Suzuki GS750 Motorcycle Front Brake Pads Replacement Steps, Mine.

Got around to working on my Suzuki GS750 again, and replaced the front brake pads. Here are my motorcycle front brake pads replacement steps. Well, no secret this new motorcycle of mine, a 1978 Suzuki GS750 came cheap, but came with a list of deferred maintenance items, one being replacing the front brake pads.

In the beginning, I focused on getting the bike moving, and now I’m trying to help get the motorcycle to stop moving.

So if you are in the same situation where you have a Suzuki GS type of bike, these brake pad replacement steps might help you.

Motorcycle Front Brake Pads Replacement Parts:

The only part I needed for this job, was new front brake pads.  Can do searches for them, but to save time I went with EBC FA35‘s.

Motorcycle Front Brake Pads Replacement Tools:

Now here we go with showing off the tools I have in my garage, which managed to grow with the hobby of tinkering on motorcycles.

FYI: Building My List of Must-Have Tools For Motorcycle Owners

1.- A 3/8th Socket Set.

Metric sockets of course.

2.- A Phillips-head Screwdriver.

Should be JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) screwdriver, but don’t have one yet. So going easy with the Phillips head screws.

3.- A Breaker-Bar.

A breaker-bar is basically a longer handled non-ratching socket handle.

4.- Clamps.

I used plastic grip clamps, in the past used c-clamps, something that will push the piston into the caliper.

5.- Impact Gun.

I had some trouble with the smaller set of bolts, no leverage and an impact gun helped. Might not need it if you can get good leverage and use the breaker bar.

Motorcycle Front Brake Pads Replacement Materials:

1.- A Brake Cleaner.

Grease can get on rotors and affect braking power. So something that can clean the surfaces of oil and dirt, without leaving a residue.

2.- Shop Towels.

Love the blue shop towels, they are stronger and produce less lint than ordinary paper towels.

3.- High-temp Grease.

Not much, just a dab on the slide bolts.

4.- Thread-Locker.

By doing my work on Chinese-made motorcycles(TaoTao TBR7 and Boom Vader motorcycles) I keep a good supply of thread lockers in my garage.

5.- Brake Fluid.

Just in case you need to make up any lost fluid during this repair.

6.- Hanging Material.

With the brake caliper removed from the fork and rotor, weight shouldn’t be hanging on the brake line.  Can use wire, or wire ties to secure the brake caliper to a fixed bike part, preventing stress on the brake line.

GS750 Motorcycle Front Brake Pads Prep Work:

1.- Staged all my tools where I was going to replace my GS750’s front brake.

2.- Prepped the bike for maintenance. Level ground, bike safe, and not going to roll away.

FAQ: Motorcycle Garage Safety Rules.

Suzuki GS750 Front Brake Pads Replacement Steps:

1.- Loosened The Front Brake Reservoir Cap.

Now as the front brake piston is pushed in fluid will return to the reservoir, so monitoring the level to prevent spillage is important. In this case might consider lowering the brake fluid to the minimum level mark.

2.- Remove The Mounting Bolts.  

These were tough, so I used a 17mm socket attached to a breaker bar(a long non-ratching socket handle).

3.- Slide The Front Brake Caliper Off.

This is where you have the hanging material (wire, wire ties, etc.) attached to support the weight of the brake caliper.

Now once the brake caliper is removed, the next step might happen automatically, so be prepared should the pad fall out.

4.- Remove Caliper-side Brake Pad.

For me, it just fell out.  Eye protection is important since any falling items can result in flying parts too.

5.- Using Clamps, Push In The Brake Caliper Piston.

This was tricky, used a couple of clamps to try to apply even pressure to both sides, forcing the piston into the caliper. Watch the brake fluid reservoir level.

6.- Remove The Non-Piston Side Brake Pad.

This brake pad is secured with a Phillips head screw, yes yes it’s a JIS screw but looks like a Phillips head screw to me.  

Remove the screw, and this should free the brake pad. The metal backing plate can be removed as well.

7.- Remove One Slide Bolt At A Time.

These 14mm bolts were a pain to remove, I had to break out an impact gun to lose them. Again, I couldn’t get good leverage and some might be able to use a breaker bar instead of an impact gun.

Note: I did the steps for these bolts one at a time. This way holes lined up, now if you do these differently, leave a comment below, please.

8.- Clean And Lube Slide Bolt.

