Kawasaki changed the pad material on the Gen. 2 bikes in an effort to reduce the instances of rotors warping. It did not work but the braking is very different. The Gen. 1 pads are much more aggressive but did not last very long and produced more brake dust than I would have thought possible. I actually prefer the Gen. 2 pads overall. As far as I know both types are available though so you can always re-fit a Gen. 2 bike with Gen. 1 pads and get back that stunning braking.
Brian
Interesting again. Seriously...I was really disappointed with the braking power of my 2010 C14. I was unaware of the pad changes at the time, and just assumed the extra mile of brake lines, actuators, sensors, etc on the 2010 weakened it's stopping power. After all, my non-ABS 08 C14 just had a front master cylinder and lines direct to the calipers. My 2010 ABS model is not so simple.
In any case, the EBC HH pads on my 2010 have renewed my confidence in C14 braking, and my 10 now feels like it stops as good as my 08 did...or at least it certainly feels much better. When I first bought the 08 C14, I was amazed at the stopping power....even riding 2-up, fully loaded with gear, that thing stopped like a modern sportbike.
It feels good enough now that I can avoid the use of the linked brakes most of the time;).
Rem
