And finally, Wookie's 82 begins !

Wookie58 wrote:

TexasKZ wrote:

The last time I needed to replace the pads on my ZRX, I spent money on all new seals and a bunch of new pistons and went through three sets of calipers, and finally gave up in frustration. I tossed them to the back of my workbench and bought  a set of Nissin four-piston calipers and never looked back. I'd be happy to give you the whole mess if we can figure a way around whatever tariffs we might encounter.

I do not remember if I mentioned this before, but the Hyabusa used those calipers, and buying the parts from Suzuki is MUCH cheaper than the same parts feom Kawasaki. Be aware that Suzuki sell the seals as a set for one caliper, not as individual seals. He same is true of the pistons. Speaking of them, the Hyabusa pistons are aluminum rather than plated steel. You can mix and match them as you please.. 

Hi Texas, did you use the original ZRX master cylinder (I have just ordered some CBR600F4 nissins on Ebay)

The ZRX master will work just fine, but I had already changed to a 14mm master. I think it was from an EX 500. The smaller master requires a bit more lever travel, but gives great feedback and significantly reduces the finger effort needed.

So a question for you smart boys, I have put a different seal kit in the clutch master which has now bled and works. However I need more travel on the pushrod? Initially it wasn’t clearing but I dropped the cover off and even though the new plates were soaked in oil for a couple of days they were sticking together. Now I have resolved that but the old cable lifter has 5mm of travel but this set up only has 3mm so I’m not convinced it will clear when hot !! I am thinking bigger master (any ideas of a clutch master bigger than 14mm) or modifying the slave to move further for the same displacement of fluid? Open to suggestions 

Smaller slave cylinder piston diameter? Perhaps try this solution using a sleeve and a new, smaller piston?   

Is the lever adjustable for throw? If so, try setting for the longest travel.

Perhaps a company like Oberon makes a slave cylinder that will fit and has a smaller bore. Oberon also makes some pretty sexy adjustable levers, but they might not suit your style.

MFP-Joe wrote:

Smaller slave cylinder piston diameter? Perhaps try this solution using a sleeve and a new, smaller piston?   

Thanks Joe, I have something in mind for today that should require marginally less precise machining skills

TexasKZ wrote:

Is the lever adjustable for throw? If so, try setting for the longest travel.

Perhaps a company like Oberon makes a slave cylinder that will fit and has a smaller bore. Oberon also makes some pretty sexy adjustable levers, but they might not suit your style.

Thanks Texas, yes the levers are adjustable and they are adjusted to "Max" - Oberon make nice stuff and is definitely an option if my plan fails. 

   
You've got this, Guy—you're pretty handy with that lathe of yours by now!
First, you'll need a bushing with the calculated inner diameter for the smaller piston (which you should only fabricate *after* the bushing is finished). You can machine the outer diameter for a light press fit, or—if you opt for a slight clearance fit—simply glue the new bushing into the slave cylinder. In any case, the bushing's inner bore needs to be precision-turned as the final step; ideally, if you have one available, finish it off with a honing tool (like the kind used for brake cylinders). The crucial thing is ensuring the bore is perfectly cylindrical! After that, you can glue with loctite, or lightly press the bushing in... and then fabricate the new piston to match, including the grooves for the seals (O-rings, X-rings, or special lip seals). I’ve done this sort of thing a few times myself; it’s not rocket science—just a matter of working cleanly and precisely! The smaller diameter will increase the hand effort required at the lever a bit, but you’re a strong guy, right? Good luck with the project!

3mm of slave piston travel is borderline, not so much when hot, but more so when the oil is cold and thick(er).
My experience of a badly adjusted clutch (insufficient disengagement) was "dragging", with difficulty selecting neutral and a  corresponding, unnerving, lurch forward when selecting first gear, which improved somewhat after warmup.
​​​​​
Mamma Kawa baked the correct clutch travel into their mechanism!

Awesome work so for!

 

StreetfighterKz wrote:

I have two pair of those forks and I don’t recall any Honda having a 90mm bolt spread.  Suzuki and Kawasaki: yes but Honda’s are always 62mm unless set up with the linked braking system.  Yamaha use some weird spacing like 110mm or something.

Later, Doug


 

You were of course right Doug but I had already ordered them, so now the battle starts with the Ebay seller who said they were 90mm (or I need to make some adaptor brackets, let's see what response I get)

So out of frustration (this thing is so close to finished) I have thrown money at the problem (not my normal route) and ordered the below, they weren't cheap but do have new seals and stainless pistons which I would have needed to do with any cheap tired callipers (not to mention they are thin on the ground at the moment in the UK) so if I deduct the cost of the new parts fitted then the price was fair

Suzuki 1200 Bandit: 

Nice!

Something I stole from the ZRXOA forum........ Now let’s get into the high performance category. As the title says, these options will vary from costly to very costly. The performance improvement you’ll get from upgrading from the cheap and effective setup above (EX500 + Nissin 4 + Braided) will not scale with price. If you want bling and a small increase and performance, then this section is for you.

Here is a handy chart I made :



Radial brake master cylinder