[Fixed] Brakes: The 1000$ mistake!

Hi,

I don't know how to say this but I'm feeling that I'm wasting my motorcycle season and money on this vintage restoration project.

Like my previous posts here on the kzrider forum nothing is going forward.

Please read my email I've written today (sorry guys don't know how to paste all the pictures here so a pdf is more convenient) it will explain everything!

www.qsc-news.com/kzrider/details_calipers.pdf

You will need acrobat or foxit pdf reader to open the email.



The calipers are too thick!!
What is my best solution in this case?


Best regards,
Laurent

This is the fellow I would seek out for help.

The Fish

Fish Head

not clear on how much u are out. about 10mm. ?
if u put a spacer ring , behind the disk to bring it out the required amount, will this creat clearance issues at the fork to disk?

not clear on how much u are out. about 10mm. ?
if u put a spacer ring , behind the disk to bring it out the required amount, will this creat clearance issues at the fork to disk?

I have about 8mm of spacing between disc and forks... shimming would be the solution but no enough clearance to clear totally the calipers!

Also i have almost no clearance between hub speedometer and disc!







thank you Kraz1 and mark1122

Any other ideas?
laurent

Ouch sorry to hear that... It's not that easy to retrofit bigger calipers onto these older bikes.
I have some Grimeca twin pot calipers at the shop I can measure up for you on Monday. A lot of AHRMA racers use these, they are a similar to the classic Lockheed calipers. They are no 4-pot Nissins but still a huge improvement on the old GPZ calipers. Modern front forks are much wider so there is more room to play with, hubs can be wider and calipers deeper.

I have some Grimeca twin pot calipers at the shop I can measure up for you on Monday.

thank you for your help

If only brake calipers manufacturers could publish their measurements of their calipers i could decide which to purchase.

If anybody in this forum know calipers that are thinner than 30mm on the back please write me! It would really help!

[...]

Kraz1 thank you for The Fish he's really good with retrofitting, I've sent an email to him.

Have a nice day guys,
Laurent

ahhh, thats kind of tough man...

-you could get thinner brake pads maybe.....or take some material off.. 5 or 6mm of each pad???

-you could also grind some material off the brake caliper where it bolts to the fork. and the fork as well.

thats about all i can think of man...maybe someone else will have a better solution..there are some smart people on here.

those brakes are nice though.. good luck man!

-luke

ahhh, thats kind of tough man...

-you could get thinner brake pads maybe.....or take some material off.. 5 or 6mm of each pad???

-you could also grind some material off the brake caliper where it bolts to the fork. and the fork as well.

thats about all i can think of man...maybe someone else will have a better solution..there are some smart people on here.

those brakes are nice though.. good luck man!

You have good answer but those won't work

-Even if you grind the pads the limit is the brake disc slot which is 8mm wide. (disc thickness is 5mm)

-In fact i cannot change the position of the calipers this way because of the caliper disc slot... the calipers must follow the disc position



If i grind the slot i will make the hydraulic fluid to leak !!


Regards,
Laurent

I don't know how to say this but I'm feeling that I'm wasting my motorcycle season and money on this vintage restoration project.

seems like you said it just fine...the brakes these bikes come with work fine...you chose to mess with it...and waste time and money....

people walk right by hybrids to check out a vintage kz that is'nt trying to be somthing it is'nt.....walk right by em....a stock gpz 550 with a few era mods is a terrific bike...and can more than keep up with the jonses.....

there were so many modern grafts-modded-vintage based bikes at the quail lodge classic.....sitting there unnotcied alone...while crowds hung around era modded ones....when i parked my p.o.s kz900 i had folks telling me kz stories before i even had my helmet off...you said it just fine......waste of time and money to fix somthing aint broke...if folks want 130 h.p upside down fork four piston 310 mm rotors single shock bike....why not just buy one used for 2500 and be done with it.....my 2 cents...good luck fixing your brakes...you could be riding.....

seems like you said it just fine...the brakes these bikes come with work fine...you chose to mess with it...and waste time and money....

No they were no working... they were fubar...


Please read my previous topics before saying i did want to mess that way!

kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&...ew&catid=5&id=358191

and

kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&...ew&catid=5&id=369080


i did invest a lot of money in those old brake before giving up after 3 months of bleeding and upgrading.

Nobody could fix the spongy lever even the kawasaki dealer he said that old calipers design ( floating style) with one piston make them flex with aging thus reducing brake power and lever is getting spongier.

He said that I could continue to pump again 2000 gallons of DOT4 fluid it wont be better... He recommended me retrofitting brake calipers.

point taken...and i'm not giving you shit... wonder why you did not just buy some more used off e-bay from that yr model... i was just quoting your statement...


you can get a whole brake set from the lever to the calpers and all lines for about 100 probably

I did get a pair of these from eBay but the piston was water damaged... rusted and pitted was not better in any way that make me switch to the Kawasaki dealer idea.

Seriously i'm not too far from success neither.

In the process i got new disc (oversized) which is very good... the brackets that hold the calipers is not a big deal for me to make.

Only thing is the calipers are too large. I know some companies that can make custom ones. ($$$ unfortunatly)

But at least i am happy to know that i could stop this 500 lbs beast with my little finger with recent calipers.

and once done the brake will last for another decade for sure!