[gjy75]

hi all
ive recently bought a gsxr 600 srad on a 98,had it resprayed done a service etc etc.
i overhauled the front calipers as 7 of the 8 pots were seized,all went well,bleed the brakes with no real problems.
what i would like to know is how responsive should the front brake be?as they seem spongy and i can only get the lever to tension at about half way to the bars,i would like them to be spot on before i ride the bike ideally only being able to depress the lever about an inch if thats possible.
all thoughts would be a grate help
thanks
gary

 

[Tripsrad83]

Mate, MY 2000 SRAD was a git with brakes, it had braided hoses, even after a full calliper service, i.e. new seals etc. I could still pull the brake bar till it touched the bar!!!

 

[gjy75]

ah i see,i take it from that the brakes on the older gixxers arent that great then?any suggestions on how to uprate them?i already have braided hoses each going directly to each caliper rather than going from the master cylinder to the right caliper then going from the right to the left,was wondering if hyabusa 6 pots would fit staight on?

 

[Tripsrad83]

Well I think its fair to say Brembo are pretty much the dogs danglies when it comes to brakes, so I'd probably start there and work your way towards some wavy discs.

 

[gjy75]

yeah of coarse brembos are the way to go if you got a spare £1000 to spend on calipers maybe ill look at some other alternative

 

[Tripsrad83]

Fair one, as regards to the compatibility issue I'm afraid I don't know. Hapy hunting and keep us posted!!

 

[gjy75]

was hoping someone on this forum might be able to tell me as im pretty much new to this bike thing

 

[gixxer750]

99 750

My track bike runs standard 6 pots calipers with a brembo radial master. The master is all that was really needed as an upgrade to get real good response with the HH pads. Pulls from 170 to 50 with one finger and less than an inch travel comfortably. Braided hoses are obvious..

 

[gjy75]

that sounds like a better idea rather than change the calipers,i take it,it will work just as well with 4 pots?

 

[SuspensionGooRu]

Brakes

If you have not changed the lines out to braided try that and bleed the brakes again start at the master cylinder first then work your way down to the calipers. I make sure I have all the air out of the lines first then I work on the calipes last. I use both a vacuum pump and by hand to get the front brakes as solid as possible. I have seen lots of people put the brembo lever on there bikes also.

 

[gjy75]

yeah i already have braided hoses and ive bleed the comlete system many times all i get out is brake fluid no air yet the lever will still go back to the bar,admittedly it takes some force to do this and the brakes do work i would just like them alot sharper.maybe its just me being too precise and the brakes dont get any better than they are without major upgrades.i looked into the radial masters and it seems quite an easy inexpensive way to upgrade,think ill check the brakes at speed against my mates ninja and compare stopping distance between the 2.

 

[JETMECHANIC]

If you have not changed the lines out to braided try that and bleed the brakes again start at the master cylinder first then work your way down to the calipers. I make sure I have all the air out of the lines first then I work on the calipes last. I use both a vacuum pump and by hand to get the front brakes as solid as possible. I have seen lots of people put the brembo lever on there bikes also.

Actualy you should start with the caliper that is the farthest away from the master cylinder. Which would be the left front then right front and last the master cylinder. I think you still have air in your system or a bent or slightly warped rotor. The lever should not be able to be pulled almost all the way to the bar.

 

[Tro1086]

If your sure there completely bled, and the lever still goes all the way to the bar. I would probably look into getting an aftermarket master cylinder (brembo), or a master off of a newer gixxer.

As far as getting 6 pot calipers... it seems like all the newer bikes are leaning toward 4 pot calipers and mono block calipers for some reason, like there better then the 6 pots? Im not sure.

Anyway, I would probably start with a new/newer used master and see if that gets you anywhere.

 

[gjy75]

hey thanks guys im going bleed the brakes again,but just to make sure im doing it correctly ill run the procedure through you guys,here goes:release master cylinder cap,pump brake lever till no air bubbles come up through the fluid in the master cylinder,fix a length of clear tube to the caliper nipple (right hand) and insert the other end in a jar half full of brake fluid,pump the brake 3 or 4 times and hold in,crack the caliper nipple slightly,watch the air/fluid come out(lever goes back to bar)tighten caliper nipple,and repeat until no air is visible coming from the caliper nipple,repeat process on left hand caliper,then pump brake lever whilst tapping the master cylinder just to make sure theres no air in the master.thats about it guys does everything seem ok?oh and at no point does the fluid resorvior drop below the minimum

 

[reggaerider]

Y dont u just gravity bleed the calipers. To ensure u get all the air out

 

[gjy75]

yeah read up about gravity bleeding and its not really 100% you still got to manually bleed the calipers afterwards

 

[gixxer750]

The six pots on my bike are not the newer radial mounted calipers. With the radials, there is a lot less flexing in the caliber body, so the pads stay in the contact area better, and give better response. The fours would be perfectly fine, but if they aren't radially mounted, the six's would give a better feel. If your all stock, start with hoses and good bleeding. Do not use racing fluid like Motul 5.1 fluid, as it breaks down very fast, for street use. Use a quality Dot 4. And no dot 5, as it's not good with motorcycle applications. That is meant for show cars who worry about there paint.

That will give better response than stock. If it's still not good enough with you, step up to the radial master. If you find a cheap take off on ebay, make sure it's for a similar weight class bike. If you can't find one cheap, get a brembo. They are superior, but expensive. The oem's are ok, but after switching over to a brembo after a low side into dirt, much better. more responsive, and lots of adjustability.