If you can change them on the car, the bike will be no issue. If you are hearing a crunching sound, look at how much material is left on the pads. If they are still good, feel for a lip around the edge of the brake rotor. Look for anything like a small stone jammed in the system.
Here is a link to the factory repair manual brake pad inspection page showing the wear limit on the pads.

Brake Pad Wear Inspection; Brake Light Switch Operation Inspection - Kawasaki VN900 CLASSIC Service Manual [Page 57]

Kawasaki VN900 CLASSIC Manual Online: brake pad wear inspection, Brake Light Switch Operation Inspection. • Check The Lining Thickness [A] Of The Pads In Each Caliper. If The Lining Thickness Of Either Pad Is Less Than The Service Limit [B], Replace Both Pads In The Caliper As A Set.

www.manualslib.com

 

Thanks for the response. The rotor looks fine, no lip or gouges. This is my first bike, 08 V900 bought in November from the original owner. Currently with just over 11k on the clock. I wasn’t sure how many miles I should expect out of what appears to be the original pads.
Is there an audible worn pad alert as on most car brakes?


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No system to warn the rider that the brake pads are low. At your mileage there is plenty of brake pad left. Did you look real good for anything in the caliper or between the brake pads? If you have a compressor, blow off the caliper and rotor. If it still makes the noise, might want to take the caliper off and look at the friction area of the pad and also see if anything foreign like a small stone falls out. Check if the pads are free in the caliper and that the caliper can move like it is supposed to. See the manual for the procedure. If the pad surface looks rough, get some 100 grit sandpaper and sand the pads a bit. Clean the rotor with some lacquer thinner or brake kleen on a rag. When you reassemble put a little brake grease where the pads slide on the caliper and make sure to torque the caliper bolts to spec.

 

I changed mine out at around 35,000 miles. There was still a fair amount of pad left, maybe another 10-15 K . I am not real hard on brakes.
As far as changing them out not hard at all. I would break the mounting bolts loose then re-torque on the calipers as they are prone to get a bit bound up, at least mine are. Hope this helps

 

If this is your first bike, and you're used to working on car brakes, don't let the lack of meat on the pads fool you. I changed out my 900's pads at 25K miles because they looked pretty thin. When I pulled them and compared them to the new ones, I couldn't see any difference. When I mic'd them, the old ones were barely .5mm less than the new. Compared to car pads, these look worn out right out of the package.

 

Thanks for the responses. I took Tourers advise and blew them out with compressed air and I did get some brake dust but didn’t see any debris. However they do seem smoother now. Seeing the thickness of the pads and comparing them in my mind to car pads is why I felt that they may need replacing. Nice to know I should expect to get quite a few more miles.


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