V7 850 rear brake performance improvement

[MikeP996]

My '21 v7 850 Special that I purchased with 6800 miles had a rather poor rear brake - it took SERIOUS pressure on the (firm) lever to get any result and regardless how hard I pressed I could never get enough brake force to engage the ABS.  For any "normal" amount of pressure there was little if any braking.

Shortly after purchasing the bike I did some brake bedding-in runs hoping that might improve the performance.  It did help a bit but not all that much.  So I decided to replace the rear pads with some EBC organic pads.  I have found over the years that organic pads seemed to work better on my street bikes than other types of pads.  They have better feel/more initial bite.

So I changed the pads today.  The pads in the caliper were the OEM "Moto Guzzi" branded sintered pads and had very little wear.  I cleaned the rotor, installed the organics and went out, did some bedding in.  There was quite a noticeable improvement - much better feel and actual braking performance.  Pressing hard will cause the ABS to kick in - as it should.

As I said, my experience has always been that organic pads work best for me.  Over the years that I rode Ducati Sportbikes I would run organic pads for"daily riding" and change them to sintered track pads for track days, then back to organics.

I offer this info if anyone else feels their V7 850's rear brake is less than they think it should be.  If that is the case, try a set of organic pads - it might make the improvement you seek.

[YellowDuck]

Thanks Mike.  Would you mind posting the actual name and part number of the pads you installed?

[DoubleGuzzi]

I nearly always prefer the feel and initial bite of organic pads.

[buck]

I replaced mine with EBC HH Sintered pads. Much, much better.

[Moparnut72]

My '26 V7 850's rear brake is fairly good. The rear brake on the V7lll I had was terrible. I put EBC sintered pads on it, much better. Break in is probably the cause of poor brakes. I was real easy on my V7lll but with my 850 I tried to be more aggressive during the break in period. I don't use the rear brake much anyway. Mainly when coming to a stop for stability. I will also use it in the mountains on gentle turns when I need to slow a bit without upsetting the attitude of the bike.
kk

[MikeP996]

The pads I ordered/installed are   EBC FA256 Organic

[DoubleGuzzi]

Literally, I have just bought EBC organic pads for the rear of the V7C, rather than slightly cheaper Goldfren carbon ceramic.

[Dr. Enzo Toma]

Last year I switched my 2022 V7 850 to EBC sintered pads in the rear. I noticed a slight improvement, but the rear brake still leaves a lot to be desired. At this point I am wondering if the ABS may be what results in the rear brake feeling like applying a wooden brake to a wagon wheel.

[ridingron]

Not only will the brakes feel better but you should feel better too! Going organic-better braking and saving the planet!   

Sorry, I just spent over an hour with a bunch of greenies telling me how I should add trees and bushes to my yard. I pointed out when I moved into my house it had a lone useless palm tree (cockroach hotel). I planted 3 oaks, a maple and a camphor tree. I was going green before they were born. I was also ahead of my time by having one of the latest tech machine for drying laundry. It uses solar and wind power. We called them clothes lines back then.

[buck]

Last year I switched my 2022 V7 850 to EBC sintered pads in the rear. I noticed a slight improvement, but the rear brake still leaves a lot to be desired. At this point I am wondering if the ABS may be what results in the rear brake feeling like applying a wooden brake to a wagon wheel.

No. The ABS is not causing this.

I suspect to a certain degree the rear brake was intended to be under-biased. Anyone who has ridden bikes with overbiased rear brakes (Harley) likely learned it’s better to have an under-biased rear brake than an over-biased rear brake, though it becomes less of an issue with ABS. The sintered pads provide enough improvement once they are fully bedded in that I don’t feel the need to do anything else with the rear brake.

[DoubleGuzzi]

.. feeling like applying a wooden brake to a wagon wheel.

I get that more often with sintered and ceramic pads and is a key reason for choosing organic. Organic pads are easier to glaze up (IME) and there's a need to be gentle on them for a hundred miles, or so. A brief scrub with sand paper, followed by brake cleaner, usually fixes that up, if required. Only applicable to non-racing activities, having some sense of initial bite, especially at low speed, is much more inspiring than maximum 'power' only when the pads warm up.
/mini-rant.

[Dr. Enzo Toma]

No. The ABS is not causing this.

I suspect to a certain degree the rear brake was intended to be under-biased. Anyone who has ridden bikes with overbiased rear brakes (Harley) likely learned it’s better to have an under-biased rear brake than an over-biased rear brake, though it becomes less of an issue with ABS. The sintered pads provide enough improvement once they are fully bedded in that I don’t feel the need to do anything else with the rear brake.

That makes sense to me. I guess I am just used to bikes with stronger rear braking. Even with the sintered pads bedded, it takes a lot of faith for me to trust the rear brake to simply hold the bike in place on a hill.

[DoubleGuzzi]

.. it takes a lot of faith for me to trust the rear brake to simply hold the bike in place on a hill.

I get that front or rear.. on my V50 II. 

(Ensure caliper pistons and pad retaining pin are clean a free to move. Ensure pads show no glazing. Bleed new brake fluid after hanging the caliper high, with an overnight weight on the pedal and a spacer between the pads. Short of changing all the copper washers and/or using a caliper or m/c rebuild kit, I can't see how you could improve braking power, using OEM components.)

It is conceivable that air is trapped in the ABS unit unless self-bleeding. For some Triumphs, one is supposed to use diagnostics to run the ABS, during a full brake bleeding process. I never felt the need to do that on my Sprint ST nor Street Twin, though the latter's original setup (braking power) was poor.