So I took the saddlebags outta the way, had to squish the calipers down w/ some not so fancy reach abound visegrips to make some room inside the assembly for the new pads to fit w/ the rotor in between, not that much hassle or cussing.
I am curious what if anything pushes the pads apart after the brake has been released.
The rear brake had started to feel funny, causing worry. Who likes their brakes feeling funny? It inspires no confidence. One of the pads had warn to the backing plate. Bad, not good. The rotor doesn't feel smooth and perfect, but not bad, whatever that may mean. A quick very short test ride, no problems, but babied them. I imagine there is some break in for new pads, which I will look into before tomorrow afternoon.
FWIW, I got the EBC HH pads from Fast Eddy, who was no BS, no drama, just what you want. I plan to order a few other small items from him soon. If you are looking for an online retailer for your bike stuff, suggest you check him before others.
http://www.fasteddysports.com/