Wiped off old gunk, examined bolt for damage(cuts, cracks, warn areas), and put a small coating of high-temperature grease on the sliding area. These areas are easy to notice from the bolt’s coloration.  

I added a little, dab, of thread-locker to the threads.

9.- Re-insert Slide Bolt.

Hand thread the bolt to prevent damage. Can wait till end to torque these bolts down.

10.- Repeat Steps 7,8 & 9 for remaining bolt.

11.- Tighten Both Slide Bolts.

12.- Secure The Inner Brake Pad, Opposite the piston.

The inner pad has a projection that lines up with a notch in its recess. Place the pad in this orientation, brake material facing inward.

Line up the backing plate, and screw(with a little thread locker) in the “Phillips-head” screw.  

13.- Secured The Outer Brake Pad, Side With Piston.

There is a notch in the brake pad that lines up with a projection in the recess. This pad will sit in recess and be held by the rotor in place, with brake material facing inward.

Note: If you need to again compress the piston, ensure your brake fluid regular cap is loose and monitor the brake fluid level to prevent spillage.

14.- Slide Brake Caliper On To Rotor.

At this point, the motorcycle’s brake rotor should sit between both brake pads.

15.- Clean And Re-install The Brake Caliper Mounting Bolts.

I use a little thread locker on the threads, just a dab. Then reinstall the mounting bolts.

16.- Clean Up Time.

I removed the wire I used to support the brake caliper while it was removed.  

I used braked cleaner and blue towels to wipe down brake and rotor surfaces from any dirt and grease that got on them.

17.- Check And Re-pressurize Brake System.

While monitoring the brake fluid level, be sure it doesn’t go below the minimum, I gently squeeze the hand brake lever several times. This will move the piston into position, and line up the floating caliper over the rotor.

The hand brake lever should not feel ‘soft’ or ‘squishy’, if so, somehow air got into your system and the system needs to be bled.

18.- Test The Brakes And Break Them In.

After cleaning up, I move the bike back and forth testing out the front brakes.  Mine worked and stopped the bike from a slow roll.

Sometimes there is foreign material(dust, moisture, oil, etc.) on the brake pads and that needs to be worn off, and will take several miles of normal riding to do so.

Therefore I go on the bike and at a slow roll, brake hard, anticipating needing to use the rear brake as a backup.  Start and hard stop, start and hard stop till I feel the front brake works, and increase my speed till I’m confident the work is done, and the bike is safe to ride at normal speeds.

Suzuki GS750 Front Brake Pads Replacement Done!

I apologize for the long post about my first front brake pad replacement on my GS750 but wanted to detail it enough so you got to read about the many steps I did for my Suzuki GS750 front brake pad replacement.

Motorcycle brakes, I only have two, do not have much redundancy built in, so doing the brake job right the first time is paramount. Be safe and seek help from a motorcycle mechanic if needed.

Some Motorcycle Brake Pads Replacement FAQ’s:

How Long Does It Take To Change The Front Brake Pads?

The first time changing these front brake pads took a while. The bolts were tight and I was taking my time, but looking back this job should have taken about an Hour, maybe even less.  

If items(tools and materials) are ready, and your clean-up is faster(don’t be messy like me), then it should only take about an hour. Yeah, about an hour to change this motorcycle’s front brake pads.  

I only have one caliper so a little long if your GS750 has more than one front brake caliper.

Is It Easy To Change Brake Pads On A Motorcycle?

With the right tools, yes. I found it easy to change brake pads on a motorcycle.  These front brakes on my GS750 are very simple, with no abs, and no special tools. Just regular motorcycle garage tools and materials.

Can I Replace One Front Brake Pad?

No, you cannot just replace one front brake pad. These pads work as part of a system and are designed to wear evenly with each other as they do their job stopping the motorcycle.  

Besides, motorcycle brake pads are sold in pairs for a reason, replace both pads for the best braking system.

Do I Need To Bleed Brakes After Changing Pads Motorcycle?

If no air goes into the brake lines, then you do not need to bleed brakes after changing the pads on a motorcycle.  

Should you, sure, brake fluid gets ‘old’ and collects moisture, degrading its ability to handle the demands of braking a motorcycle, so regular replacement and bleeding aren’t too much to ask for.  

Very little motorcycle brake fluid will be expelled with a quick bleed, and this might extend the safe operation of the motorcycle brakes.

Thanks for reading along, Ride Safe, Ride Fun!