How to Install Sur-Ron Brake Pads (Front & Rear)
Tools Needed:
- 3mm Allen key
- Needle-nose pliers
- X-Acto knife (to open the pad packaging)
Read This Before Starting Your Install:
Stock ceramic pads on the 2025 Sur-Ron Light BX (and most factory setups) leave a lot of bite on the table. Swapping in a set of copper sintered pads front and rear is one of the fastest, cheapest upgrades you can do to a Sur-Ron, and it takes about as long as it takes to watch a couple of YouTube videos.
This guide walks you through pulling the old pads out of both calipers and dropping in a fresh set. If you can turn an Allen key and use needle-nose pliers, you can do this install in your garage with no lift, no bleed, and no drama. It's the same process front and rear: pop the retaining clip, pull the pin bolt, swap the pads, put it all back together.
The one thing new riders skip is bedding. Fresh pads need to be bedded in properly or you'll glaze them, chew your rotors, or end up with a mushy lever. There's a specific low-speed stop sequence at the end of this guide that you need to follow before you go send it. Do it right and your new pads will feel dialed. Skip it and you'll wonder why the $40 upgrade feels worse than stock.
Install Steps:
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01
Remove the C-clip from the rear caliper
Start at the rear caliper. Find the small retaining clip (C-clip style pin) on the end of the pad pin bolt and pull it off with your needle-nose pliers. Set it somewhere you won't lose it. It's small and it loves to disappear.
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02
Back out the pad pin bolt
Using a 3mm Allen key, unscrew the pin bolt that runs through the pads and holds them in the caliper. Pull it all the way out.
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03
Pull the old rear pads
Grab the old pads with your needle-nose pliers and lift them straight up and out of the caliper. On a 2025 Sur-Ron Light BX these will be the factory semi-metallic ceramic pads.
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04
Drop the new rear pads in
Slide the fresh copper sintered pads down into the caliper from the top, one on each side of the rotor. Make sure they seat flat and line up with the pin bolt hole.
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05
Reinstall the pin bolt and C-clip (rear)
Slide the pad pin bolt back through the caliper and both pads. Tighten it with the 3mm Allen key. Push the C-clip back onto the end of the pin bolt with your pliers. Rear is done.
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06
Remove the C-clip from the front caliper
Move to the front caliper. Same deal as the rear. Pop the C-clip off the end of the pad pin bolt with your needle-nose pliers.
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07
Remove the front pad pin bolt
Back the pin bolt out with your 3mm Allen key and pull it free of the caliper.
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08
Swap the front pads
Pull the old front pads out. Drop the new copper sintered pads in from the top, same orientation as the rear.
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09
Reinstall the front pin bolt and C-clip
Run the pin bolt back through, tighten with the 3mm Allen key, and clip the C-clip back onto the end of the pin bolt. Front is done.
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10
Bed in the new pads
Do not skip this. Start with 3 to 10 stops slowing from 10 mph down to 2 mph. Never come to a full stop and never slam the brakes, that'll dig the pad into the rotor. After that first set, ride around for 10 to 15 minutes using the brakes as little as possible so everything cools down. Then repeat the sequence from 20 to 10 mph, then 30 to 20 mph. Rinse and repeat until the lever feels sharp and consistent. That's a proper bed-in.
Common Mistakes:
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Losing the C-clip retaining pin during removal
It's tiny and it loves to ping off into the grass. Pull it off over a clean bench or a rag and set it in a tray the second it's out.
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Skipping the bed-in and going straight to hard riding
Do 3 to 10 stops from 10 to 2 mph, cool down for 10 to 15 minutes using the brakes as little as possible, then repeat at 20 to 10 mph and 30 to 20 mph. Never slam the lever on fresh pads.
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Coming to a full dead stop during bed-in
Always roll off the bottom of the stop. Full stops while bedding will imprint pad material onto the rotor and cause uneven braking.
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Forgetting to reinstall the C-clip
The pin bolt will eventually walk out without it. After tightening the pin bolt with your 3mm Allen, always push the C-clip back on the end before you ride.
FAQs
Do I need to bleed the brakes after swapping pads?
No. This is a pad swap only. You're not opening the hydraulic system, so there's no bleed required. Just pump the lever a few times after install to seat the pistons before you ride.
Will these pads work on the older mineral oil Sur-Ron brakes?
This install was done on a 2025 Sur-Ron Light BX, which uses DOT brakes (no longer mineral oil). The physical pad swap procedure is the same across most Sur-Ron calipers, but confirm pad fitment for your specific caliper before ordering.
Why swap the stock ceramic pads?
The factory ceramic pads on the 2025 Light BX are weak. Copper sintered pads give you noticeably more bite and better feel at the lever.
How important is the bed-in procedure?
Very. If you skip it or slam the brakes on a fresh pad, you'll glaze the pad or gouge the rotor. Follow the 10 to 2 mph, 20 to 10 mph, 30 to 20 mph stop sequence with cool-down time in between.
What's that little clip on the pin bolt?
It's a retaining clip (C-clip style) that keeps the pad pin bolt from backing out. Pull it off with needle-nose pliers to start the job and push it back on when you're done.