Buying Brake Parts: The Key Points Listed
This is what you need to know before heading onto the track:
- Sintered Brake Pads Are the Standard: Virtually always choose sintered brake pads for your motocross bike. They withstand extreme heat and wear down significantly slower in sand and mud than organic pads.
- Prevent Brake Fade: Brake fade occurs when your brake pads and fluid overheat. Brake briefly and firmly instead of riding with your brakes dragged to limit heat buildup.
- Brake Disc Thickness: Regularly check the minimum thickness of your motocross bike's brake disc. An overly thin disc dissipates heat poorly, warps quickly, and wears out your brake pads in no time.
- Do Not Use DOT 5: Only use DOT 4 or DOT 5.1 brake fluid. DOT 5 is silicone-based, damages your seals, and must absolutely not be mixed with other fluids.
- Braided Steel Brake Lines: Replace your old rubber brake line with a braided steel variant for a more direct and consistent feel at your brake lever.
Sintered vs. Organic: Which Brake Pads Should You Choose?
This is a common occurrence in the workshop: riders heading onto the track with the wrong brake pads on their motocross bike. For motocross, sintered brake pads are the absolute standard. These pads are made from compressed metal particles under high pressure and temperature. They are extremely heat-resistant and maintain their braking power even when the caliper glows red-hot during a hard lap.
Organic brake pads (made from softer materials and resins) do offer a very smooth and controllable feel, but on a heavy sand track, you’ll wear them out after just one lap. Brands like Prox and Moto-Master sell sintered pads that perfectly match the hardness of your brake disc, letting you combine maximum stopping power with a respectable service life.
How to Fix Brake Fade and a Spongy Brake Lever?
Nothing is more frustrating than a brake lever you can squeeze all the way to your handlebars while riding. This spongy feel is caused by brake fade or air in the system. When your brake pads and disc get too hot, they transfer that heat to the caliper and brake fluid. When the fluid reaches its boiling point, gas bubbles form. Since gas (unlike fluid) is compressible, your brake pressure drops off immediately.
You can prevent this by adjusting your braking technique: brake hard and briefly before the turn, then release the lever immediately so that oncoming wind can cool the system down. Flush your brake fluid at least once per season. Old brake fluid absorbs moisture, which drastically lowers its boiling point and makes you far more prone to brake fade.
Pro tip: make sure your bike is on a fluid-absorbent milieumat surface when working with brake fluid. Spilled brake fluid not only damages your bike’s paintwork but also seeps directly into the floor.
Maintenance Tips: Bedding In and Cleaning
Just installed new brake pads? Don’t head onto the track at full throttle right away. New pads need to seat themselves to the brake disc first. Perform eight to twelve controlled, firm stops on a flat surface, and let the brakes cool briefly in between. This ensures perfect transfer of the friction material to the disc, which greatly improves both service life and braking power.
Never clean your motocross bike’s brake disc with aggressive degreasers that leave a greasy residue. Just use warm water and mild soap, plus fine-grit sandpaper (grit 500) if needed to scrub away stubborn dirt and old brake lining. When overhauling your brake caliper, always lubricate the slide pins with a thin layer of heat-resistant grease too. If the caliper can’t slide smoothly, your pads will wear unevenly and you’ll lose braking power instantly.
