Tried a stoppie

[F 18 Driver]

Hi everyone,

Thoroughly disappointed with the front breaking ability of my 96 1200

I usually ride a sport bike (1000 RR, R1, GSXR 1000) and do a lot of canyon chasing and track days (a group). But, I also have had a few cruises in the past, including 4 Honda Valkyrie six-cylinder 6 carb

I went out today for the first time on the V-max and did a little bit of hooligan riding, a bit disappointed in performance of the machine.

They don't really move even when V boost engages… But the most disappointing thing are the FRONT BRAKES THOSE THINGS WILL KILL YOU!

Upon my return I checked the pads (EBC) measured the rotors inspected the CALIPER bled the brakes and all seem to be in proper working order… But this thing stops like a pig.

As a sports bike rider, I depend heavily front brake and very rarely engage rear brake

My Valkyrie which is probably 250 pounds heavier than the V-max stops extremely well for its size and weight. When the front brake is engaged

Anybody have any tips or tricks, how to improve front breaking of the machine.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

F-18 driver

 

[Fire-medic]

HH compound, front brakes. Stainless steel brake lines for the front brakes. DOT 4 fluid changed yearly.

Early R1 calipers, blue dots, fit 1993-'07 VMaxes. You can go with late model FZR1000 Sumitomo calipers, 3 opposed piston pairs/each caliper. They are also found on YZF1000 bikes.

Sean Morley offers a Tokico setup from a Suzuki, single-sided for the front.

If you're comparing something designed and produced in the early 1980's to a twenty-first century sportbike, yes, differences. Be glad you don't have a 1985-1992 VMax, w/its singlr opposed pair of pistons front calipers and 282 mm discs instead of the later 1993+ two pair opposed piston calipers, like you have, and the 298 mm rotors.

 

[gentsvmax]

Hi everyone,

Thoroughly disappointed with the front breaking ability of my 96 1200

I usually ride a sport bike (1000 RR, R1, GSXR 1000) and do a lot of canyon chasing and track days (a group). But, I also have had a few cruises in the past, including 4 Honda Valkyrie six-cylinder 6 carb

I went out today for the first time on the V-max and did a little bit of hooligan riding, a bit disappointed in performance of the machine.

They don't really move even when V boost engages… But the most disappointing thing are the FRONT BRAKES THOSE THINGS WILL KILL YOU!

Upon my return I checked the pads (EBC) measured the rotors inspected the CALIPER bled the brakes and all seem to be in proper working order… But this thing stops like a pig.

As a sports bike rider, I depend heavily front brake and very rarely engage rear brake

My Valkyrie which is probably 250 pounds heavier than the V-max stops extremely well for its size and weight. When the front brake is engaged

Anybody have any tips or tricks, how to improve front breaking of the machine.
you
Thank you for your time and consideration.

F-18 driver

I'd say you should carefully remove the 96 1200 and install 09 1700.
You might get it to do a stoppie.

 

[MaxMidnight]

Early R1 calipers, blue dots, fit 1993-'07 VMaxes.

To avoid twisting the hoses you will need to replace the hoses from splitter to calliper as the banjo bolt is in a different position.

 

[VMAXXIMUM]

I converted to the sumitomo 6 pots and can not recommend it enough. It doesn’t stop like my gsxr but it’s a massive improvement over the stock setup.

 

[CaptainKyle]

The blue dots are really not much of an improvement over stock with double h pads

 

[TheFleshRocket]

The true limiting factor for braking on a Gen1 Vmax is going to be the absolutely pathetic grip limit of the bias ply tires. The best brakes in the world arent going to help you stop any faster when the front tire is locked.

I put HH pads and steel lines on my old Gen1, and it was passable for a fat dinosaur of a motorcycle.

 

[Dansmaxresto]

Just putting SS break lines on my 86 made a huge difference. Will lock up the front no problem. I want to see someone do a stoppie on a Gen 1.

 

[Fire-medic]

The 'young-'uns' haven't got the experience of riding drum-brake equipped bikes, methinks. It wasn't until the miracle of Japanese engineering gave us the disc brake as a piece of standard equipment on the 1969 CB750.

That was such a jump in technology that the AMA allowed the Honda disc brake to homologated for use on other bikes for roadracing, because of the increased safety factor it provided.

On the Grand Prix circuit, there had been cable-operated disc brakes on street-model MV Agustas, along with Count Agusta's insistence on shaft drive for his 600 cc DOHC four cylinder streetbikes, because he didn't want privateers to challenge the factory bikes.

The manufacturers of four leading-shoe drum brakes (some manufacturers even went beyond that!) like Grimeca and Fontana were still preferred by racers like multiple-time World Grand Prix Champion Giacomo Agostini, though the disc brakes soon became ubiquitous and used across the board. 'Feathering' was supposedly better with those cutting-edge drum brakes.



Dig the size of this front friction-creator:





For streetbikes, perhaps the epitome of 1960's was the Munch Mammut/'Mammoth' which had a special alloy (developed by the Luftwaffe for use in its airplanes during WWII) drum brake, and a DOHC air-cooled engine from a German NSU TTS automobile. The bikes were hand-built. I had the privilege of meeting Friedl Munch at Daytona Bike Week one year. He was invited by a guy I knew who was a Munch authority here, to come to the USA and experience Bike Week. It was a long time ago, so-old I have Kodak film prints of it. If you see a Munch Mammoth, consider yourself lucky, there were probably twice as-many Shelby Cobras built (260, 289, and 427 cu. in.) as Munchs of all years and displacements.

 

[one2dmax]

I do have conversion kits for all the years but the simplest and most effective front setup for 93-07 forks are the 6 piston sumitomo's. As close as you can get to the 2 finger braking you will find.
As far as stoppies. You will not get the rear up before front tire will slip or twist around under you. The rake angle and weight bias on these bikes simply won't allow it. There was a legmitate attempt 25 years ago with a modified Vmax (radial wheels and inverted forks) and it was the same basic issue with it just barely getting the rear up before the front slid out.

 

[BHZ]

I do have conversion kits for all the years but the simplest and most effective front setup for 93-07 forks are the 6 piston sumitomo's. As close as you can get to the 2 finger braking you will find.
As far as stoppies. You will not get the rear up before front tire will slip or twist around under you. The rake angle and weight bias on these bikes simply won't allow it. There was a legmitate attempt 25 years ago with a modified Vmax (radial wheels and inverted forks) and it was the same basic issue with it just barely getting the rear up before the front slid out.

Quick question. If you put six piston calipers on a 2005, would you have to change the master cylinder as well to get stronger braking or is the original master sufficient?

 

[CaptainKyle]

Quick question. If you put six piston calipers on a 2005, would you have to change the master cylinder as well to get stronger braking or is the original master sufficient?

Originall is sufficient

 

[one2dmax]

Original is ideal as it allows for more range of motion or "feel". It is also the same bore as the masters it was originally used on so nothing out of an engineered range.