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Twinpot Brake upgrade on 78 Skunk

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    Yes could be!

    There are still a few sets of brackets here and I have one full kit with some 2006 Concourse calipers (the very last year you could get these calipers on anything)
    1980 GS1000G - Sold
    1978 GS1000E - Finished!
    1980 GS550E - Fixed & given to a friend
    1983 GS750ES Special - Sold
    2009 KLR 650 - Sold - gone to TX!
    1982 GS1100G - Rebuilt and finished. - Sold
    2009 TE610 - Dual Sporting around dreaming of Dakar..... - FOR SALE!

    www.parasiticsanalytics.com

    TWINPOT BRAKE UPGRADE LINKY: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...e-on-78-Skunk/

    Comment


      Here is a picture of mine with the brake mod fitted.

      bugad gs.jpg

      Comment


        Looking good!
        1980 GS1000G - Sold
        1978 GS1000E - Finished!
        1980 GS550E - Fixed & given to a friend
        1983 GS750ES Special - Sold
        2009 KLR 650 - Sold - gone to TX!
        1982 GS1100G - Rebuilt and finished. - Sold
        2009 TE610 - Dual Sporting around dreaming of Dakar..... - FOR SALE!

        www.parasiticsanalytics.com

        TWINPOT BRAKE UPGRADE LINKY: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...e-on-78-Skunk/

        Comment


          Thanks for the brackets Dan! Just got back from a spirited ride--huge improvement.
          Attached Files
          Last edited by Thumper88; 08-16-2015, 10:29 PM.
          1982 Suzuki GS450TZ
          1982 Suzuki GS1100EZ

          Comment


            Nice! - Thanks for the pic
            1980 GS1000G - Sold
            1978 GS1000E - Finished!
            1980 GS550E - Fixed & given to a friend
            1983 GS750ES Special - Sold
            2009 KLR 650 - Sold - gone to TX!
            1982 GS1100G - Rebuilt and finished. - Sold
            2009 TE610 - Dual Sporting around dreaming of Dakar..... - FOR SALE!

            www.parasiticsanalytics.com

            TWINPOT BRAKE UPGRADE LINKY: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...e-on-78-Skunk/

            Comment


              I'm a convert!...well, I'm going to be soon.
              I welcome the added front stopping power for my old girl, heavy as she is - user name is my bike {how clever, I know} - but what I have to question is this; what is every one doing for the rear brakes? It's opposed singles back there, but couldn't that be improved?
              I know, the majority of stopping is done on the front{s}, but wouldn't it be even better for a rear brake upgrade as well?...and to have it "match" too?
              My main concern for the upgrade was improved stopping power, but let's be honest here, it looks good {win/win} and runs nearly the same cost as twin oem rotors but better stopping.
              I sort of worry about the looks of the back end.....since I'm guessing that even though mine weighs more, my buddy on his CB750 will be getting a good look at it from that view. {unless he gets a jug kit, then I'm in trouble}....seriously though, rear kit?

              Comment


                Originally posted by 80GS850GBob View Post
                I'm a convert!...well, I'm going to be soon.
                I welcome the added front stopping power for my old girl, heavy as she is - user name is my bike {how clever, I know} - but what I have to question is this; what is every one doing for the rear brakes? It's opposed singles back there, but couldn't that be improved?
                I know, the majority of stopping is done on the front{s}, but wouldn't it be even better for a rear brake upgrade as well?...and to have it "match" too?
                My main concern for the upgrade was improved stopping power, but let's be honest here, it looks good {win/win} and runs nearly the same cost as twin oem rotors but better stopping.
                I sort of worry about the looks of the back end.....since I'm guessing that even though mine weighs more, my buddy on his CB750 will be getting a good look at it from that view. {unless he gets a jug kit, then I'm in trouble}....seriously though, rear kit?
                I have the fronts done on my '79, stock rear is plenty just the way it is.
                Dee Durant '83 750es (Overly molested...) '88 gl1500 (Yep, a wing...)

