1974 KZ400 Cafe Racer Build

Even at speed, a modern front brake would lift the rear tire off the pavement, making the rear brake suplurfluous.
You can clearly see this at work in a Moto GP race.
Back in the bad old days when drum brakes were all the rage, every brake we could get our hands or feet on we're necessary to life and limb. Sometimes we also wished for an anchor. Even the wimpy little early disc brakes were a giant improvement. Modern sport bike brakes are a quantum leap above those.
With the small, single pot caliper and single disc in the front, even a very small disc setup in the rear may more brake than you want compared to the front. A touchy rear brake might be more annoying than a lazy drum.
At the end of the day, it is your bike and you should set it up to suit your riding style. I am just offering an alternative opinion.

TexasKZ wrote: Even at speed, a modern front brake would lift the rear tire off the pavement, making the rear brake suplurfluous.
You can clearly see this at work in a Moto GP race.
Back in the bad old days when drum brakes were all the rage, every brake we could get our hands or feet on we're necessary to life and limb. Sometimes we also wished for an anchor. Even the wimpy little early disc brakes were a giant improvement. Modern sport bike brakes are a quantum leap above those.
With the small, single pot caliper and single disc in the front, even a very small disc setup in the rear may more brake than you want compared to the front. A touchy rear brake might be more annoying than a lazy drum.
At the end of the day, it is your bike and you should set it up to suit your riding style. I am just offering an alternative opinion.

No, I totally hear you and I'm glad to have your input. I'm 43 and I've been riding since I was a little girl (started on dirt bikes), so I remember the bad old days of drums F & R that you mentioned. I'm totally with you on that. Believe me, I'm very happy to hear someone say that it's ok to put 90% on the front brakes. I always looked at front brakes more as a "helper" to the rears, but I'm going to adjust my thinking and my riding style and use the heck out of the front brake when I take the bike out again tomorrow after the new valve cover caps get here.

As an aside, I don't know if it's the placebo effect of the drilled front rotor or the fact that the bike is so light, but I was extremely impressed with the front brake. What the rear seemed to lack, the front more than made up for. I'm planning on taking the 650sr out today, with it's dual front discs and single rear disc, and I had a funny thought; The 400 with me on it probably weighs about 30 lbs +/- less than the 650 without a rider. lol I'll have to go very easy on the 650 at first 'til I get re-accustomed to the weight and the power, and then I'll try the new braking method.

I had my doubts when you started this but it looks like my being wrong is a good thing. Color me impressed. Beautiful work. It's great to have enthusiasts like you in our community.

If you do decide to try a different braking technique, ease into it , practicing on clean, dry pavement. Suddenly grabbing a fistful of front brake on a dicey surface can have painful consequences. Been there, got the t-shirt. :blush:

TexasKZ wrote: If you do decide to try a different braking technique, ease into it , practicing on clean, dry pavement. Suddenly grabbing a fistful of front brake on a dicey surface can have painful consequences. Been there, got the t-shirt. :blush:

Your never too old to do a rider training course....

Shabba wrote: I had my doubts when you started this but it looks like my being wrong is a good thing. Color me impressed. Beautiful work. It's great to have enthusiasts like you in our community.

Thank you. That's very nice of you to say.

TexasKZ wrote: If you do decide to try a different braking technique, ease into it , practicing on clean, dry pavement. Suddenly grabbing a fistful of front brake on a dicey surface can have painful consequences. Been there, got the t-shirt. :blush:

lol Yes, I know that, hon. I'm fast, but I'm not reckless, and after 30+ years of riding, I know to always ease into new techniques. I put a few miles on the 650 yesterday and used the front brake a lot more than usual. Gotta love those dual front discs on a relatively light bike.
I'll try it on the 400 today after the valve caps get here.

750 R1 wrote:
Your never too old to do a rider training course....

YOU'RE never too old to actually add something to a thread, nor learn the difference between "you're" and "your". I ignored your first snide remark, but had to put you in your place after this one. YOU'RE welcome.

Cancel what I said about 210 main jets. I pulled the plugs and they were showing a moderately lean condition, which I already knew before reading the plugs. I swapped in a pair of 220s and it was much better, but I think it's going to want 230s in the end. I'm not sure if that's because of the porting work I did or the colder, thinner air, but I'm surprised it wants so much fuel, even with it having 32mm carbs that are pulling some serious air for a "little" 400. Either way, this bike is an absolute blast to ride fast and hard! :woohoo:

KZCafeChickNJ wrote:

750 R1 wrote:
You're never too old to do a rider training course....

YOU'RE never too old to actually add something to a thread, nor learn the difference between "you're" and "your". I ignored your first snide remark, but had to put you in your place after this one. YOU'RE welcome.

What's with the panties in a knot attitude ...? I definitely know the difference between you're and your, I was in a hurry to go out and just added that comment without proof reading, I have no idea of what you mean about any "snide remark", whilst I HATE grammar nazi's online, I think THEY'RE petty, I'll let it slide this time as it seems YOUR poor mood is attributed to a complete misunderstanding. I'm 10 years older than you and am no fan of typing , I stink at it, I grew up when spelling was important and value it thanks. On topic, I would recommend rider training courses to anyone that rides, especially people either getting back into riding after a hiatus, or someone who doesn't know how to brake correctly, as it is in your case, I'm surprised by the sheer amount of people I've come across online that rely mainly on their under performing rear brake, I would be dead by now if I rode like that. That is NOT an insult, its a fact. Recently I watched in horror as a guy in his 40's on a Harley locked up his rear brake and slid into the back of a car towing a boat, the leg of the boat motor split his chest down the middle, he got up and sat next to a tree and died in front of me and my son, it was horrible to watch, It wouldn't have happened if he knew how to brake properly, I later found out the deceased guy was a child molester so the story had an upside, strange but true...!! My brother and I have been riding bikes since the late 1970,s, I didn't even have a car license until I was 40, just bikes, My bro bought a new bike recently {CBR1000RR} after not riding for about 10 years, the first thing he did was go do a rider refresher course, NOT because he can't ride, because its a great place to get back YOUR feel for the road without any obstacles, no idiots to look out for that are trying to kill you, and a clean surface to practice your skills, including proper braking technique. I haven't ridden since having major surgery a while ago, I have 5 bikes in my garage and once I get the 750 Kawasaki back on the road i'm doing a refresher course, I also like riding on the track, so it kills two birds with one stone, I can go as hard as I like and no one gets hurt. I've owned over 40 bikes and worked in a very reputable bike shop I can assure you, I know how to ride, but I'm still doing the course, I did get it cheap because I know the rider trainers. I hope I've explained myself clearly, I meant no offense, I'd love you to point out how my comment was offensive because Texas's comment is 100% correct and I just agreed to give assurance ..?

