I would think that the worn ones would be firmer. Wouldn't more brake material be more compressible than less? Or does it have to do with the amount of piston travel? Does more brake fluid in the brake cylinder cause more give in the brakes?

I know they like to teach that liquids and solids aren't really compressible, but I think they do compress a little. Let's get an engineer in here... Dave! Get in here!  

The the different colored bits that you see in the pads should be kevlar as these are kevlar organic.

I believe the reason the brake lever feels firmer is as you indicated, less piston travel with the same amount of brake fluid. And no, liquid is not compressible. There could be a bit of hose expansion that you might feel or at worst possibly some air in the line.

I was trying to figure out what pads your old ones are but the only ones I could see with a red backing plate are EBC X pads. But I cannot say I know what brand those old pads are.

Awesome!

I wonder if the rubber line swelling isn't a good thing. There is a company that sells a little device that bolts onto the brake system to give it some "give," thereby reducing the chance of lockup while retaining braking performance. I can't say that everyone believes it works, though.

http://www.tcbbrakesystems.com/

After doing some reading, I read some things about periodically changing brake lines. Do I need to worry about that?

I read about stainless steel lines, but they need more replacing and can fail unexpectedly.


Gotta burn more money now?

A picture after I washed the pads. The camera is terrible, but you might be able to see that there is a lot of copper in these old pads.

Semi-sintered? Or do organic pads have this much copper?

It's harder to see the copper in the picture compared to one's own eyes.

Hey Cheapnewbe24, looks like you had sintered or semi-metallic pads previously.

Yes, I have the Shinko 712 on the rear with standard rear fender and have not had any issues. I am actually on my second Shinko 712 rear tire and I feel that specially for the money it is a really good tire. When I replace the front tire (currently a Pirelli) I will replace with a Shinko 230. I am not sure about how much clearance I have with the 712 but as I said I have not had any issues. I have the original shocks and fully dressed with riding gear I am close to 190 lbs. in weight.

I do not know about failure rate of braided steel hoses but I do understand they give a better feel. I've never used them. As far as replacing the rubber ones my understanding is that you replace them if the rubber is starting to look bad. So if it looks OK and works OK, no need to spend more money.

no pics/links... it didn't happen.