                Comment


                  the stock rears usually do pretty darn well, if you look at most modern sport bikes, they might have a 2 piston sliding caliper in the rear, but the rotor diameter is substantially smaller. If you did a lot of heavy loaded touring and needed more rear brake, get a rear rotor and the caliper hanger bracket off of a 1977 GS 750 (in 78 I believe they downsized the rear rotor slightly from 295 down to 275 mm). The stock rear was on my 77 when I got it, and it was way too much rear brake, very easy to lock up the rear. Some people intentionally leave some air in the lines just to give the rear brake a little more feel and cushion on the stock setup. Your bike is heavier, so maybe that might warrant not doing so. The opposed piston caliper and 275mm rotor is adequate for mine with aggressive riding on a lightened 485lb GS750. any more substantial caliper and swept brake pad area and you would definitely need to downsize the rotor diameter again.

                  I absolutely love the stopping power of my 296 millimeter dual twin pot front set up. riding in the most tightly packed nonstop twisties this past weekend on a 300 mile backwoods Appalachian round trip, I was reminded how I basically only need one finger the majority of the time when properly judging my speed going into turns at least. A few surprises over blind rises led to me reaching a second finger in to panic stop/brake check.
                  '77 GS750 920cc heavily modded
                  '97 Kawasaki KDX220R rugged terrain ripper!
                  '99 Kawasaki KDX220R​ rebuild in progress
                  '79 GS425stock
                  PROJECTS:
                  '77 Suzuki PE250 woods racer
                  '77 GS550 740cc major mods
                  '77 GS400 489cc racer build
                  '76 Rickman CR1000 GS1000/1100
                  '78 GS1000C/1100

                  Comment


                    Salty's recommended & very well researched front brake upgrade makes our bikes (with suspension valving/spring upgrades & excellent tire selection) fully capable of very spirited (aggressive) riding in the most fun terrains possible, such as the nonstop Appalachian foothills in the SE corner of Ohio near West Virginia, like this Labor Day ride we just did through a segment of Wayne National Forest & surrounding State Forests (about 230 miles of BIG smiles plus 70 travelling there):



                    Never ending big hills everywhere densely packed, and me picking the route with the absolute most & tightest curves. try to find a straight road on that entire map! They don't exist! I have absolutely no problem and no complaints ever with my brakes' capability while riding aggressively in this terrain, as well as Northeast West Virginia mountains.
                    Last edited by Chuck78; 09-10-2015, 07:03 PM.
                    '77 GS750 920cc heavily modded
                    '97 Kawasaki KDX220R rugged terrain ripper!
                    '99 Kawasaki KDX220R​ rebuild in progress
                    '79 GS425stock
                    PROJECTS:
                    '77 Suzuki PE250 woods racer
                    '77 GS550 740cc major mods
                    '77 GS400 489cc racer build
                    '76 Rickman CR1000 GS1000/1100
                    '78 GS1000C/1100

                    Comment


                      Very nice! It should be possible to fit one of the Honda front rotors to the rear which would match up the look as the PCD is the same on both front & rear Suzuki wheels from memory.

                      I don't know what the offset (or dia) of the rear rotor is. Assuming Chuck78 is correct above you'd need the 77 caliper hanger (hopefully the axles is the same dia) for a 295mm rotor and some hub spacers to make it work. - I'd have to look at it. From a performance standpoint I would be very surprised if you need any more rear end performance.
                      1980 GS1000G - Sold
                      1978 GS1000E - Finished!
                      1980 GS550E - Fixed & given to a friend
                      1983 GS750ES Special - Sold
                      2009 KLR 650 - Sold - gone to TX!
                      1982 GS1100G - Rebuilt and finished. - Sold
                      2009 TE610 - Dual Sporting around dreaming of Dakar..... - FOR SALE!

                      www.parasiticsanalytics.com

                      TWINPOT BRAKE UPGRADE LINKY: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...e-on-78-Skunk/

                      Comment


                        True, but I'd like to research the idea just to keep the looks symmetrical....think how a cycle would look with different front and rear rims - that's my thought line on it.

                        Comment


                          Haha - I've done that too... In the year plus that I ran these wheels not one person noticed.

