#Sintered

Slow your roll.

While not as controversial a topic as “ What oil should I put in my bike?” the question of what brake pads to use will still draw up tons of varying opinions from every corner of the internet. Yes, we know we’re another corner of the internet, but this post isn’t here to tell you which pads to put in your motorcycle. Instead, we’re here to inform you about the different options you have and why they are the way they are. Knowledge is power, and if you’re informed on your options, then you can make the right choice for your needs. 

Besides, if you end up not liking whatever pads you chose, just chuck’em and try another pair. They’re relatively cheap and easy to install.

Sometimes we take for granted the importance of brake pads. As long as we can stop within a respectable time or distance, we’re good, right? Well, yes, but what if there was something better? Something providing more bite and better feel compared to stock pads throughout its lifetime? Enter the SBS SP Evo Sinter brake pads.

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While it’s easy to assume upgraded pads are only necessary on high-performance motorcycles, better braking performance is a benefit no matter what you ride. With applications for adventure bikes, sportbikes, and touring bikes, there’s a good chance a set of SP EVO pads will fit your modern day machine.

In our Beginner-Ish Sportbike Shootout, the KTM entry got beat up about its brakes. When compared to the CBR300, the Ninja 300, and the YZF-R3 , the poor RC390’s binders, well, just didn’t compare. Of course, this sparked discussions about whether the ByBre brakes were inferior to the components that its parent, Brembo, both designs and manufactures. Well, thanks to Scandinavian Brake Systems (SBS), we’ve had the opportunity to test this theory with a set of SBS 877RS pads. For this test, we’ve enlisted a 390 Duke, which shares its single 300mm disc and 4-piston, radial-mount caliper with the RC390, as our test mule.

2015 KTM 390 Duke First-Ride Review

2015 KTM RC390 First Ride Review + Video

In our MO Wrenching: How To Replace Brake Pads article, we swapped the OEM pads with a set of SBS ones. Since then, we’ve had the pleasure of sampling the improved performance offered by the compound. First, however, a bit about the pads.

We don’t always agree on everything at MO, but we do all agree that the new Harley-Davidson Street 750 could use a better front brake. Its revvable and lovable little 60-degree V-Twin engine is one of the best things Harley’s done in the 21st century and the rest of the bike’s not far behind for the money, but the response from its front brake let us down. In our recent Millennial Hep Cat Shootout, mean Tom Roderick said, “Where the Street 750 really fails in its performance package is with its lame front brake. Whether it’s the brake pad material or air in the line, the twin-piston single-caliper front disc brake is glaringly weak.”

2015 Harley-Davidson Street 750 Review – First Ride.

“As much as I was impressed with the engine, I was maybe equally negatively impressed with the brakes,” said Troy Siahaan. “Weak and wooden, they’re bad even for budget-bike standards.”

Always ready to defend the downtrodden when it’s not too much trouble and doesn’t cost me anything, I got hold of Johan Rauff Kristensen at Scandinavian Brake Systems to see what could be done. The next week, a box arrived packed with front pads for the Street 500/750, including SBS’s 924H.HF Ceramic pads and its 924H.LS Sinters. I knew I was on the right track when I saw myself on the packaging, riding a ZX-9R Kawasaki circa 1996.

2015 Harley-Davidson Street 750: Extended Play.