Anybody Upgraded Their Front Brakes?

[PGunn]

Those will be for mounting the R1 6 pot calipers. The photo there is of the first prototype before making all kinds of cuts and re-cuts, moving holes and basically adjusting that blank to work. I have attached a photo of where I am currently at with the caliper on the adapter and already sent the updated print to the shop for machining.

[bongobobny]

Now THAT's gonna give some stop power!!!

[PGunn]

Bob when I say stop I mean STOP!!!!! The whole thing really is or could be could be called over kill but when towing a trailer with 2 people and close to 500lbs stopping is a must...

 

I also have bored out the R1 master (brembo) to fit the handle bars and I'm using a Ninja Clutch master (Nissan) also bored out to fit, They are close enough to matching each other. I have some mirror clamps which will hold the reservoirs and allow for mirror mounting. all stainless lines with PTFE hoses and once the whole thing is done it is all going out for chroming.

[Atoolnut]

I upgraded 08 with 07 roadstar calipers..still to o r1 rotors and SS lines..now have r6 04 clipers for sale.....will this be overkill....not even close to 6pistons

[PGunn]

The 6 piston calipers I am using are the same ones that come on the new V Max. Now I'm not saying it isn't over kill just real close to it....LOL

[bongobobny]

Bob when I say stop I mean STOP!!!!! The whole thing really is or could be could be called over kill but when towing a trailer with 2 people and close to 500lbs stopping is a must...

Exactly!! Now add the extra weight of the Hannigan trike conversion and see where I was coming from when I started this thread...

[PGunn]

Well I'll keep you informed as to were i'm at on these as I move further along.

[Seaking]

With all that extra stopping power on the front end, have you considered upgrading to Progressive springs in the front forks?

 

One of the things I noticed about the RSV is that when you grab a fist full of front brake, the front end dives down which causes the rear end of the bike to unload a lot of weight making the rear wheel lighter on the ground, causing a loss of contact and more likely for the rear wheel to skid or lock up.

 

I upgraded my front brake lines to SS but left the rear stock.. with SS lines on the rear, any panic or sudden application of the rear brake would just about always make it feel more likely to lock up because there is no more 'flex' in the brake line to take up the sudden application of the brake.. However, with the Progressive springs in the front forks, a heavy or sudden application of the front brake keeps the bike from nose diving, keeping the weight on the wheels more balanced and I seldom lock the rear wheel, and able to stop in a lot less distance than when the bike was stock.

 

This set up with SS lines in front, stock lines for rear and the Progressive springs made a huge difference in the stopping distance and stability of the bike when that 'oh crap' moment jumps in front of you.. However, as with everything else, YMMV...

[bongobobny]

As a matter of fact progressives are on my winter "to do" list! For us 3 wheelers it actually helps out the front end oscillation issue but that is another story! As PGunn (yes I do remember the TV series) mentions when flying down the freeways at 70+ MPH (120+KPM) 2 up towing a trailer the front brakes seem very inadequate in the stop power department!!

[Freebird]

I've updated mine and am very pleased with the results. At the recommendation of Rick Butler though, I went with Sonic Springs instead of Progressives. Rick did a lot of research on this and came to the determination that Sonic Springs are a better choice for the RSV. Part of the reason was that Progressive, at the time, did not actually offer a spring at the rate that is needed for the RSV. The one that they were selling were actually designed for the much lighter Royal Star. Maybe they have added a new one since then.

 

At any rate, I am running the Sonics and they are great. No need for any air in the front forks at all.

 

These are the ones that I used. Now note that these are listed for the Royal Star too but the offer a couple of different weights and these are the heavier duty ones. Progressive didn't of these 1.2's at the time.

 

http://www.sonicsprings.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=27_117&products_id=344&osCsid=afbe232e0ab36a9eca596c13e139fed4

[bongobobny]

Thanks Don, I'll give them a try!

