disc conversion?

[Anonymous]

what parts would be required to convert my 78 gs550 to rear disc? i was thinking of getting a set of mag wheels for it, although i have not seen any pictures of a 550 w/ mags that was drum rear. did they make mag wheels that were drum brake? if not, converting to disc wouldnt be a bad idea...the worst i imagine hbappening is better braking. any info is appreciated.

[WesV]

I am not sure if the 550 rear rim is the same size as the 450 rear rim, but all the 450 rear mags I have seen including my own have the drum brake. The rear rim on my bike is a 16" and don't know the width.

[joeadams]

My 83 750 T has a rear drum as well. I don't know the size off hand though.

[first timer]

if you want to do rear disk conversion from a drum you will need a complete rearend of a bike with a rear disk. swing arm, rim, brake bar, caliper w/ hanger, disk, master cylinder (you will have to weld a mount to the frame), brake pedal. i think thats about it. it's not as easy as you would think.

if anyone is intrested i may have a gs1000 rearend i could part with if they want to get rid of their drum on a 750 and up.

-ryan

[Mr. Jiggles]

Unless you are routinely riding hard enough to overheat your rear brake, I'd think hard about the improvement you're likely to see versus the amount of money and work required. I've spent lots of time on bikes with both drum and disc rear brakes and IMO don't see enough difference to warrant all the work and money for such a mod. Drums are more than powerful enough to lock the rear wheel, not that much force is needed to do that anyway. However, if you have access to free parts, have lots of time on your hands, and have nothing else left to do on the bike I'd say go for it.

[Anonymous]

neat... can any of you guys e mail me, or PM with the years/models that had the mags w/ drum rear? i'll most likely forget the models unless i save teh specs somewhere. thanks for thereplies!

[Jackrp]

Re: disc conversion?

what parts would be required to convert my 78 gs550 to rear disc? i was thinking of getting a set of mag wheels for it, although i have not seen any pictures of a 550 w/ mags that was drum rear. did they make mag wheels that were drum brake? if not, converting to disc wouldnt be a bad idea...the worst i imagine hbappening is better braking. any info is appreciated.

My 82 GS550MZ came with a rear disk, it may be a difficult change, because the rear caliper has an antirotation rod that goes from the caliper to the top of the swing arm, nessitating a possible swing arm swap as well as a wheel swap, and then there would be the mounts for the mastercylinder and reservor that are not on your bike,and you'd need a new rear brake pedal that is made to hook up to the master cylinder and may not even be a straight swap if you found one, I'd stick with the drum, I think they may have made mags with a drum, not positive though.

[Anonymous]

yeah, i think i'll scour all the sources i have for a drum mag... i don't push the suzuki that hard (well... sometimes, but i usually goose the throttle), do a lot of freeway riding, so i don't hammer the brakes too hard. it WOULD be cheaper to get a drum mag, and swap parts around (if they are as universal as some people say this shouldn't be a problem). and yes, the drum is more than powerful enough to lock the rear wheel, i have done this about 3 times in the dirt, and 2 times on a wet road! oops!