Anticipated Brake Life

In all of my reading about my 2007 RT I have never seen anything about the historical lifespan of the stock clutch. I'm clearly aware that this will differ with usage, but even a mileage range will help. FYI, I am as conservative a rider as you'll find, and I would expect the life of my unit to be on the high side. I'm at 20,000 mi. as of this writing and all is well with clutch performance, just wondering how long I can expect that to last.

Also, if you have any recommendations for an upgrade to the stock unit when I do get around to replacing it, I would love to know what is proving to be the superior setup in terms of both reliability and longevity, in addition to any other benefits. As with many things BMW, perhaps the stock parts are still the best.

Thanks for your help.

I am confused, your title asked about the brake live. My brake pads for the front wheel last 15,000-20,000 miles. The inside pads wear quicker, then the outside pads, and it is difficult to see the wear indicator without removing the front wheel.

As for the clutch, my original clutch has 174,000+ miles. I don't think you need to be overly concerned about it.

One thing you should be planning for, is to plan to have your drive shaft either rebuilt or replaced around 70,000-80,000 miles. Some last longer, but when they explode, they can do a lot of damage.

Bernie, last week you told me the wear limits on the rotors and I should have made a note. I replaced my first set of front pads at 24000. Coming up on 36 and want to track the rotors. I don't recall seeing a mention in Jim's DVD but I'll need to go back again.

My 2006 RT is now at 223,000 miles. Still on the original clutch, which I've been careful with. Good indicator of clutch abuse/hard use is the smell, which is quite obvious. But, fortunately, clutches quickly cool following the ordeal.

Brake pad life is mostly a function of rider habit/use severity, so looking at others' experience doesn't help much, except to help define potential limits.

I have a 2008 R1200RT and just replaced the front brakes at 92,000 mi. Don't use much, and let engine do the work.

Bill, the minimum thickness of the brake disc's is stamped into the disc's, either at the very edge or just inside the actual braking area on the disc.

I think it is 4.00 mm, as the BMW disc's are 4.5mm thick when new.

My 2007 RT still had the original clutch when I traded it in with 140k miles on it. My 2011 RT needed a new clutch at 110k.

Sorry about the confusion with the post subject. It should have read: Anticipated Clutch Life. But most of you figured it out anyway, and I appreciate the input. I'm glad to hear that these clutches seem to have a good lifespan. Being conservatively ridden I will expect to get at least 100K from it. I'm familiar with wet clutches, but this is my first dry.

Hello,

I have a 2005 RT with the servo brakes. My bike has just under 70K on it. The front pads are original and I have approx. 40 percent remaining. Still on original clutch and it seems fine.