Drive Shaft vs Brake Pads

[Capt Sisko]

My '18 R1250RT is in with BMW at the moment having it's drive shaft replaced as the bike's now done 37,000 miles. Fair enough, but's what's more amusing is the front brake pads have lasted longer than the drive shaft!

I bought the bike with in '22 with genuine 8k on the clock so it's very unlikey the front pads had been changed and although I've changed the rear twice in that time, the fronts are still the originals. And before you ask, no I don't just use the back brake. I'll admit I'm no spring chicken that guns it between corners and leaves braking to the last second, but I am IAM trained so I hope my riding & observation skills are a bit above average, maybe that makes a difference but the truth is I'm a nothing special rider.

The 'bike inspection' video BMW have just sent says the pads are down to about 2mm so I'll be replacing them soon, but 37k, is this a record? (plus if there is 2mm left, I don't see why that won't take to to 40k).

[Arends]

Well done! My rear brake pads were 50% worn after 10,000km, about 1/3 with pillion in Spain on twisty roads. I use rear brake a lot in turns. With pillion, the rear brake is quite important to slow down more gently.
My RT is at 44,000km on original front brake pads, but I won't be trying to beat your record
Enjoy!

[Doctor T]

My 07 with 60-odd thousand miles on, is on from what i can see from the service history, its third set of front pads. 2 sets by the main deal and 1 by me when i first purchased the bike. IRC the fronts didn't really need new pads, but i changed them anyway. The rear is a different story. From the SH, there have been 6 sets changed, but after having a new caliper fitted twice. Problem of brake binding noted on 2 MOT. On buying, i fitted a new disc and a set of pads, and so far they have lasted about 20 thousand miles. I don't use the rear brakes hell of a lot, a tap here and there, where I'm heavy on the front.