                          1980 GS1000G - Sold
                          1978 GS1000E - Finished!
                          1980 GS550E - Fixed & given to a friend
                          1983 GS750ES Special - Sold
                          2009 KLR 650 - Sold - gone to TX!
                          1982 GS1100G - Rebuilt and finished. - Sold
                          2009 TE610 - Dual Sporting around dreaming of Dakar..... - FOR SALE!

                          www.parasiticsanalytics.com

                          TWINPOT BRAKE UPGRADE LINKY: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...e-on-78-Skunk/

                          Comment


                            Originally posted by salty_monk View Post
                            Very nice! It should be possible to fit one of the Honda front rotors to the rear which would match up the look as the PCD is the same on both front & rear Suzuki wheels from memory.
                            this would definitely save on weight! Using the GS caliper would probably require removing some of the brake pad friction material towards the inside using a Dremel, as I believe, don't quote me, that the friction surface is taller on the GS rotor. you would then have some very touchy rear brakes! using the stock GS pad as I said would help with making it not lock up as prematurely.

                            I upgraded the rear on mine just to drop weight and ditch the 295 rotor.I was told the caliper used on the GS 650 rear and other models, cross reference it, is slightly lighter than the caliper that came on my bike, GS1100's and 1000's, and others. I went with a newer hanger for the 275 rotor, a GS1150 caliper which requires extensive brake stay modification, and something along the lines of a front right 1989 through 1991 1100 katana floating rotor with the correct 22.5mm offset and 275mm diameter. this used the same bolt circle diameter, but the bolt holes ended up being 10 mm, so I had to redrill the pattern a half hole off with 8mm holes. this style of rotor is harder to come by, but substantially lighter than the GS set up.

                            upgrading to a caliper with a longer swept area on the brake pad would be much more beneficial, as that is what is really outdated on our stock brakes. The longer the pads, the better the stopping. A taller pad with the same surface area as a longer skinny pad will not grip as well as the long skinny pad on similar diameter rotors. The long skinny pad has more leverage because it is gripping at the outer part of the rotor entirely, where the diameter & leverage force advantage is greater, instead of half of the surface area of the pad gripping in a smaller rotor diameter area more toward the inside.
                            '77 GS750 920cc heavily modded
                            '97 Kawasaki KDX220R rugged terrain ripper!
                            '99 Kawasaki KDX220R​ rebuild in progress
                            '79 GS425stock
                            PROJECTS:
                            '77 Suzuki PE250 woods racer
                            '77 GS550 740cc major mods
                            '77 GS400 489cc racer build
                            '76 Rickman CR1000 GS1000/1100
                            '78 GS1000C/1100

                            Comment


                              so far when I stopped researching it, 275 was the smallest diameter I could find in a 6 bolt rotor with a similar PCD. I would be thrilled to find a slightly smaller diameter floating rotor that was easily adaptable to our hubs, then we could make caliper bracket adapters or new brake caliper hanger bracket to fit the proper modern calipers to match the rotor, with longer swept area.
                              '77 GS750 920cc heavily modded
                              '97 Kawasaki KDX220R rugged terrain ripper!
                              '99 Kawasaki KDX220R​ rebuild in progress
                              '79 GS425stock
                              PROJECTS:
                              '77 Suzuki PE250 woods racer
                              '77 GS550 740cc major mods
                              '77 GS400 489cc racer build
                              '76 Rickman CR1000 GS1000/1100
                              '78 GS1000C/1100

                              Comment


                                Originally posted by Chuck78 View Post
                                ...upgrading to a caliper with a longer swept area on the brake pad would be much more beneficial, as that is what is really outdated on our stock brakes. The longer the pads, the better the stopping. A taller pad with the same surface area as a longer skinny pad will not grip as well as the long skinny pad on similar diameter rotors. The long skinny pad has more leverage because it is gripping at the outer part of the rotor entirely, where the diameter & leverage force advantage is greater, instead of half of the surface area of the pad gripping in a smaller rotor diameter area more toward the inside.
                                So, even if the surface area of both designs is the same...square inch wise...the stopping power is greater with the elongated pads verses the circle style? Ya lost me in the applied psychics.... but I do have to agree that the circle style brake pad isn't really used anymore....might be a reason for that.

                                Comment

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