Brakes

The brakes on my 1983 KZ1100-l LTD are not what I would call great. What can I do to improve the brake systems? I have changed the brake pads and replaced the fluid. Rebuild? Stainless steel brake lines? Modify and update with newer components? What is newer that fits? Does anyone have any ideas?

As always thank you for your opinions and great help.

Post edited by: Kzbatty, at: 2007/03/09 15:31

id say try some new brake pads and flush the old brake fluid out of system for starters if you havent already;)

Are they the original lines? Chances are if they are originals they have seen thier day. The brakes on my '80 KZ1000 LTD got spongey in the fall, after 26 yrs. the lines are expanding under brake pressure. I am currently replacing all the brake lines with HEL braided lines. this should be nite and day compared to the old factory lines. If bleeding your system isnt helping i would go to the braided lines. They are not cheap,, my KZ has 3 lines in the front due to having 2 calipers, and one in the back, so the lines cost me $196. plus i bought stainless steel bleeders , so add another $10 or so.Dont skimp on brakes Regards to all. JT. Rindge NH

Also when you say "replaced the pads", does this mean Kawasaki pads at $100 a set or "aftermarket pads" at $20 a set? Do ya think there's a reason cheap parts are cheaper? Generally yes. This may not even apply at all in this case, but I've tried aftermarket brakes and you have your choice of:
A. Fast wear, as much as 300% more than stock Kawasaki.
B. Squeel that is rediculous and unacceptable, so no mileage or performance data, right in the trash.
C. Quiet but no braking, right in the trash.
D. Misc. combination of A-B-C.
Stock Kawasaki pads should be able to do plenty fast stops if this is the way you chose to go, but the $$$ means crap brakes are going to be the choice in KZ land usually.

I have used EBC brakes for years on many bikes and I have never had a problem with them. Steel braided brake lines are a nice addition to the bike and give a better feel.
One thing I do after I have bled brakes is to put a bungy cord on the brake lever (to hold pressure on the system) over night. This allows any remaining air bubbles to be pushed to the top and released in to the reservoir when the bungy cord is removed. This method works great for removing tiny remaining bubbles, but doesnt replace a proper brake bleeding.
You can also pull the calipers off, push the pistons out some with the M/C lever and then compress the pistons back in. This also pushes the air bubbles out of the lines into the reservoir.

Fish

Take a browse thru this .....lots of good brake info on how things work and why.....

Aftermarket break pads are the way to go and stainless lines will yield massive performance improvments and you never have to replace those!

I don't care for braided steel lines... scratches paint. I like to use Goodridge brake lines which are made out of some sort of synthetic material. They are also less expensive than stainless and have universal ends. Goodridge offers a bunch of connector/adapters that screw right into the lines making it easy to match the OEM fittings exactly. In other words, if the OEM original fitting is a 35 degree 10mm banjo, they have a fitting exactly to that spec that screws in. All you do is measure the lines and buy the fittings. You can get them from denniskirk.com or jpcycles.com and they come in red, blue and black I think.

Bad Kaw wrote:

Aftermarket break pads are the way to go and stainless lines will yield massive performance improvments and you never have to replace those!

What brand aftermarket works for you? I'll add my ratings on brands I've tried over the years on a KZ650.

Stock Kawasaki, long life, good braking, quiet, extremely expensive. Rating=C

Ferodo, relatively low price, good braking, extremely noisy, unacceptable. Rating=F

EBC, see Ferodo

Vesra, great price, rapid wear, braking not as good as other brands, quality control somewhat lacking sometimes have to file and sand new pads to make them fit, noise level varies from nil to unacceptable depending on ???. Rating on quiet pads=C, rating on noisey pads=F

That's all the brands I have personal experience with. Your mileage may vary.