Caliper Swap or Re-build??

[BigDaddyD]

So I have a '77 GS750 and I'm pretty sure I need to rebuild both the front and rear calipers.

My questions are:

Are there kits available for such a project and where'd be the best place to find them?

Or...

What aftermarket, or more up-to-date calipers could I swap them with?

Where can I find a good selection of new pads and rotors for my bike?

I would prefer to do a swap with something newer... since having good brakes is quite paramount! But, if it's not worth-while to do a swap (no real performance difference) Then I guess I'll just do a rebuild.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Matchless]

OK, I cannot reply to all your questions, but I overhauled my calipers recently. To fit any other types you may need a different type of bracket. There are some threads on this and someone was recently offering to make some up. Just do a quick search.
The two important things are that you need to clean out 30 year of dirt off and especially inside the piston chamber. When you remove the piston, make sure that it is not pitted, otherwise it needs replacement as well. There are kits which include a rubber nipple for the bleed screw, a rubber seal ring and bellows boot, plus small bellows for the floating mounting bolts. The rear kit will additionally have a small rubber washer.
If you cannot find any, I have used kits for a BMW 318i or a Mercedes 230/280 that have 38mm pistons as well, although only the main rubber ring is usable.

You may find a lot of built up corrosion in the grooves of the ring and boot seals that need carefull cleaning out.

 

[Guest]

for aftermarket caliper rebuild kits try e-bay
for oem check micro-fiche at www.bikebandit.com

pads on ebay too, or bikebandit or www.z1enterprises.com

single disc front? people upgrade to double disc front (gs) your wheel may already have provisions for the other disc - this is a bolt in mod, parts available from wreckers (incl rotors)

there's a recent thread here on kawasaki calipers upgrade, do a search, should come up

 

[BigDaddyD]

single disc front? people upgrade to double disc front (gs) your wheel may already have provisions for the other disc - this is a bolt in mod, parts available from wreckers (incl rotors)

Yeah, my front wheel has the holes for the 2nd rotor, but I'd need to find a front fork for the right side that's got the caliper mounts. And from what i've read that might require a whole front end swap. (triple-trees, bearings, all that stuff) Don't know if I can afford to go that far just yet. If it were as simple as just swapping out the one fork then I'd probably do it!

I saw a couple of the posts about the Kaw Swaps... not to sure how I feel about that just yet beings most people had to fabricate their own brackets to mount them... but I'm definitely still reading up on it.

Are there new stainless drilled/slotted rotors out there that'll fit the front and rear?
What's a good brand of rotors and pads for the GS's?
I've been hearing alot about EBC?

I've read alot about people taking rotors off of other GS's but if I'm going to go as far as to rebuild the calipers and what-not... then I want to use new pads and rotors as well.

 

[Guest]

i dont think new rotors have much advantage compared to slotted oem that you can find second hand on ebay (provided they are from a low mileage bikes and not warped)
new rotors are quite expensive and i think most people dont consider the upgrade to new rotors any improvement
stainless lines and good quality pads + caliper rebuild is a most common service

i dont know what would be involved in the upgrade to the dual front rotors but i assume it would have to do with: 1-fork diameter and 2-fork spacing
i dont know if this was changed on later models that had 2 discs

 

[BigDaddyD]

i dont know what would be involved in the upgrade to the dual front rotors but i assume it would have to do with: 1-fork diameter and 2-fork spacing
i dont know if this was changed on later models that had 2 discs

From what I've been reading about on the dual fronts, it seems that the fork diameter is the biggest issue. Which leads to needing new Trees and Bearings and what-not.