[mike721]

My 2008 VStar 650 had squeaky, noisy front brakes, the pads looked like new so I ignored it but it was annoying me. After reading posts in a few places with many people saying the original brakes were just very hard and noisy and seeing that the rotor was starting to wear a bit I put a new set of softer carbon/ kevlar ( so they claim) pads on it.

What an improvement!!! Total silence, and it's much smoother as I come to a stop! The braking action and feel seems the same, and the softer pads should be kinder to the rotor as well. So far so good and for an investment of $10 and 15 minutes I'm very happy. My wife's 2009 Vstar 650 has the same noise issue, my bike is always the guinea pig so hers will get the pads next

I think this actually may apply to all sizes of VStars but I can only attest to my experience.

 

[Dodsfall]

That's good troubleshooting. Pads are a lot less expensive to replace than rotors. Just don't forget to inspect the pad thickness periodically, since they may wear faster than the old ones.

 

[mike721]

100 miles later, still silent, the feel is even smoother,and the funny dull wear marks on the rotor from the hard pads are actually starting to shine up and look better.
I think I'm going to like these brakes, I'm sure they will wear faster than the hard ones but they are so easy to change and cheap it's really not much of an issue, I'll keep an eye on them for sure though.

 

[hogcowboy]

You didn't happened to get Lyndall brake pads did you? I think they have Kevlar pads. Just curious what brand.

 

[mike721]

The brand was Volar, they were the cheapest I found on Amazon to experiment with.

 

[Luvs2Play]

Our 650 was a rattler on the front end, all it took was changing to cheap, soft pads. They lasted about 20,000 miles, but they were shot then.

 

[hogcowboy]

I never even heard of that brand but certainly glad they are working for you. There's a lot of companies I never heard of though.

 

[mike721]

If these last 20,000 miles I think I will more than have gotten my $8.08 worth
I'm guessing the ones I removed were the originals, MAYBE 1/4 worn down, 9000 miles on a 2008. They are hard as a rock though, and a hard rock at that.

Our 650 was a rattler on the front end, all it took was changing to cheap, soft pads. They lasted about 20,000 miles, but they were shot then.

 

[Luvs2Play]

Brakes last a long time here, there isn't a city within 20 miles where they would be used other than dodging wildlife.

 

[mike721]

We had a nice midweek mini vacation, and there and back I put 300 miles more on the new brakes in the last 2 days, including 40 miles in a downpour, no problems and no noise! Life is good.
There was a moment when I thought they were starting to squeak/ crunch again as I came to a stop, I was starting to get annoyed and then I realized what I was hearing was my wife's brakes as she was rolling up next to me at the light.:coffeescreen:

I guess I better order some more pads..