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2010 R1200rt Uneven front brake pad wear

whm1226

New member
Greetings all.
I have unusual brake pad wear on this R1200rt. I have 24000+ miles on it. I visually checked the brake pads before riding in Eastern Tennessee and discovered that one of the four pads is worn very thin. The other three pads show hardly any wear. I recall talking to a BMW mechanic years ago about another issue and he mentioned that some models of bikes do this.
Has anyone had a similar issue on an RT? :banghead
 
That's definitely unusual. I've only had one issue with brake pads on my RT and that was with aftermarket pads that had a backing plate and would not fully release. I peeled off the plate and they worked fine.

Either way, you need to remove the pads and check it out. It's pretty easy to do if you haven't already.

Have you had them serviced or bled before? Do you know if they are the OEM pads?
 
That's definitely unusual. I've only had one issue with brake pads on my RT and that was with aftermarket pads that had a backing plate and would not fully release. I peeled off the plate and they worked fine.

Either way, you need to remove the pads and check it out. It's pretty easy to do if you haven't already.

Have you had them serviced or bled before? Do you know if they are the OEM pads?

I have had the brake fluid replaced two years ago but it was a BMW dealer that did the work. The pads have not been replaced so they are original equipment. I don’t buy the aftermarket stuff. I tend to stick with the BMW stuff if I can afford it without taking out a second mortgage. Thank you for the reply... I will be removing them tomorrow when I get the new pads.
 
Well, if it's been two years you're probably due for another bleed. If you like to have the dealer do the service, you can tell them one pad is worn excessively and they can investigate the possibility of a stuck piston.

Otherwise, it will at least need new pads on the side that's worn thin, if not both sides to have even wear. When I service my brakes, I remove the pads, unbolt the caliper and clean and inspect it before pushing the pistons back in to bleed it. Check for gunk around the pistons on the side with extra wear as that might be causing them to stick. Sometimes just a good cleaning and lube will get it all working fine again.

Since your bike has been bled since the pads were last installed, check the reservoir first to make sure it isn't fully topped off. If that is the case, you may have to remove some fluid from the reservoir before pushing the pistons back in as it can overflow and pour fluid out on your bike. I use channel lock pliers and the old pad/a rag to push the pistons back in (making sure the actual pliers don't touch the pistons/caliper directly). Make sure they move smoothly while you do this.

As far as OEM pads go, I use the Brembo equivalent and buy them from a shop in the UK. They are the same pads as the OEM ones, just not branded BMW. They are significantly cheaper to buy this way and come in around $90 for a full set of front pads (both sides). I buy mine from Motobins: https://www.motobins.co.uk and the part number on their website is 22863.

Hope this helps!
 
Whatever it is, it isn’t a failure of the pad, and replacing the pad won’t fix it.

Something is causing one side of the caliper to apply more pressure than the other. Pad blocked, or stuck on the guide pin? Piston stuck in the caliper? At a minimum the caliper needs to be thoroughly cleaned, slides lubricated, and inspected for function.
 
Thank you folks for the advise on the worn pad. I will be changing all front pads and looking for the cause of the uneven wear. The BMW pads are super expensive but I don't trust aftermarket stuff as much.
I am also due for the fluid change which I knew was coming up. That's actually what led me to the pad. The fluid level was down just a little lower than full so I inspected the pads.
 
Whatever it is, it isn’t a failure of the pad, and replacing the pad won’t fix it.

Something is causing one side of the caliper to apply more pressure than the other. Pad blocked, or stuck on the guide pin? Piston stuck in the caliper? At a minimum the caliper needs to be thoroughly cleaned, slides lubricated, and inspected for function.

You were right. The tech at the shop says that he sees this often on certain years of the R1200RT. He explained that theoretically the system should apply pressure evenly but for some reason it applies more to one side than the others. He said it was always the front inside starboard side pad that wears out first. Nothing to worry about. Just do the checks an monitor it.
 
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