How do I do a simple brake pad swap? Front on a 600cc bandit, for what that matters.

if its blue smoke its iether worn piston rings or valve guide seals.check engine breather pipe is clear.

Lets start with some simple things since you just put on new pads, I assume the brakes worked properly prior.
First, what kind of pads to you install? Some abrasive pads will make a grinding noise till they wear in. You can help this by filing a small beveled edge all the way around the pad surface.
Second, did you adjust the brake fluid level in the master cylinder after installing the new pads? After pushing the caliper piston in to install the new pads there may be too much fluid in the resevoir now causing a constant pressure in the lines. Place a towel around the master cylinder and remove the top. If fluid runs over the top you may have found your problem. Use a baster or syringe to **** out any excess fluid.

Front or rear brakes? The fronts are normal disc brakes, but the rears are drum. Basically, this means the fronts are super simple to swap out pads, but the rears... not so much.

For the fronts:
1) Secure the car. Park, Parking brake, chocks behind the rear wheels. (Unless you use a lift)
2) Break loose the lug nuts. (Do NOT remove them yet. ONLY break the torque on them.)
3) Jack the front of the car up. Alternatively, use a lift.
4) Remove wheels.
NOTE: Do NOT EVER disconnect the hose going to the calipers. Doing this, even for a moment, will require a full bleed of the break system. Failure to correctly bleed the air from the system will result in having either uneven breaking, NO breaks, or somewhere in between.
5) On the inboard side of the caliper there should be two bolts. (On some models the caliper itself has the bolts and you can remove one and service it without having to remove the assembly.) If needed, remove the assembly from the hub by removing the two bolts. Try not to kink/damage/be too rough on the brake hose. Securing it with a ziptie, string, or wire is a good idea.
6) You should now be able to simply remove the old pads from the calipers.
7) Put the new pads into the calipers and reassemble. It's a good idea to put some medium strength lock-tite on the bolts to help prevent them from backing out. Make sure these two bolts are torqued down securely as if they back off the caliper could come off while driving.
8) After installing new pads there may not be enough clearance to accommodate the rotor. You will need to very carefully retract the pistons back inside the caliper to get this clearance back. It will NOT be easy/quick, but be careful so as not to damage the piston.
9) Best practices dictate you should at a minimum have the rotors "turned" or simply replaced EVERY time you replace the brake pads. Doing this will help ensure maximum stopping power and longevity of both rotor & pad.
10) Once everything is back together and the car is on the ground follow the pad manufacturers "bedding" instructions.

If you are wanting to service the rears... that's another (much more complex and involved) matter. :(

- Take the seat off.
- Unscrew the two bolts holding the back of the tank.
- Remove (unscrew) the petcock handle.
- Lift the back of the tank. I'm not sure the air filter can be accessed without removing the whole tank. If you have to remove it, it just slides back and up - there are no screws in the front of the tank. Pay attention not to disconnect the hoses/wires if you are just lifting the tank, or disconnect them all if you have to take the tank off.
- Unscrew and remove the battery cover if necessary.
- Unscrew the airbox cover (two screws in top corners).
- Pull the airbox cover back and remove it. It's held at the lower end by two plastic "teeth" - no screws.
- Remove the old filter and put in the new one.
- Put everything back in reverse order.

Refer to the microfiche above for parts layout. This is a simple procedure that shouldn't take more than 30 minutes even with tank removal.

sounds like the brakes want a good clean

If your changing to Pads and not putting the old ones back in, use WD40 on the pin and let it soak in. I normally rotate the pin with some plyers and then work it's way out. Make sure you soak the pin with WD40 and let it sit for aa fir while so it has time to soak in

If your fluid level is low and you have no leaks it is a sign that your brake pads are worn out.

The hard part is pressing the caliper piston abck into the caliper so you can get the new, thicker pads over the rotor. A large C Clamp works best.

SECTION 206-03: Front Disc Brake 2001 Villager Workshop Manual
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION Pads —Front Disc Brake Removal

1. Remove the wheel and tire assembly. For additional information, refer to Section 204-04 .

1. Remove the front disc brake caliper bolts. torx bit. T20?

1. Support the front disc brake caliper from the front strut and spring assembly using mechanics wire.

1. Remove the front disc brake pads.
   1. Remove the outboard front disc brake pad.
   1. Remove the inboard front disc brake pad.

Installation

1. CAUTION: Make sure the master cylinder reservoir does not overfill and spill brake fluid while retracting the front disc brake caliper piston.
   NOTE: It is necessary to fully retract the front disc brake caliper piston in the bore before installing the front disc brake pads.
   Install the front disc brake pads.
   1. Install the inboard front disc brake pad.
   1. Install the outboard front disc brake pad.

Caution. The outer pads are left and right. put left on driver side.

1. Position the front disc brake caliper on the front-wheel knuckle and install the brake caliper pin bolts.

1. WARNING: It is necessary to depress the brake pedal several times to position the front disc brake caliper piston before driving the vehicle.
   

no they are different if you have a 1200 need to get them for the 1200 or the gs500e and f models or the RF900

Did you buy factory pads or get cheap aftermarket pads? If aftermarket did you get the ceramic? The cheap aftermarket ones tend to squeal pretty bad. Like the last comment on here, you should have your rotors turned whenever you change the pads.