Brake upgrade questions

[midmoraider]

Hey all, I have been reading as many threads as I can about upgrading the brakes. I have an 04, so the R1 doesn't really appeal to me. Also, I'm not fond of the blue or gold inserts on those. What I'm looking at is the 6 pots off an FZR or YZF bike. I know they're kinda hard to come by, but I'm in no big hurry. I'd like to go the FJR masters as well but had a few questions.

1. Do I need to go to a 14mm master with the 6 pots? I have seen a couple of 05 FJR masters out there and I have bar end mirrors so I'm not worried about the tap for those. I thought I read somewhere that the 03 FJR is the only one that is 14mm. Is this correct?

2. Does anyone know of a source to get aftermarket FJR master covers? I've got some from Python on my stock ones and do not like the look of the oem covers.

3. Are the FJR clutch masters compatible with our bikes? Any mods that have to be done to use them along with the brake masters?

Thanks.

 

[firefly]

The FJR as you said are 14mm, the stock is 16mm, the FJR will fit awkwardly on the stock handle bar, I had them for years and moved on to 19mm Radial masters for both clutch & brakes, Nissin makes a good set, I think I paid $180.00 for each. they will be Ideal for 6 pot calipers. they have external plastic reservoirs that could be replaced with nice billet ones later on.:twocents:

Hey all, I have been reading as many threads as I can about upgrading the brakes. I have an 04, so the R1 doesn't really appeal to me. Also, I'm not fond of the blue or gold inserts on those. What I'm looking at is the 6 pots off an FZR or YZF bike. I know they're kinda hard to come by, but I'm in no big hurry. I'd like to go the FJR masters as well but had a few questions.

1. Do I need to go to a 14mm master with the 6 pots? I have seen a couple of 05 FJR masters out there and I have bar end mirrors so I'm not worried about the tap for those. I thought I read somewhere that the 03 FJR is the only one that is 14mm. Is this correct?

2. Does anyone know of a source to get aftermarket FJR master covers? I've got some from Python on my stock ones and do not like the look of the oem covers.

3. Are the FJR clutch masters compatible with our bikes? Any mods that have to be done to use them along with the brake masters?

Thanks.

 

[one2dmax]

The stock masters will work quite well with them too.

Sean

 

[ninjaneer]

1. Do I need to go to a 14mm master with the 6 pots? I have seen a couple of 05 FJR masters out there and I have bar end mirrors so I'm not worried about the tap for those. I thought I read somewhere that the 03 FJR is the only one that is 14mm. Is this correct?

it might depend upon the model year, but if you happen upon yzf750s 6-pots, you may not have to change out your brake master. mine came off of a '94, which had a master with a 5/8" bore. works seamlessly. the idea is to match the master's bore size to that of the source bike from which you harvested the calipers. read the following for fjr master bore info: http://www.vmaxforum.net/showpost.php?p=124312&postcount=6

2. Does anyone know of a source to get aftermarket FJR master covers? I've got some from Python on my stock ones and do not like the look of the oem covers.

source of master cover: JDA Custom is the only one i could get google to find

3. Are the FJR clutch masters compatible with our bikes? Any mods that have to be done to use them along with the brake masters?

i have an '05 FJR1300 clutch master that i matched up with my DD mod. bolted on without tweaks. looks a bit out of place cause it doesn't match my brake master's polished cap and is the reason i started looking for a polished billet reservoir cover for it.

 

[[email protected]]

FJR clutch masters work fine. They are 14mm. It will make the clutch pull lighter. It will engage a bit earlier (when releasing the clutch you will feel the bike start to pull earlier)

Stock masters will work fine with the 6 pots. The '03 14mm FJR brake masters will work as well if you would like to use them. You will have to pull the lever further in to brake than you would with the stock master. The lever will feel softer than with the OEM master.

03' thru 05' all have the same bore diameter in the clutch master. 14mm
03' is the ONLY year the FJR had a front brake master with 14mm bore
04'-05' FJR front brake masters are 15mm
04'-05' FJR front brake masters for ABS equipped bikes are 16mm.

Stock master cylinders for both clutch and brake are 5/8" which is damn close to 16mm.

16mm=0.629"
5/8"=0.625"
14mm=0.551"

I'm sure someone out there makes covers for the FJR. I've never looked though.

 

[midmoraider]

There are two reasons I'm looking at changing the masters. I like the idea of the adjustable lever and the po decided to run dot 5 in the front brakes. Since it was like this when I got it, I figured it would make it worse to try and go back to dot 3 or 4. So, I guess I could rebuild the brake master and use it with the 6 pots. Would I be able to get it sufficiently clean to not worry about?

 

[Ridin Dirty]

I would use masters that are the size that the particular caliper was designed to use. The feel of the brakes are greatly affected by the master bore size. Too large a bore makes the brakes act like an on/off switch lacking "feel". Too small a bore gives excessive travel, and feels soft.

What works and what works well, aren't necessarily the same thing.

 

[[email protected]]

A thorough cleaning and seal replacement in the master should suffice. Not so sure about the brake lines. I've never heard of a good way to flush DOT5 silicone out completely. Not saying its impossible but might be worth a brake line change versus the frustration of dealing with it.

