Brake Pad Upgrade???

I put EBC pads on my KZ650-C1. They work fine, but squealed so bad that dogs would howl when I hit the brakes. :laugh: Anti-squeal didn't stop it, but I chamfered the edges of them a little and the squeal went away. Ed

I'll agree with Ed. If you use any pad other than factory you are going to squeel at 100db at every stop, and people will be running for cover that are 2 blocks away when they hear that horrible sound. Well exaggerating slightly, but here is my personal findings in brakes:
EBC- No noticeable difference in braking over oem, but horribly squeel,
Ferodo- Read prior EBC review, exact same thing.
Vesrah- No noticible difference in braking, worked fine, but wore rapidly making them just slightly cheaper than OEM. That was Vesrah pad change #1.
Vesra change #2- Read prior EBC review.
So if you're looking for cheaper pads any will work, but most likely be painful, looking for improving brakes, I wouldn't believe you'll notice $0.02 difference in any of them. If you prefer to ride and not be embarrassed at every stop, I recommend staying with factory pads.

i have no squealing from my ferrodo pads on either my 750 or 650. prepping the rotor prior has a MAJOR influence on this. The best way is to bead blast rotors, or have them resurfaced. scotch padding is not enough. Brakes were shot on both bikes when i bought them so i can not comment if they preform better or worse than stock pads

Most everyone who have responded to this post were satisfied with the performance upgrade that their pads gave them. No improvement with any of the aftermarket pads? I've used EBC and Vesrah pads in the past and don't remember squealing and poor braking performance? Still confusing. Mike's @ Vintage recommends a combination of Vesrah and Ferodo and with his expertise in Vintage applications, he's probably spot on.

RonKZ650 wrote: I'll agree with Ed. If you use any pad other than factory you are going to squeel at 100db at every stop, and people will be running for cover that are 2 blocks away when they hear that horrible sound. Well exaggerating slightly, but here is my personal findings in brakes:
EBC- No noticeable difference in braking over oem, but horribly squeel,
Ferodo- Read prior EBC review, exact same thing.
Vesrah- No noticible difference in braking, worked fine, but wore rapidly making them just slightly cheaper than OEM. That was Vesrah pad change #1.
Vesra change #2- Read prior EBC review.
So if you're looking for cheaper pads any will work, but most likely be painful, looking for improving brakes, I wouldn't believe you'll notice $0.02 difference in any of them. If you prefer to ride and not be embarrassed at every stop, I recommend staying with factory pads.

The factory pads are definitely good and quiet,the trick is to figure out who actually made/makes the factory pads for ma kaw.
Theres no doubt in my mind anyway that they were made by somebody besides a bunch of elves at a Kawasaki factory,since Suzuki calls for the same pads on some models. :woohoo:

Good info from Brake Tech FAQ

WHY DO MY BRAKES SQUEAL?
Brake squeal is simply a high frequency vibration between the brake pad and rotor, the energy created from this is heard in the form of sound waves. Typically, this situation is usually encountered during low to mid energy applications of the brake. It can be caused by a number of factors;

Glazed pads or rotors (often caused by aerosol brake claners)
Inadequate piston retraction within the caliper causing brake drag (old seals).
Miss-aligned caliper (or bracket, as found on single action calipers)
Single Action calipers with bent [floating] pins or inadequate lubrication of the pins, not allowing the caliper to properly float.
Brake rotors with excessive run-out.
Brake pad backplates warped (often the culprit for spongy levers too…)
Bound up (or bent) forks or miss-aligned wheel centering causing the forks to bind, putting excessive pressure on the caliper and/or rotor. If involved in a front end crash, good idea to check run-out on axle too.
Buildup of road grime and brake dust on the piston seal area effecting proper piston retraction. When’s the last time the calipers were rebuilt? Racers should do that annually.
Flush the brake fluid thoroughly at least once a year, more often in humid climates or if used in severe conditions…it’s cheap insurance! Old contaminated fluid diminishes the overall performance potential of the brake system and can lead to more expensive problems.

I usually just knock the sharp leading edge off the pads with a file,works most of the time anyway.

Trust me I tried ever conceivable means of quieting the pads from filing the pads to sanding the pads to sanding the discs to adding anti squeel to the pads. For me the 20hrs plus of agony was not worth it to save $20 or whatever over stock pads with no noticeable difference in braking. I can lock up brakes on a KZ650 with single disc up front and a drum in rear, and can lock up brakes on a KZ1000MKII with triple disc brakes using stock pads, so why do I want *better* brakes again that squeel at 100db? :laugh
The entire time I've ridden these KZs, well over 300,000 miles, aftermarket brakes were at the top of the list of aftermarket trash. Not all aftermarket is trash, not all trash is aftermarket, but all aftermarket brakes are trash. I'll leave it at that. Still gripes me to this day companies sell trash, but money and unaware public looking for something for nothing go hand in hand. Now we have the internet to try to read and decide personal reviews have any weight or not on reality. Well that's my review.

Hes here all week folks,2 shows on Saturday nights! :laugh:

To "All" of the KZ Tech Guru's who have provided "Positive" Input on Brake Pad Performance, THANK YOU SO MUCH !!! I realize there's always one that doesn't see things the same as others, but that's their opinion. The bottom line, I like performance brake pads and the information I have been given certainly helps in making better choices.