notice.

Triumph manual says put copper grease only on the first 4 threads of the caliper bolt. I guess that is enough grease to work its way up to where needed.

[@costamoc]

Awesome video but the Bird and the Loud Music burnt My ears

[@davep6286]

Very informative, I have some new pads to put in my Tuono, gone with EBC FA244, As recommended by AP Workshop. After watching this I now feel confident and know what tool and products to have lined up by bike, instead of the kitchen sink or going backwards and forwards getting another part. 👍👏

[@bundymc502]

That's how you make a how to video, well done! (nice 675R too).

[@675R1]

Thank you mate, this is a very detailed and informative video, will do this on my daytona 675R this weekend 😁👍

[@marcusbarnes5929]

Dave moss would be proud! Great calliper clean Man you covered it very well.

[@DAGenao]

Excellent explanation. Thanks for sharing.

[@howtomoto]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@silviosirianni9260]

Great vid, I just bought an F4. Hi from Melbourne .. not a lot of MV service people around

[@alandmorley]

Great video but what is the boring music for?.

[@JDye-youtube]

That was really well done, thanks for taking the time to make the video!

[@radwanghazimoumeh]

Thanks for the amazing video. Question for you: What do you do if one of the pistons pops out as you are pumping the brakes without the pads in there? Simply pop it in and bleed the brakes? Thanks!

[@howtomoto]

You would just clean it with some brake cleaner to make sure there will be no dirt behind the piston when you put it back. Once it's clean, lube it up with some fresh brake fluid, and make sure the o-ring seal is seated correctly when you push it back in, that 0-ring seal is the most important part. And then yes, bleed the brakes!

[@cal40888]

@@howtomoto Hi! thanks for the vid. I unfortunately had a piston pop out on me and I put it back and bled the shit out of the brakes, but still feel spongey. Do you think that means I haven't bled them enough or that I might have put the piston back in incorrectly?

[@monsterrob1921]

Will the silicone act as a lube for the pistons ? I haven’t seen that one before so just curious

[@howtomoto]

The pistons themselves have a coating to reduce friction, the silicone spray is more to stop dirt sticking so they're easier to clean next time.

[@javierc2726]

The music and the birds are very distracting

[@ChrisJohn_444]

Great video. I feel confident I can do my own now.

[@howtomoto]

Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad I can help

[@stephj765RS]

Awesome how-to vid, made by someone who knows what he's talking about.. I've got new sets of break pads for the M50 calipers of my ST 765 RS and your video has got that kind of details I was looking for. Thank you so much.

[@ashten92]

Very informative, thank you.

[@riccardosbarra]

Nice work! Perfectly done! Just clean the contact surfaces between the caliper and the suspension!

[@howtomoto]

You're right, I ride in the rain so it gets dirty often, laziness on my part.

[@madrashid1642]

Push the pistons inside before remove the old pads make easier job.

[@howtomoto]

But then you can’t clean the brake dust and dirt off, I actually push the pistons further out and clean before pushing them back in.

[@simonspree]

Very useful. Thanks

[@FaZeredemption3]

I got M50 brembos on my zx10r and im about to change the pads soon. Brembos are amazing brakes. So easy to change opposed to my zx6r tokicos.

[@howtomoto]

I definitely do not miss brake pad pins!

[@FaZeredemption3]

@@howtomoto haha yea. I dont find them to be too bad after you've done them for a while.

[@paulbiggs9279]

Good video, lose the music.

[@tonyhicks222]

What is the socket hex size for the caliper bolts?

[@howtomoto]

8mm in this case :)

[@johnnyappleseedz422]

I am confused. Do you have only 1 caliper? You cleaned a caliper then squeezed the brake lever to expand the pistons on the caliper you were working on. What about the piston on the other side? Did they not expand too??

[@tomverdingh2558]

After changing my brake pads i hear a clicking noise when braking when i go backwards. The brakepads are moving a little bit when changing direction. How can i fix this?

[@daviswiederspan3855]

“More soapy water!”

[@Thelonewolf1154]

Simply Superb.... I've been searching for a tutorial of Brembo front pad change for several weeks . Until this appeared......😁"THANK YOU"!!! 😁 I have a 2020 Hayabusa with ABS. I couldn't find anything closely similar to my set up🤣🤣😂😂

[@grider8344]

Great stuff

[@johnnyappleseedz422]

Great video. Bow often do you suggest to rwmove claipers and clean then out? Once a year? Every so many miles?? And why not use brake cleaner from the beginning to clean the caliper verse soapy water?

[@supernova402]

Which side did you do first? and why ?

