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I was wondering if anyone had attempted to install better calipers frome a gsxr or something like that on one of these bikes ? I am sure some fabricated brackets would be needed but I am not a good fabricator so I would need to know what it takes if anyone has done this before. the front brakes on my bike are adequate but you can never have too much brake in my opinion............
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2004 Katana 600
D&D carbon fiber slip-on
Factory ignition advancer
K&N Filter
Dynojet jet kit -
I can one-finger brake, and do stoppies quite easily with the standard calipers, after having upgraded various other components in the system. It's serious enough that I have to warn other riders if they get on my Kat; even SpecialK (Keith) got caught out after being warned...
Combination solution used: EBC HH rated sintered pads (very high friction rates), teflon-lined/stainless-steel sheathed brake lines, cleaned calipers with new piston seals and pin lube, plus Castrol GT LMA or Valvoline PowerSynth (both well above the DOT 4 specs; both are clear brake fluids so contamination is very easy to spot). As a result, I feel that replacing the calipers would probably be a waste of money for anyone who isn't constantly railing (the downside to HH pads is that they generate a lot of heat, so they are unsuitable for track situations where you are on the brakes heavily every 15 or 25 seconds going into turns).
Words of warning:
There is no way that you can prepare yourself realistically for the degree of change in braking power if you are coming off 2 year old or older brake lines with dirty calipers and stock pads. Be very very careful for the first 100 miles.
If you are new rider, do not use the HH pads in the rear, until you get past all possiblities that you will have a panic reaction (2 years?); it is far too easy to totally lock up the rear otherwise.
Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet -
well thats cool, i wasnt sure if those upgrades made that much of an improvement or not because i have limited bike experience and from my car experience just those upgrades made a minimal difference at best, but thanks for the info now i know what to do..........2004 Katana 600
D&D carbon fiber slip-on
Factory ignition advancer
K&N Filter
Dynojet jet kitComment
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The brakes on the Kat are pretty good, I would say if you are a newb rider that you shouldn't mess with them until you gain skill..Comment
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The big problem with brakes is that they lose performance very gradually and almost perfectly linearly as the components age (esp. the brake line hoses' expansion), so you aren't very apt to notice it -- it's not like it's working one day and then crap the next.Originally posted by pvt. bloggins
Since you in particular are riding a bike about a year old, odds are your brakes are working the way they should be (close to optimal). After 3 to 5 years, the combination of brake line expansion from repeated pressure cycles and dirt at the calipers, etc., seems normal to your mind but it no longer is. The change over is even more dramatic in cases like that.
Cheers
=-= The CyberPoetComment
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I would like to get his question answered though as I ride a Kat 1100 and would love to have some extra stopping power. I like the brakes on it. But sometimes, after a long mountain ride, stopping ~750lbs (bike + rider) seems a bit much for them. I'd like to move to the six piston calipers from a gsxr-1100, just not sure if they would fit or what I'd need to make them fit. Or if there is another solution.Life's tough.....even tougher when you're stupid.Comment
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If you have someone to make the adapter plate you could mount calipers from any bike with a rotor the same diameter..
Or close to the same diameterComment
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I'm looking for a relatively quick fix. Just wondering if anything out there fit.Life's tough.....even tougher when you're stupid.Comment
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No such thing....Originally posted by MattO
*ding*
Next!!!Comment
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Well, I asked around on a different forum and found a guy that put 4 piston calipers off a gsxr 750 on a Kat 1100 w/ no more mods than lengthened brake lines. Found my brake upgrade.
*ding*
Next!!!Life's tough.....even tougher when you're stupid.Comment
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Originally posted by MattO
I'd like to know what yea GSXR. Everything from 1991 and up use a tokico caliper with a different bolt pattern than a katana not to mention a different diameter brake rotor. It is possible that he used a set of gsxr calipers from a set of pre USD model gsxr forks. I think they may have the same bolt spacing...RGV calipers may also bolt up.
Unless he's using the pre USD calipers, you'd need some adaptors machined, not difficult just extra cost.Comment
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OK..
1. Kat 1100s only have twin (or two) piston calipers...
2. You have a Kat 600
3. Kat 600s have four piston calipers..
4. Depending on the year adding GSXR calipers to
a Kat could be a downgrade
5. There are no "quick fixes"
Well sorry there are..
You could have Lockheed or Willwood or Brembo
make custom 6 piston monoblocs for your bike...
With Carbon fiber discs... Money is the quick fix....
I'm not trying to be a jerk.. It's just that I have seen literally thousands of custom sportbikes.. and while some brakes do change with others 90% of the upgrades involve adapter plates..Comment
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+1 on thatOriginally posted by Black_peterComment
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I'm not trying to be a jerk here either, didn't mean to come off that way. Here's a couple of quotes from a Katana 1100 site that may help shed some light on the situation.Originally posted by Black_peter
Quote 1
"I just got my bike running again after doing the same 4 piston conversion
> using Nissan calipers with SS lines and am still bedding in the pads but it is a dramatic difference. The SS lines sure do increase the feel as well."
Quote 2
"95 Gixxer 750's had 4 piston calipers and I'm the guy who did the
> >conversion
> >along with braided s/steel lines.
> >
> >The attachment of the calipers is simple, however you do have to do a sweep
> >of the rotor area with them since the calipers are designed to be swung on
> >a
> >17" wheel and the Kat has 16". Once you sweep the surface to see the
> >contact
> >patch, remove the brake pads and grind away the excess pad are so it does
> >not inhibit braking. Even with removing some pad area you gain 25-30%
> >contact patch on the rotor. The feel is
> >terrific
> >and the braking power vastly improved. It's highly recommended.
> >
> >Once you have the calipers installed then measure up for the s/steel lines.
> >You can eliminate the line splitter by running straight to the right rotor,
> >then over to the left one. Check the original post I left back in January
> >for the measurements of the lines."
The first quote is a conversion I just heard of and don't know if he needed a custom bracket or not, but the second one needs nothing else other than longer brake lines. I don't know anything about the Kat 600's as Suzuki seems to have made the big kats into a completely different animal than the 600's and 750's w/ basically no parts interchangeable. This is definately a mod I'm going to do this winter.Life's tough.....even tougher when you're stupid.Comment
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OK my bad...
I neglected to notice you are not the guy who started this thread..
You have a Kat 1100 not a 600 (pmkls1)
Why didn't you say so!!
Totally unscientific research:
I think you will need a spacer as the mount boss on the 1100 cal
looks thicker then the GSXR one..
However the spacing look right..
Good luckComment
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