83+ GS750E owners... can you lock your brakes?

[Anonymous]

I just finished my brake overhaul (Thanks Gary for the calipers and Master cylinder) and I think I bled all of the air out.

So I took the bike to the road, got her up to about 40 MPH and grabed a hand ful of front brake... just slowed down very quickly. I thought maybe the front brake isn't supposed to lock up.

Back up to 40 MPH and put all my weight on the rear brake... still slow down quickly (but not as quickly as the front brake).

I think there may have been a little brake fluid on all the rotors but not 100% sure... I think I cleaned it all off. Sould I replace my pads just to be sure? I don't think my tires had anything to do with it because they are all dried out and cracked anyway. Am I missing something?

[Anonymous]

You should be able to lock your front and/or rear brakes. Check your pads, replace if they got brake fluid on them.

[focus frenzy]

locking your front brake is not a wise thing to do, it can be very painfull if not done exactly right, very few people have the skills to do it with out going down.

[Anonymous]

You can lock them up - just don't keep them locked. Trouble will follow - fast.

[Anonymous]

i never tried to lock up my brakes. Why would i want to do that. I really would like to know please.

[Anonymous]

i never tried to lock up my brakes. Why would i want to do that. I really would like to know please.

Well, I don;t want to lock them, I just think my brakes feel a little spongy and they don't feel quite right. Then again I bought the bike with both front calipers seized, so I don't know that "right" feels like. :?

[Anonymous]

I have never been able to lock the front wheel on my '83 GS750ES with the brake (except at sub-10 mph speeds......not that I have deliberately tried to do so.

The rear wheel is a different matter. All you have to do is use the front brake hard to unload the rear wheel, while at the same time use the rear brake hard.

[lhanscom]

I've never locked the front, and am not sure if it would lock or do a nose wheelie first, guess it all depends what you're riding on. The back I can lock anytime I want, or don't for that matter. :?

[Anonymous]

i never tried to lock up my brakes. Why would i want to do that. I really would like to know please.

Scotty - I like to know how my bike will respond to different inputs. Knowing how far you can go on the front brakes is important for me to know. That's just me though. As an added bonus I like hear the chirp.

It's been a long time since I rode my GS1100, but from what I remember the brakes were not spectacular. Heck, I could lock up the front brakes on the Kawasaki 500H1 and they were drums! There should be no reason the twin disks on the Suzuki's can't do it.

This is one of the reasons I'm using 6 piston GSXR brakes. Great power and feel. I typically only use 1 finger on the ZRX1200, no need for anything more.

[oldschoolGS]

Sounds like you have spongy brakes. Besides additional bleeding, check the condition of the lines. If they are original stock, they probably need replacing. Also remember you have that worthless anti-dive unit feeding off the master cylinder whick contributes to slop in the system due to all the additional plumbing. 2 firm fingers on the lever should be enough to quickly approach front tire limits. I removed and blanked off the anti-dive units and went to stainless braided lines years ago, with excellent results. You should be able to get the rear end very light without locking the front. Sadly, many accidents involve riders who do not come close to using full front brake capability due to the fear of washing out the front end. Ride On, Ed.

[Billy Ricks]

I've got Gixxer four piston pots and floating rotors with stainless lines and sticky Dunlop radials at both ends. I use practically all front brakes with just enough rear braking for control. I guess if I grabbed a big fistful of lever I could lock them up, but I've never really tried. The rear end gets light enough without trying to lock them up. If I did I would definitely be doing stoppies.

[Dark Jedi]

[quote="Swanny"]

It's been a long time since I rode my GS1100, but from what I remember the brakes were not spectacular. Heck, I could lock up the front brakes on the Kawasaki 500H1 and they were drums! There should be no reason the twin disks on the Suzuki's can't do it.

I found the brakes on my 1100EZ a bit lacking, so I re-built them and replaced the lines with braided steel lines. The improvement was pretty impressive!

(I was in the Marines, and had a buddy who worked in the aircraft hydraulic shop who manufactured me a set. Red and blue braided hoses everywhere! Quite a beauty.)

[Anonymous]

My 81 will lock the gront and back up no problem

[Anonymous]

I know what he's talking about. I cannot lock the brakes up on my GS either. I can grab a handful of brake lever and haul it down at speed but it will simply not lock up. The ZRX1100 on the other hand, 2 fingers and the brakes can bite like they are power assisted. I just got some new pads for the fronts and rears in, I plan to bleed the lines and put in new fluid when I get home in two weeks. The existing brake lines look great, not cracked or anything. Hope that makes them work more confidently. Oh and there's that fork seal thing...... :roll:

[Anonymous]

scotty, you never know when you need a launch pad!