How long do motorcycle brake pads last?

On average, brake pads last for about 20,000 miles. This varies depending on how hard you brake and whether you do a lot of stop and go riding or freeway riding. For good measure, try to inspect brake pads for wear every 2500 miles of distance traveled, before your brake pads wear to the point that you are left without them, or find your rotors getting damaged and warped. 

Some brake pads have groove wear indicators that get flattened when it’s time to replace them. These are convenient, so you don’t have to measure or eyeball the amount of pads you have left. If you don’t have groove indicators, you can measure the friction material thickness using a micrometer. If the brake pad friction material gets worn down to 1-2 millimeters or less than ⅛ of an inch, you should replace them.

Another factor in how long the brake pads last is what material they’re made of. Generally, sintered pads last longer than organic or semi-sintered. On the other hand, sintered pads may wear out the rotor faster as well, and they’re also a bit pricier. 

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