Wooden brakes - no feel at all

[AJ]

Nobody said my brakes are weak. They just don't have very good feel to them. In past experience, brakes usually are weak or mushy. In this case, they are quite firm, and decently strong. It is not hard to slow the bike or make a hard stop. I just don't like the feel of them. Maybe the pads are some kind of ceramic or something. I really didn't look at them that hard, other than to notice that they have tons of pad material left in them.

Sorry if anybody mistook my parts bill estimate to mean cheap. Sure, I'm frugal, but what I was doing was making the consideration between rebuilding these brakes and maybe doing an upgrade. Think of it like comparing Race Tech do your antique forks vs. a front end swap. Heck, with the parts bill for rebuilding the brakes, I'd be halfway to a whole front end swap anyway!

[Normk]

Some very good suggestions already provided but didn't see a suggestion that the pad material has deteriorated from moisture and sitting around. I see this fairly frequently on classic bikes which have seen little usage for several years.

I have had decent success by using the brakes sufficiently over a few days to heat and cook out the water. (That's my theory but only empirical evidence) As someone noted, the old linings aren't in the league of the new compositions and the old calipers and rotors aren't modern either.

Have you compared your old steed with a similar bike of the same vintage. It sounds as though you are quite experienced so just wondering if you have forgotten how wooden these old brakes are compared with new ones?

I have to completely change my riding when switching between my ST1100 and GS850G. The ST is just a heavier version of a modern sport bike but the GS is definitely classic. She does her job well but with a different feel.

Failing any better theory, I recommend that you follow the advice listed to inspect, clean and lube, resurface the pads using sandpaper and also the rotors. See how that performs and then look for another classic comparison.

The person who recommended sandpaper is right on target. Do not use emery, carborundum paper or other papers intended for metal finishing. The harder particles of emery and carborundum papers can embed into the lining and act as a cutting tip on the rotor. Use sandpaper of a type intended for woodworking or flint paper.

When removing the glaze from the rotor, it is helpful to attempt to achieve an asymmetric sanding pattern.

[TheCafeKid]

I think norm may have hit it on the head here.
If you're comparing the feel of your GSes brakes to those of something from even 10 years ago, they're going to feel horrible.
That was the biggest thing for me to get used to when I first bought my ZRX. That thing will stop your face off with very little effort and the braking is very linear and the feel is fairly even throughout the lever pull minus that first initial bite, or unless the pads are wet (HH pads don't like being cool and or wet) Nearly tossed myself over the bars the first few times simply because I was so used to older bikes and their rather dead feel. I'd done everything short of more modern calipers on my 1100, SS lines, smaller bore MC, etc. Yes, it was better than stock, and they stopped the bike well enough but compared to the Rex the felt bloody dangerous in retrospect.
It does change up some of your style. I got used to the brakes on the various GSes being adequate, but trained myself to more or less ride twisties as though they weren't there at all. It was in a way helpful in teaching myself about gear selection, compression braking, and "when in doubt, gas it out" so to speak.

But the Rex is an entirely different animal. It doesn't have that massive crank spinning to slow you down with compression braking. It does it, but differently. You really have to have it spun up for it to jerk itself down. So I learned, after nearly endo-ing a couple times, that a single finger feathering the lever just before tip in would reel her in just enough. I wouldn't dared have expected that on my GS. The brakes may have done it just fine, but the feedback at the lever wouldn't let me trust it.

[salty_monk]

The twinpot upgrade can be reasonable.... a lot depends on how good you are at watching Ebay.

For example a complete set off a 2005 concourse went for about $50 the other day. They were very unlikely to need rebuilding just a clearout & the pads looked useable.

Add to that Honda rotors which can be had for $50 if you're patient & an $80 kit from me & you have very good brakes for less than $200. New lines can be made for about $45 if you buy parts from Earls, use a 2 line setup with chrome rather than their stainless fittings & a short loop over the fender from one caliper to the other.

SV650 brakes could likely be made to fit but probably require a 3D bracket, a decent engineer & some machine time to get them to work safely

[AJ]

Thanks for the last few posts, guys. I feared this was starting to turn into one of those "trash the stupid forum newbie" threads.

I've read reviews in the mags about "wooden brakes" over the years, but this is the first time I've really known what they meant. Even Harley brakes - which require a firm squeeze - feel better than these. My son's 1985 GS550 has less than 5000 miles and I'm pretty sure those brake pads are original. They're opposed twin-pots up front and they feel tons better than this 1100.

Salty, I'm giving thought to your Kawi Concours upgrade path. That does make sense compared to just rebuilding these and it's good you've done the engineering. While I do own a small hobby lathe, I don't currently have convenient access to a real end mill needed to make those plates.

I'm also considering a front end swap, but that would ruin some of the "classic" aspect that attracted me to this bike in the first place. On the other hand, who would go through all that trouble and not go inverted?!