If you really want to improve braking, look to the front. That is where about 90% of the braking action happens. I use the rear brake rarely. Usually to settle the chassis going into a turn, or if I am slowly negotiating a really slick surface like wet grass.
Two up touring, yes a little rear brake, otherwise I just punish the front.

I couldn't agree more....

I have VM30s on my 76 KZ400. I run 25 pilots, 230 mains and the stock 3.0 slide. I have a pair of aftermarket mufflers on it too. So we are in the same ballpark.

I noticed what you said about getting rid of the slight stumble with the 2.0 slides. I do have just a slight stumble there too. I tried the 2.5 slides a while back but the bike ran like junk. Perhaps though it was because they were not "real" Mikuni slides, the supplier milled 2.5 slides from a 3.0 slide. So perhaps I should get a real pair of 2.5 or 2.0 slides and try again.

750 R1 wrote:

KZCafeChickNJ wrote:

750 R1 wrote:
You're never too old to do a rider training course....

YOU'RE never too old to actually add something to a thread, nor learn the difference between "you're" and "your". I ignored your first snide remark, but had to put you in your place after this one. YOU'RE welcome.

What's with the panties in a knot attitude ...? I definitely know the difference between you're and your, I was in a hurry to go out and just added that comment without proof reading, I have no idea of what you mean about any "snide remark", whilst I HATE grammar nazi's online, I think THEY'RE petty, I'll let it slide this time as it seems YOUR poor mood is attributed to a complete misunderstanding. I'm 10 years older than you and am no fan of typing , I stink at it, I grew up when spelling was important and value it thanks. On topic, I would recommend rider training courses to anyone that rides, especially people either getting back into riding after a hiatus, or someone who doesn't know how to brake correctly, as it is in your case, I'm surprised by the sheer amount of people I've come across online that rely mainly on their under performing rear brake, I would be dead by now if I rode like that. That is NOT an insult, its a fact. Recently I watched in horror as a guy in his 40's on a Harley locked up his rear brake and slid into the back of a car towing a boat, the leg of the boat motor split his chest down the middle, he got up and sat next to a tree and died in front of me and my son, it was horrible to watch, It wouldn't have happened if he knew how to brake properly, I later found out the deceased guy was a child molester so the story had an upside, strange but true...!! My brother and I have been riding bikes since the late 1970,s, I didn't even have a car license until I was 40, just bikes, My bro bought a new bike recently {CBR1000RR} after not riding for about 10 years, the first thing he did was go do a rider refresher course, NOT because he can't ride, because its a great place to get back YOUR feel for the road without any obstacles, no idiots to look out for that are trying to kill you, and a clean surface to practice your skills, including proper braking technique. I haven't ridden since having major surgery a while ago, I have 5 bikes in my garage and once I get the 750 Kawasaki back on the road i'm doing a refresher course, I also like riding on the track, so it kills two birds with one stone, I can go as hard as I like and no one gets hurt. I've owned over 40 bikes and worked in a very reputable bike shop I can assure you, I know how to ride, but I'm still doing the course, I did get it cheap because I know the rider trainers. I hope I've explained myself clearly, I meant no offense, I'd love you to point out how my comment was offensive because Texas's comment is 100% correct and I just agreed to give assurance ..?

If you really want to improve braking, look to the front. That is where about 90% of the braking action happens. I use the rear brake rarely. Usually to settle the chassis going into a turn, or if I am slowly negotiating a really slick surface like wet grass.
Two up touring, yes a little rear brake, otherwise I just punish the front.

I couldn't agree more....

For someone who claims to be no fan of typing, that sure was wordy. I know how to ride very well, thank you. My braking method can't be all that bad since I've never had an accident in 30+ years of continuous riding, and I'm certainly no putt-putt cruiser. My "panties were in a knot" (typical sexist male expression) because I'm tired of men like you who discount my wrenching and riding abilities simply because I'm a female and because of their own insecurities. Meanwhile, I can wrench, fabricate and ride circles around 9/10 of the male motorcyclists I've ever been around. I was simply commenting on how weak the rear brake is on this bike compared to all of the others I've ridden. I never said or intimated that I used nothing but rear brake.

Your first post added absolutely nothing to the thread. Almost as lame as saying "+1" (ugh). Texas said it, in a nice way, and I got it. Your add-on post was completely unnecessary. Your second post was clearly snide. "Rider training courses" are for complete newbs. Advanced technique courses are for people like me who already know how to ride very well and have done so on tracks (motocross and road) since my teens. There's a big difference between a newb course that you suggested, and an advanced class, but perhaps they're the same where you come from. Either way, if you have nothing to add to a thread, why not save your keystrokes? (Rhetorical question)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm having far too much fun with my beautiful "new" bike to be dragged down into an internet argument with someone half way around the world.