Which front brake pads are the best for 96 Road King?

[MDGFLHR]

I have a 96 Road King and need advice on which pads are the best. My present ones are fine but after a front fork seal went and I kept riding since the weather was so dam nice during my vacation now I have not nearly enough front brake power to really hold or stop the bike if needed in a hurry. Seems like no matter what I do I can't get all of the fork oil of the pads. I've sprayed degreaser and lightly sanded the discs but still not enough good solid braking power for me. Thanks for the opinions.

[MDGFLHR]

No one just would like a recommendation on which pads are best Thanks Mark

[JBarrettB]

Did the OEM pads stop ok for you before you began 'lubing' them? They are my choice. Other folks prefer one of the countless other options. 

JB

[Deye76]

I can suggest what NOT to get, EBC 

[dr. evil]

^^^. That's funny. I run EBC sintered pads on the front and rear of my 07 Road King. Love 'em. Because of my experience with them I will be switching to those on my 97 Fat Boy when they are due, assuming they are available. If not, I would certainly consider a different EBC product. Honestly, stock pad are probably fine. If not stock, I am pretty certain that any aftermarket pad will do the deed for you. Don't oil 'em up. Brake pads are too important to try to clean with brake cleaner. For the $30-$40 per set (in your case double that with the dual discs) it is cheaper to have good brakes as opposed to the ensuing hospital bill or funeral expenses because you couldn't stop in time. Going fast is an option. Stopping is a necessity.

[stroker800]

SBS brakes pads..
Dave

[Hillside Motorcycle]

We carry mostly DP, and SBS here.
Our clients seem to like them.
Scott

[cowboy]

I run lyndell i think thats how it spelled .had them on 03 e glide & now on my 94 softail , stop great & no dust from them all over my wheels 

[blacknchromehd]

Lyndel...think thats how you spell them...best thing I do is rebuild the calipers at each change...makes the brakes work much nicer..

1996 RK owner here..

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[Bruno-Katz Fokkerpilot]

EBC "HH" pads, dont get the Organic ones, they chuck black dust all over yer Whitewalls.

[96roadking]

The stock Harley pads worked great on my 96 RK but made a mess on the WWW tires. Switched to the EBC Kevlar pads and no more mess, they also stop the bike. LOL

[Princess Butt]

Don't bother trying to clean the old pads. I tried to do that with a set of brake shoes for a car that got contaminated. I tried everything, including boiling them in some kind of solvent. They would come out bone white, and after the brakes got hot, the oil would come to the surface and no more friction.

I've had good luck with the EBC pads, using the Russell rotors.

[Bruno-Katz Fokkerpilot]

Took my EBC "HH" pads for a ride today in our cold damp climate. They performed exceptionly well, no fade, no dust. Love `em to bits!

[easyricer]

At my shop I sell 3 different brands of pads. One is an unknown, plain white box, that says brake pads on it. When customers come in needing new pads I offer them 3 choices, good, better and best. Good being the plain white box (you'll stop eventually), better is Bikers Choice organic pads (made by Bikemaster) they work good but sometimes fade a bit, and best is EBC HH pads, they are gonna stop you NOW. Combined with a set of Russel or Biker Choice stainless steel rotors, the EBC HH pads are an amazing upgrade from the stock brakes.
Now, just like tires, the best grab last the shortest amount of time, or miles. The better grab lasts ok. Keep that in mind also.
EASY

[Bruno-Katz Fokkerpilot]

At my shop I sell 3 different brands of pads. One is an unknown, plain white box, that says brake pads on it. When customers come in needing new pads I offer them 3 choices, good, better and best. Good being the plain white box (you'll stop eventually), better is Bikers Choice organic pads (made by Bikemaster) they work good but sometimes fade a bit, and best is EBC HH pads, they are gonna stop you NOW. Combined with a set of Russel or Biker Choice stainless steel rotors, the EBC HH pads are an amazing upgrade from the stock brakes.
Now, just like tires, the best grab last the shortest amount of time, or miles. The better grab lasts ok. Keep that in mind also.
EASY

Have you tried EBC floating rotors combined with the HH pads? Got them on mine, hell of a difference from the OEM rotors and pads.

[easyricer]

Yes I have. I like the floaters, but on 84-99 with the floating calipers, they are really unnecessary. I actually notice stronger braking power out of the cheaper Bikers Choice  drilled disc rotors with the EBC pads though. Anything beyond that is a hard sell in my area, people either don't have that kind of money or are not willing to part with it.
EASY 

[Deye76]

I'm not sure which EBC pads, but I know a guy that owns a shop, he installs EBC's and we know why. They only last between 6 & 10 k. Whole lot of dust too. Prolly not the HH you guys refer to.

[easyricer]

EBC makes several different pads for our bikes. As far as braking power there is virtually no noticeable difference until you look into the Kevlar RR pads. Organic and metallic pads both perform the same, but the HH pads cost a few $ more and leave a little less dust.
With the RR pads our stock rotors will not stand up very long. They also grind away fairly fast. Most of the EBC pads I keep in stock are the HH pads.
EASY

[Bruno-Katz Fokkerpilot]

Yes, i agree. I tried the EBC Organic pads first, wholen lotta black dust all over the whitewalls! Noticed some fading when hot and, the dust began to pit the wheel chrome. Not sure why they manufacture these pads??

[Deye76]

I'm a fan of Lyndall Racing Brake pads. Low dust, stop excellent, and the pads I have on front as well as the rear have 30,000 + miles on them.

[FLTRI]

Stock pads work just fine AND superior in wet/rain conditions as they are developed to work under water.
The MOCO required the brakes to work while the wheel is dipped into a trough of water.
AFAIK no other mfg does that test.
Never had a complaint with stock pads...but lots of negative input from riders using aftermarket pads...especially EBC.
Bob

[FLHTom1948]

Stock pads work just fine AND superior in wet/rain conditions as they are developed to work under water.
The MOCO required the brakes to work while the wheel is dipped into a trough of water.
AFAIK no other mfg does that test.
Never had a complaint with stock pads...but lots of negative input from riders using aftermarket pads...especially EBC.
Bob

Bet they don't wanna hear that! Well, if you spring for the fancy stainless steel rotors, you prolly would like the ebc better, doncha think?

[moose]

let me put my 1.2 cents in on Lyndall pads been using them for many miles with no problems and no dust and have heard very little if any complaints from my buds ever and all of them use them. don't forget harley goes to the lowest bidder not the highest quality maker

no more comments needed after this post cause it sums it up

plus the owners are a family company here in the us  paul is great to work with if you have any questions and I dont work for them

[FLTRI]

...harley goes to the lowest bidder not the highest quality...

Brembo brakes are considered by many race entities and OEM mfgs to be the highest quality, most effective brake in the industry.
I'm certain the Kelsey brakes they had for many years were cheaper than the Brembos but the MOCO changed to Brembos.
Gotta ask; why?
Bob