[@howtomoto]

It is your choice which side you start with, in this case it does not make any difference.

[@reneforjanic3722]

Hi, why didnt you smear the backside of the pads with copper grease? Thanks

[@howtomoto]

Honestly... I didn't find it necessary. The only thing contacting the back of the pads were the caliper pistons. As you can see I did apply it to the anti-squeal plate/spring to make that easier to clean. I just didn't see how it would help the pads as I usually throw those away when I service the brakes. The minor down side may be a bit more brake noise, but that doesn't bother me, I hope this helps :)

[@notamotorbikemechanic]

Rene, copper grease is not necessary on high quality modern brake calipers. Just give dirt something to stick to. You would have used copper grease on old cars to stop brake squeal. Good vid HTM

[@danielr9154]

Awesome Vid!

[@howtomoto]

Thanks mate, I try.

[@paulchambers2296]

Great video thank you. I do have one question, when putting the brake block back on the mounting with the new pads in, you pressed the brake lever, won’t the brakes be rubbing against the disc all the time? I had new discs and pads replaced under warranty on Tuesday by the supplying dealer and on Thursday have just had new tyres put on by a local garage, the front brakes are now grinding/rubbing when I turn the front wheel manually, is this right, surely they shouldn’t be! Regards. Paul.

[@iancurrah6824]

## DO NOT put copper grease on your caliper bolt threads. You can over tighten and strip the threads when using a torque wrench ##

[@timjamesvella]

Is it normal for one pad to wear slightly more than the other, I..e half a mm or so.

[@howtomoto]

It means that the pistons aren't being pushed out evenly. For very small differences it's fine but when the difference is large, either the pistons need a very good clean or need to be replaced. (if there are only pistons on one side of the caliper, then it's normal)

[@ethan6653]

If there’s abs and the rear is linked to the front

[@verdeboyo]

In 2022 this is so relevant and helpful to me Sir! I have a set to do on my RSV4 and thanks to you I will do it right first time. Thank you😉

[@khoihuynh_7590]

Thank you for your informative video. Ride saàe 🤙🏻

[@gkclan]

What did you use to clean inside the caliper ?

[@howtomoto]

Mostly soapy water, a little brake cleaner at the end, and an old toothbrush.

[@tonypuffer5428]

Fantastic…exactly what I needed for my Speed Twin

[@akmalaman2426]

This brembo brake pads original??

[@howtomoto]

The brake pads are from a French company called Carbone Lorraine

[@marciooliveira1532]

Excellent Vídeo 😎🤘🏼👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@adityarai5367]

You deserve more subs and likes Just be regular Great work man Have a great life

[@howtomoto]

+Aditya Rai Thanks mate! Definitely noted, I plan to release videos more often.

[@adityarai5367]

How To Moto great and I plan to comment everyday Also you can do some vlogs

[@Ethan350z]

Brilliant video. Thanks for this - gave me the confidence to go ahead and change my own brake pads

[@ivoruren3086]

Only one question here. How do make sure that the pads are in the centre of the caliper? i.e. not to one side causing the caliper to rub the dics? Because the disc to caliper clearance is very tight on these brakes therefore the gap between the pads must be correct.

[@howtomoto]

The very first thing I would check is whether any of the pistons are sticking. The way the caliper is bolted to the mount in combination with the floating tolerance of the disc, you would have severely worn out disc buttons if the two made contact. I've never had a huge issue as after I change the pads, I depress the brake lever and it centres the pads onto the disc.

[@ivoruren3086]

@@howtomoto my original discs on my 1198 were knackered after 15k miles they were very loose on the bobins and because they are semi floating not fully floating I binned them and fitted new seris oro discs. But it doesn't always happen the the pistons come out equally both sides of the caliper and the mounting bolts have side to side clearance between them and the caliper holes, therefore it "maybe" possible for the pads to not be central to the disc rotor. I walays check caliper to disc clearance by inserting a feeler guage between the caliper and disc making sure they are the same both sides of the disc. Thanks for your reply :-)

[@howtomoto]

@@ivoruren3086 I'd honestly never considered this, I'll have a look next time I'm playing around but my caliper bolts and disc bolts don't seem to have any play in them at all.

[@laurencelagden]

What you do to centre the pads is do the caliper bolts up finger tight. Spin the wheel and squeeze the brake lever. Do this a couple of times then spin, squeeze and hold the lever on tight to hold the pads in position. Then reach round and torque the caliper bolts while holding the lever. This will ensure the pads are central. When you spin the wheel afterwards you should hear a consistent sound from the disc as the pads slightly rub it. If the rubbing comes and goes then either it’s not central or you have a sticky piston or warped disc.

