Modern Vespa

Any recommendations of if alternative brand pads are nice?

I ride aggressively and wouldn't mind a bit more grab on the front

I also wanted my front brake to be better to match the effect of the rear brake. I fitted a set of EBC HH sintered pads 6,000km ago. These had no significant effect as far as I could tell. I also noticed when I removed the original pads that they looked the same (sintered) as the EBC HH pads. So I don't really understand why both sets don't work better. Please let us know if you find a more effective replacement.

By the way, the pads that fitted my GTS were EBC SFA353HH, which was not the part number prescribed on the EBC website at that time. If you're buying on-line, you need to check the photos carefully for the right shape of pad before ordering.

the malossi pads are a little more aggressive and depending on your riding style may wear the disc quickly. polini and galfer also have good offerings.

the EBC double HH and SFAC pads are okay and don't chew up the rotors as much.

Which malossi? Red, black, yellow? Organic or sintered? This is where i get lost. I read the descriptions but they all really say "these pads are great" which doesn't help me choose

Glad to see this opinion, as these are what I use on my rides.

depends what type of riding you're doing and what your riding style is. for just an all around upgrade I'd say the reds. installed tons, never had a complaint about performance just that they wore quickly.

the GT/GTS ones don't seem to the ET/LX ones eat discs for dayyysss. but they stop like gangbusters. the stock OEM "greenies" on the front of GT/GTS seem to last for-freeking-ever. I have no idea who makes them (maybe ferodo?) but they last and are super easy on the rotor. not a ton of feedback, but enough bite. some of the rears I think are made by EBC and rebagged. motovista would know for sure.

Thanks I'll order the red which thankfully the local distributor has in stock.

interestingly on the malossi store if you select gts hpe then they list 3 front colors but no rear. if you select an old gts then they list the 3 front colors and yellow rear. I'm only replacing the front right now so not an issue but curious.

Just curious, you mentioned above about some pads munching disks, what's the thickness when new and what is considered too thin?

When new they are normally 4mm (+/- 0.2mm). You will need a micrometer to get an accurate measurement. The manual isn't clear, but the minimum thickness should be 3.5mm.

the minimum thickness is actually stamped into the disc. it'll say "min. thickness x.xxxmm" near where it mounts to the hub on one side. generally with the directional arrow for mounting as well.

new, I can't say as that I don't have one here in front of me. but probably 5mil or so would be my best guess.

regardless of posted minimum thickness, if you ride hard and fast, always keep an eye out for stress cracks developing at the vent holes or on the face of the rotor. just a quick visual will tell you what's up.

Just for anyone interested I'm part way through the process of installing and took a pic of original OEM with 27,500km of use vs the new Malossi Red.

A little note, the sight window on the master cylinder was showing half before replacing the pads and now it's showing full. Next on my list is too replace the fluid ... happy i followed Robot's advice of doing the pads first as if i had filled the master then it probably would have been impossible to put in the new pads

and the min thickness written on the disk is 3.5mm. mine is a hair under 4

Here is my edited version of Malossi's take on the difference between organic, sintered and their MHR racing brake pads:

Malossi Black Organic Brake Pads are made of organic-based friction material. This product range represents the excellent choice for replacing OEM pads.
The blend of these pads guarantees their long life, without penalizing braking efficiency.
Besides excellent performance, Organic Brake pads provide a fine brake modulation, thus allowing to stop the own vehicle with great safety and control in any condition.

Malossi Gold Sintered Brake Pads with sintered friction material have the highest friction coefficient and guarantee shorter stopping distances with rapid decelerations. Their peculiarity consists in being able to keep a stable performance regardless of temperature and weather conditions.

The friction material is obtained through a sintering process of metal dusts and other copper based elements. The result is a compound able to enhance the braking power without reducing the lifetime of the pads.

RED MHR Racing pads:

The friction material of Malossi MHR brake pads is produced with completely organic fibers. The blend has been specifically formulated for racing use and does the most to reduce brake fade.

MHR BRAKE PADS achieve the best performance in the shortest time, thus keeping a perfect stable performance as well as an exemplary brake modulation from the first to the last lap of the race. This is an essential condition for the use on the race track.

The blend of these pads contains elements which prevent the friction material from burning when subjected to stress, such as during a competition!
Basically the Red pads don't need to heat up to work well and don't fade as much as other pads once they do. So they work just as well in the first turn as they do in the last.

Sintered brake pads got a bad rep when they first came out. This is because they make big grooves in the cast iron brake disks that were used on scooters and motorcycles in the 1970-1980s. Modern brake disks are steel, and are designed for sintered pads. They last longer than organic pads, and are often standard on large displacement scooters and expensive cars.
As far as who makes the pads for Piaggio, that varies depending on what scooter and who made the caliper. Ferodo has been a Piaggio brake parts supplier, as is Brembo. In Asia built scooters, Piaggio uses a lot of Nissin pads, which is a name familiar to anyone who's owned a Honda. HengTong, the company that makes the brake calipers on a lot of the Vespas, also supplies pads, and most of the pads that were made by Ferodo appear to now be supplied by Hengtong. H3062 is Heng Tong. As far as I can tell, most of the pads Piaggio uses are organic pads, which are adequate for normal stop and go city driving.

Brake pads are one of those things where you can put just about anything on your bike and ride around the block and won't notice a difference. But if you're pushing a bike with limited engine braking hard on long descents down Mount Hamilton in the Bay Area, Highway 33 in SoCal, Pike's Peak or through The Tail of the Dragon or the Pig Trail, you will notice a difference, especially on a small wheeled vehicle with fairly small single piston calipers.

just to circle back-- I measured two rotors (GTS & ET/LX) and both measure 4.5mm brand new and both are printed min. thickness 3.5mm

I do ride like this

last week I even over took an adventure bike down a big mountain and then later in the same day over took him up another

I had the Malossi MHR pads on front of my GTS, and they worked very well. I felt they were a fair bit better than the OEM pads.