 

[midmoraider]

yeah, i've got ss lines from sean already, but i lowered the front 2" since i put them on. will probably just change them again.

from everything i've been reading here and on the web, the only problem with the dot5 is that the silicone may break down some external rubber components. is this a problem with our stock calipers?

 

[[email protected]]

http://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/brakefluids.html

 

[wildweasel_pt]

There are two reasons I'm looking at changing the masters. I like the idea of the adjustable lever and the po decided to run dot 5 in the front brakes. Since it was like this when I got it, I figured it would make it worse to try and go back to dot 3 or 4. So, I guess I could rebuild the brake master and use it with the 6 pots. Would I be able to get it sufficiently clean to not worry about?

If he used DOT5 in place of the DOT4 he messed up. They are not compatible and using DOT5 in a DOT3 or 4 system will eat away the seals and orings due the fact that DOT5 is silicon based. Probably what you meant to say was DOT5.1 and in that case no problems arise... Cheers

EDIT - Seems it has been answered before. Thats the problem on replying to posts before reading the whole stuff... :bang head:

 

[midmoraider]

So, are the non abs 04 and 05 fjr mc pretty rare? I would think this would be a good option because at 15mm, they are right in between the stock mc and the 14mm 03's. Also, does anyone have a pic of these mounted up. Firefly said they sit at an awkward angle and I was wanting to see what it looks like.

 

[firefly]

Why do you want to change masters? as Sean said the stock ones will work fine with a 6 piston caliper & better than the FJR masters since they are 16 mm, bigger master size = stronger & gradual braking better modulated) with a smaller 14mm master you get abrupt braking that easily cause a lock up = accident. I had FJR masters for both brakes & clutch before more than 4 years of use.

The disadvantage of 14mm master abrupt unmodulated braking with high chance of locking up in emergency braking.

Advantage of FJR 14mm brake master is 1- has adjustable lever which is not really useful, 2- its cover does not weep brake fluid when tipped like the stock vmax one.

if you insist on the FJR master you also need to consider replacing the stock handle bar with a super bike bar ~ $20.00, this places the master in its normal position.

also consider the FJR 14mm clutch master may feel a little lighter but does not FULLY disengage the clutch & shifting will become clunky, its simple a 16mm piston will push more fluid with more force than a 14mm one

save your money and later on buy radial masters 19 mm for both clutch & brakes if you feel the need to do so.

for now get the 6 pot calipers and use your stock masters, they will work better then the FJR ones.

If you haven't replaced your stock rubber brake lines, replacing them with SS lines makes a big difference in braking power, I would spend my money on them first.

the super bike handle bar is a cheap handling upgrade with very significant enhancement in riding position, counter steering & wrists comfort.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw...kw=vmax&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

So, are the non abs 04 and 05 fjr mc pretty rare? I would think this would be a good option because at 15mm, they are right in between the stock mc and the 14mm 03's. Also, does anyone have a pic of these mounted up. Firefly said they sit at an awkward angle and I was wanting to see what it looks like.

 

[midmoraider]

Firefly, I do have the super bike bar already. The reason I was looking at the FJR master was that I want to go to the 6 pot calipers. My bike is an 04, so I am looking at the 94 FZR1000 or YZF750 brakes. My current front brake system has DOT5 silicon fluid in it thanks to the previous owner. So, I will either have to rebuild my current stock master, or get another one that hasn't been exposed to the DOT 5. I like the idea of the adjustable levers, so that's why I was considering just changing them out. Also, I have bar end mirrors, so I'm not worried about the mc's having threads. The 04 and 05 mc's are either 15mm (standard brakes) or 16mm (abs brakes). So, with either of those, it shouldn't change the feel too much. Is that right? I know the clutch will feel different because it is a 14mm, but I've been thinking of doing the dd mod and this should offset some of the hard pull on the lever. Does this sound right to everyone? Thanks.

 

[firefly]

The clutch needs 16mm or more to push sufficient fluid to completely disengage clutch for smooth shifting (& less mis shifts), the DD need the stronger push of a 16mm or better a 19mm master. I am not saying the 14mm FJR master will not work, I had it for 4 years but wanted better less damaging shifting.:twocents:

Firefly, I do have the super bike bar already. The reason I was looking at the FJR master was that I want to go to the 6 pot calipers. My bike is an 04, so I am looking at the 94 FZR1000 or YZF750 brakes. My current front brake system has DOT5 silicon fluid in it thanks to the previous owner. So, I will either have to rebuild my current stock master, or get another one that hasn't been exposed to the DOT 5. I like the idea of the adjustable levers, so that's why I was considering just changing them out. Also, I have bar end mirrors, so I'm not worried about the mc's having threads. The 04 and 05 mc's are either 15mm (standard brakes) or 16mm (abs brakes). So, with either of those, it shouldn't change the feel too much. Is that right? I know the clutch will feel different because it is a 14mm, but I've been thinking of doing the dd mod and this should offset some of the hard pull on the lever. Does this sound right to everyone? Thanks.