Best KZ650 brake pads: opinions?

I am curious what the opinions are on brake pads for the KZ650B. Does anybody have experiences to share on Lucas, Ferodo and other aftermarket pads versus original Kawasaki?

You're always best off with stock Kawasaki pads. The problems I've always had using aftermarket is they squeel. This is on discs. If your doing a 77B1 with drum rear brakes, seems like any replacement is "OK". I got a set of Vesra about 18 months ago and put them on my 77. The problem I had was the shoes after installing were basically the same OD as the ID of the wheel hub, so trying to adjust for 1" of brake lever travel was not possible. I just elected to ride with 1/4-1/2" of brake free play until the pads wore some. Now they finally wore into 1" brake lever play at least and are working fine. I had this same problem with vesra rear pads on a 900LTD, with the pistons fully retracted in the caliper, the pads were too thick for the disc to slide in between. So vesra is probably not the best brand to choose. That's all I've tried on the rear. On discs though, don't use ferodo, EBC or vesra.

Thanks for the heads up! I had the brake shoes done locally at a good specialized shop. They made them to fit, and told me that sometimes after a period of time, the glue can lose its hold. Therefore they punched a couple of rivets in both shoes.

For the front calipers (I added a disc, and put the calipers behind the forks for better weight distribution) I almost bought Lucas non-sintered (which I think is usually the reason for brake squeel, and cannot use anyway because the crown on the caliper piston isn't thick enough to allow the extra heat to dissipate) pads. As I did some shopping around to find the best price, I was told that Lucas isn't that good. Then again, each place I call has its own dislikes. So I thought I'd better try here...at least here people have experience riding the stuff, instead of selling the parts.

So, why not Ferodo, EBC, or Vesra? Enquiring minds need to know...

The Ferodos and EBCs squeeled so bad it was rediculous. Yes I tried it all, filing the pads, sanding the rotors, automotive stop squeel goop, ensured the pads were in correctly multiple times. Other guys here have made them work, but no luck here. I'm not just talking a mild squeel either, these could be heard from 1/2 mile away. Well slight exageteration, but it was loud and enbarrassing to say the least. Stock Kawasaki pads no problem with squeel. The Vesra didn't fit the 900 LTD, but on the front of a KZ650 they were hit or miss whether they worked or squeeled. I had one set that worked great, although wore like twice the rate of Kawasaki pads, but price way less so well worth it, bought another set and they squeeled and would not quiet down regardless of what was tried. Too much aggravation for me on these other brands, I'm not a patient guy, I want something that works every time