Expert Brake advice
 

Ok SO I have POURED over the brake mods on the site since I bought my hawk last year and with a few track days a BARBERS coming up soon I thought I might wanna get my baby's brakes to the ultimate!

I have a 2002 Vtr

I found a set of 01 gixxer 1000 calipers, the direct bolt on kind.

I want to upgrade the MASTER cylinder and was wondering what do you guys recommend?

I would love to just bolt one one but I can replace the handle/lever if need be. WHAT IS EVERYONE USING WITH THE 6 pots?

I also have a set of RC51 SS Galfer lines that a buddy GAVE me off of his before he sold it. I havent been able to play with them yet so I was wondering if the lengths are somewhat similar?

I ALSO Was wondering if I go stock MASTER how does a set of aftermarket lines hookup? Are they a double banjo config? Or is there a brake "Block" in there somewhere.

I would go look but I am stuck in New Orleans away from my bikes!

Any expert advice would be awesome!!

Thanks


:rolleyes:

you can search for gixxer master, or brakes etc. In general its good to try to maintain the same or very close piston diameter designed for that caliber. You can check one of the gixxer specs on google and find what stock was. Then pick and chose to get similar. The diameter of the MC piston matched to the calipers is very important in maintaining adequate fluid movement for the surface area of the caliper pistons and also maintain similar brake force for unit of travel of the lever.

Lots of info here and the search is pretty good starting point. change the thread title to Gixxer caliper swap also would help bring in the right people.

good luck

bill

I'm running those calipers (GSXR 1000 6 pot) and a RC51 master, reused the SS galfer lines from my stock brakes.

Love um,, med travel, hard lever, good brakes.... Better then a Pilot power if I'm not watching it.

everything i have heard from my gixxer 1k buddies is that the brakes suck - i was thinking about going to the 6 pot calipers and they all said 'why?' .

i ended up just upgrading my master.


tim

Ok,, well what every works for ya.. They may not be Brembo radila master and Brembo 6 poy clamps,, But the GSXR 1000 6 pot, OEM disks, RC51 Master, SS lines, DOT 5.1 fluid,EBC HH pads is so far ahead of stock for so little cash outlay if you shop smart...It's not even close
I can do 2 finger stoppies.
Good feeling and feedback
I have no fade issues on fast street, speed rides, have not had ths bike on the track yet.

Maybe they suck on a Suzuki,,, but they rock on a Honda.

Well... They do suck... If you match them up with a high powered I4 and USD front fork tuned for the track and then compare them to eftermarket Gixxer brakes...

But on a superchicken they are a considerable upgrade... And since the Gixxer crowd is shedding them for upgrades they are available...

Same story, different bike... On the CBR1000RR 04 and onwards with radial brakes, they are in most reviews said to be stable, adequate and other similar descriptions... and when compared to other similar bikes, well... Good enough but not outstanding...

I just put such a front fork on my bike... with the radial brakes... And whats mediocre on a Supersports bike isn't on a superchicken... I ended up doing an involuntary stoppie on one of my test runs when sorting out clip-on positions... And it was competely without drama... I wasn't even using all available braking power...

Edit: I forgot to add... that was with OEM CBR disks, almost completely worn OEM brakepads, low on fluids in the system, and probably some airbubbles... New pads and a full bleed will be done tomorrow...

You'll love em, Tweety!

Dang... That's the one word I can use to describe it now once I got a pair of nice new pads on and the system is completely bleed... Dang, and double dang... It's a considerable difference from yesterday, and that was waaay better than stock...

I was first a bit miffed that it didn't feel to different from stock... still a bit unstable in corners... still dived under braking and so on... Then I realised that I was doing my favourite road atleast 10-15 mph faster than before... More in some parts... And that's with the clipons in a less than optimum position, still fiddling to get them where I wan't... It still feels like the bike is running on rails if I keep the speeds down to sane levels...

Back to fiddling... I'm still hitting the fairing in some places... I just needed to de-ice my fingers...:)

you can't say that the gixxer 6 pot calipers are the bomb and then add in all the other upgrades too ( master cylinder, pads, braided brake lines ).

you have to compare apples to apples.


BUT....

i'm not saying they aren't an improvement just that gixxer riders don't like them. i may also switch but not for the stopping power per se, but for pad availability.

tim

I have the gixxer 6p stock setup (m/c, ss lines, calipers and hh pads) and it is such a big improvement over stock that it's not even funny. I like 'em so much that I replicated the setup on my current vfr.

Trinc, they might be "lame" on a 168ph rocket but on the 105hp 'hawk, they are more than adequate (tic). I'm sure you can find plenty of F4i, 929, or RC51 owners who think their brakes need work too but that doesn't mean anything to the VTR owners who use and love those systems either.

Well... In some way I think you can... Atleast the M/C... I'd always recommend anyone swapping out the calipers to get a "full system" ie either the calipers and M/C from the same bike, or a similar sized M/C... Because then you get the pressure and fluid volume that the caliper is intended for...

Also the treadstarter is asking what M/C to use... and we all adviced him to get a gixxer one... or one in similar size... So that upgrade applies...

Braided lines is a given update regardless of weather you upgrade or keep the stock brakes in general... Pads I'll leave up to personal preference...

The upgrade to the gixxer calipers was about accuracy. I got into a hard braking condition from 90 mph in a hundred yards the the forks shook like a horror movie.

I stayed with the stock master cylinder just to keep the bike on the road and nothing was showing up from other sources.

At first the braking with the six-pots was progressive, now after a few hundred miles the bite is incredible. In hot weather the stock MC could not keep up with the calipers. In cooler temps it was fine.

My hats to Bobby in OK for the parts. (954 MC and a SpeedoHealer) Weeelllll Seeee!

Get off the damn computer and get your butt over here,,,, we got parts to install... :lol:

There’s a place called Race Tech, most of you have heard of it I’m sure. The owner, Paul Thede has this saying… ya it’s marketing, but still true
"The best you've ridden is the best you know" - Paul Thede

It applies in so much in what I/we do. On my bikes, dirt and street, Mustang, truck, heck even my toy hauler.. anything you MOD. The best you know, is what you have or have used.. What you have may be “great” but only because you have not tried better in a like application.
The brakes on my TZ250 worked much better then that of my modified SH brakes,,,, Is it because they were better brakes? Or because the bike weighted ½ the SH weight? I have not ridden a last 2-3 year old sport bike,,,, the brakes on them could be outstanding.. But I’d never know or be able to compare about how bad my brakes are, having never used the “better ones”

great info!
 

Wow great info guys thanks!


I am going ahead and putting on a new set of HH pads and some new Glalfer lines this weekend along with my calipers. I got a speed bleader and a bud to help I will post some pics to let you all know how it goes.

for now I decided to stick with the Hawks master cylinder and see how that fairs for me. I am fairly agressive when I brake so hopefully this will be a good thing before the Barbers trackday!!

Thanks !

Another great tip for bleeding is use teflon tape on the bleed screw threads. After that, you can do a full bleed from empty on the fronts in under 10 minutes with a miti-vac pump.

RC51/929 brakes are really good.

Cheap too.