[@ivoruren3086]

@@laurencelagden that's about the same as I do, thanks.

[@bdjohn1]

Thanks

[@phiziya]

Perfect!

[@howtomoto]

Thanks!

[@seanmcclorey8448]

Thanks a lot, educational.

[@howtomoto]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@puttipongruengpisan7686]

How much bolt torque?

[@howtomoto]

For this specific bike it is 35Nm, however, it can be different for every model. Please check the service manual.

[@흑순]

잘보구 감니다 good

[@Kevin-yr4vf]

I had a piston fall out. Can I just push it back in?

[@bikecrazy001]

what if the dried silicone mixes with water and goes onto the pads while riding ?

[@mxkxveli5616]

I saw lots of movement on your disc. It looks as if its damaged. Looks dangerous. Speaking from experience, the same thing happened but I disregarded, on my ninja650 2019 The disc cracked and damaged my front suspensions. (FYI only the right side of the disc broke and damaged the right side of the suspensions, it took a chunk out.) But if that is the way it, then so be it. Take care.

[@howtomoto]

This was a deliberate modification to convert my rotors to “fully floating” which is why there is disc movement.

[@anakletor]

Nice video but that irritating music!!!

[@motorjack141]

Just did my brakes on the 2013 rsv4 factory, is it normal for it to be slightly harder to push around? Also even after bleeding the brake levers feel a bit spongy, any tips?

[@howtomoto]

Make sure your calipres are centred by loosening the axle nuts, pushing down on the suspension a few times and then tightening the axle nuts again. (I'm referring to the 2 bolts that clamp the axle, not the main axle itself). If it's spongy, it means there is still air in the system somewhere. Try googling how to bleed brakes with ABS systems.

[@motorjack141]

@@howtomoto mechanic did the bleeding, now i did it myself with a friend after the first bleed(left caliper), it's fixed. Did some flushing since there's been solidified bits of brake fluid already.

[@felixvalentin1618]

What do i do if 2 of the pistons on 1 side dont want to go back ???

[@mjoseph48]

This a clear instructional video on how to clean brakes and it is brilliant!!!

[@mmcguireiphone]

Should have shown the left hand side one...... I found it much harder to get off with 2 brake lines going to it. I have multistrada and had to wrap a tshirt around caliper as I twisted it to remove it as it hit the wheel before the pads were clear of the disk. Other than that well done, great video.

[@davep6286]

Michael Mcguire : I’ve been putting a few layers of wide electrical tape onto the rim, to try and stop the knock of callipers against rims. Seems to work well, 👍

[@mmcguireiphone]

@@davep6286 thanks. I wrapped an old t-shirt around the calliper Nd it came off without scoring the well too. 🤟

[@philclose7063]

Excellent video, thanks.

[@busablack1]

Great job!

[@howtomoto]

Thanks for the feedback mate!

[@twistngrip]

Good man👌🏼

[@howtomoto]

Thanks!

[@mohdfirdaussariman8525]

The easiest caliper to replace new pad

[@krayzieegg7294]

Is it normal to have one rotor warmer than the other not smoking hot just warmer?

[@howtomoto]

If one is a significantly warmer than the other it could mean a caliper piston is stuck on one side, and hence not actually braking with full force and generating as much heat. It's hard to tell without seeing it for myself, but I'd say start by giving your brakes a solid clean and inspect the pistons and pads.

[@silviosirianni9260]

Thanks so much

[@RoknRivr]

Great video!

[@salvaldes3229]

9:57 looks like he’s brushing a robot’s teeth

[@3_Dimensional]

😂

[@jacob-no4tf]

nice job.

[@christart8461]

So why do some tell me to take out that top clip ?

[@howtomoto]

I’m not sure, maybe to reduce noise? I trust the manufacturer and I would personally leave it there.

[@erikavalos3979]

THANK YOU!

[@krayzieegg7294]

Such a relaxing ang informative video

[@howtomoto]

Thank you, I appreciate the feedback!

[@ON-te9qf]

No grease on the back of the pads?

[@howtomoto]

I’ve never done it and have had no issues, my pistons have never stuck to the pads.

[@ON-te9qf]

@@howtomoto As I've understood it, the reason for greasing the back is to eliminate brake squeek caused by vibrations between pads and pistons. I've never done any brake maintenance, so I'm in the process of educating myself on the topic 😊

[@wawii1983]

Good review bro

[@howtomoto]

Thank you, I appreciate the feedback!

[@tnelliott2447]

Great video