Front brake upgrades for 77 GS400

[Guest]

Iv been searching around for some ways to upgrade the front brakes on my old suzy. Looking to get SS lines and possibly replace the master cylinder/caliper with a different model Suzuki. Havent had any luck finding builds where people have successfully done this. If anybody knows of the compatibility or of builds where thats been accomplished I would appreciate it.
Also wondering if anyone has run a straight brake line instead of the two with the banjo bolts on the lower triple.

[Brotus]

Heres a shot of the banjo fitting in case anyone was curious

[eil]

Yes, you can eliminate that tee with no problem.

There are loads of threads on upgrading to stainless steel lines, just have to look a bit harder. There's one on how to make your own, and you have several vendors to choose from if you go the pre-made route. A lot of us like the lines from Rennsport: http://stores.ebay.ca/Rennsport-Auto-Parts Cheap and high-quality! Z1 Enterprises and many other aftermarket vendors sell SS lines as well.

No need to replace the master cylinder unless yours is damaged. For the most part, MCs are very interchangeable between Suzuki models and even other makes, but I think you have to pay attention to bore size. I've seen people use Honda and Kawasaki MCs, for instance. We even have some experienced members here who use the cheap chinese MCs off eBay and apparently they work just fine.

If you're looking to increase braking performance, the best bang for your buck is proper bleeding, SS lines, and adding a second caliper to the front wheel in that order. The latter is somewhat more involved because it sometimes means you need a new wheel and at least one new fork, maybe two, and possibly even different calipers.

[Brotus]

Thanks for the quick reply! sorry i was a little unclear- Im familiar with SS line swaps and bleeding I was just wondering if there was a caliper (possibly dual pot) that would be a direct bolt in for that fork/disc. After I swap those ill look for a bigger bore MC that will be able to push dual pots a little easier.

[nikosg]

Some info for you to read.

http://www.vintagebrake.com/mastercylinder.htm

And if your brakes are a bit underwhelming, SS lines wont really rectify that. They will give you a more solid feel and last forever but its not going to improve the capabilities of your caliper and MC.

Get a more modern twinpot/fourpot and disc. And in turn, a MC that suits this application.

[eil]

Search for Saltymonk's dual-pot brake upgrade here on the forum. I don't know if it applies to your model but apparently you can fabricate a bracket to fit a more modern rotor and caliper to the front wheel.

[mmattockx]

I was just wondering if there was a caliper (possibly dual pot) that would be a direct bolt in for that fork/disc.

Those don't exist, you will need to use an adapter plate of some description to fit a newer caliper. If you are going to go it on your own also know that there is very little room between the wheel and the rotor to fit a wider caliper in. salty_monk's twin pot upgrade is the easiest solution to adding braking power and you know it will fit. If you really want to do it on your own CBR F2 calipers are a similar twin pot, single sided design as the Kawi calipers and they should fit ok in the space available. Finding a 4 piston caliper that will fit is like looking for unicorn hairs.

Search for Saltymonk's dual-pot brake upgrade here on the forum. I don't know if it applies to your model but apparently you can fabricate a bracket to fit a more modern rotor and caliper to the front wheel.

Hopefully this helps OP:

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?222551-Twinpot-Brake-upgrade-on-GS450E-Twins&highlight=twinpot

Mark

[Brotus]

Thanks mattock thats what i was looking for, not super keen on making my own brackets ( I had one fail on my supermoto causing a broken collarbone...) but its not impossible, Ive definitely learned a lot from that experience.

As far as the stainless lines, I was under the impression that they help brake feel as well as braking power since they dont expand under the pressure like rubber lines. This is the first bike iv had without stainless lines (other than dirt bikes.)

[mmattockx]

As far as the stainless lines, I was under the impression that they help brake feel as well as braking power since they dont expand under the pressure like rubber lines.

They won't increase the maximum stopping force available but they do provide better feel and a firmer lever, along with lasting many, many years longer than the OEM rubber lines.


Mark

[salty_monk]

I think you can use one of the brackets the same as the rest of us use with the Kawasaki caliper & a CBR rotor. What is your rotor dia currently? (Stock)