[Seaking]

I've updated mine and am very pleased with the results. At the recommendation of Rick Butler though, I went with Sonic Springs instead of Progressives. Rick did a lot of research on this and came to the determination that Sonic Springs are a better choice for the RSV. Part of the reason was that Progressive, at the time, did not actually offer a spring at the rate that is needed for the RSV. The one that they were selling were actually designed for the much lighter Royal Star. Maybe they have added a new one since then.

 

At any rate, I am running the Sonics and they are great. No need for any air in the front forks at all.

 

These are the ones that I used. Now note that these are listed for the Royal Star too but the offer a couple of different weights and these are the heavier duty ones. Progressive didn't of these 1.2's at the time.

 

http://www.sonicsprings.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=27_117&products_id=344&osCsid=afbe232e0ab36a9eca596c13e139fed4

 

 

Nice, hadn't heard of these.. but will keep it bookmarked in case I ever have the front end apart again and want to up-upgrade my front springs

 

Thanks!

[bikeboy10]

Hey all,

I have a 06 RSV.

Everyone talks about up grading the calipers to R1.

What year or model R1?

Do they bolt right out to the existing mounts?

Am I doing just the front 2 or do I also replace the rear?

What about the master cylinder?

Any input would be great.

 

Thanks

[Condor]

Hey all,

I have a 06 RSV.

Everyone talks about up grading the calipers to R1.

What year or model R1?

Do they bolt right out to the existing mounts?

Am I doing just the front 2 or do I also replace the rear?

What about the master cylinder?

Any input would be great.

 

Thanks

 

You'll get a lot of feedback on this one with a bunch of theory about what to do.

Here's mine, and some answers to your questions. Getting the right year can be confusing, but basically it's any of the years where the bolt holes are horizontal rather than later models which are generally verticle. eBay pics will help finding the right ones. You can also use R6 calipers, and yes they will mount in place of the OEM two piston calipers. Just replace the fronts. The OEM back brake has plenty of stopping power already, and you don't want to over do it and get yourself in trouble. As far as the master cylindar goes, I personally wouldn't worry about it. Run with what you have. The addition of the 4 piston R1/6's will give you plenty of performance increase. The best place to find R calipers is eBay. Nice clean pairs usually sell in the $50 buck range. Shipping shouldn't be more than $11 bucks as they'll fit in a medium Priority flat rate box. When adding the new2U calipers install Speed Bleeders in them. They will help bleed and make flushing the system much easier. Have fun.

[karlfitt]

I just finished the upgrade on my 1999 RSV

 

I used the road star front Master (14 mm)

Brake calipers from a 2004 Yamaha R 6 and new HH pads from EBC

I had a local company make me some braided stainess steel lines.

 

I am very happy with the results.

 

The Master cylinder and calipers have been talked about on this site. But I also got the rotors off of an R 6 too.

 

http://www.karlsgarage.com/pictures/disc.jpg

 

They are floating rotors instead of the solid stockers.

 

After just 120 miles for break in I can now stop the beast with just two fingers.

 

I put a new EBC rotor and new pads as well as braided lines on the rear too. I didn't expect much improvement there, but did get it. I guess that old rotor was in real bad shape (It was groved some)

[Atoolnut]

Glad that the calipers you got from me worked out...what year was the font r6 rotors from...any install issues with them..I still have not had any time to fully test the new m/c and calipers ....interested if rotors make that much difference

[karlfitt]

I looked back on Ebay to remember the year, but since the auction was too old the years is gone.

 

Add said they were R1/R6 rotors, so it sounds like they fit either bike.

 

Only issue ftting is the Chrome covers hit the buttons for the attachment from the rotor to the center hub, so I am not sure how much they really float.

 

I also can't comment on if the rotors made any difference because I replaced everything at once.

 

But over all I am very happy with the total upgrade I did.

[jilldwr]

Hmm, I'm tempted to try the R6 rotors as well. I've got all the other parts ready to go, might as well do the rotors too. Well, off to Fleabay...

 

EDIT: Oh, Shoot, I just realized how old this thread is, DOH!

[XV1100SE]

Thats okay. Don't think I read this one before.