kz550c brake upgrade questions. Suggestions welcome!

Hey there! I have been wanting to take my kz550c to the track, but I am worried about getting brake fade. And dying. My bike only has the single front disc and a rear drum. But I love that bike. Ride it often.

The left side of the wheel has the current front brake setup, but as you can see in the photo (starring my girlfriend), the right fork also has the mounting points for a brake caliper.

So, what would i need to do to get another caliper there on the right side? A wheel from a kz550a? And a set of rotors, and calipers from that bike? Can i get by with just getting a single caliper from that bike?

For the master cylinder, i will most likely buy a new brembo unit. And for the lines i would get some custom made ones at a local shop (they should be replaced anyhoe as they're original hoses). And the splitter block from another bike that goes from the master cylinder to 2 calipers. Which ones would fit? Or would i have to go aftermarket for the splitter as well?

I'm j trying to wrap my head around this so thanks for the replies in advance!




 

It looks like there is a removable cap on the right side of the wheel that may uncover disc mounting threads however (happy to be corrected on this) since your bike is a "Ltd" and has leading forks the wheel and therefore the disc sit further forward than a regular KZ550 so the spacing for the calliper may differ to a regular model. It may be that you need brakes from a 750 Ltd ?

Adding a second disk and caliper also adds weight as a trade-off. Some people think it is worth it, some do not. On my cafe' bike, instead of adding a second caliper and disk (straightforward on an XS650), I removed the 6+lb disk and adapted a Ducati disk which lightened the front end. I also upgraded the MC and substituted SS brake lines for better feel. I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out. I fact, I like them better than the stock dual brake set-up on my GPz750. 
Just saying there are other ways to skin this particular cat...

Personally, I would toss the splitter and run two hoses from a double banjo at the master, one to each caliper .

Thanks for the replies everyone! I appreciate it. I will check under the plastic cover to see if there are more mounting holes for another rotor.

Also, how did you fit the ducati rotor to your cafe bike? Was there a ducati rotor that had the correct bolt pattern? Or did you make a bracket or something?

And yes, with the banjo bolt idea. I like that. Simpler is better.

wrote:

Hey there! I have been wanting to take my kz550c to the track, but I am worried about getting brake fade. And dying. My bike only has the single front disc and a rear drum. But I love that bike. Ride it often.
 

Is it a good idea to turn a cruiser into a track bike? Maybe, maybe not. Anything is possible, but I think the narrow forks will flex under braking input from two disks.

It is a good idea to turn one's only bike into a track bike? I would say no.

If you love the bike and ride it often, converting it to be track-worthy will likely detract from the daily rider experience. Are you planning to ride the bike to the track, race it, and then ride it home again? What if there's a mishap on-track and the 550 is no longer rideable?

My $.02: pick up a cheap, non-titled bike to convert into a track machine.

 

wrote:

Also, how did you fit the ducati rotor to your cafe bike? Was there a ducati rotor that had the correct bolt pattern? Or did you make a bracket or something?
And yes, with the banjo bolt idea. I like that. Simpler is better.

Yes, the Ducati rotor had the same bolt pattern but just needed a custom spacer to line up with the caliper. 

Start with cleaning/rebuilding what you got. Get HH pads and shoes and a stainless braided line then try it out. You can still use the stuff if you decide to add another caliper and rotor to the other side.
Hows the suspension?