One disc as opposed to two....?

[79XS11F]

Re: brakes

Originally posted by snowdog51
if you have one brake in the front that would be like a xs650 and they stop.
drive for your eguiptment and conditions.
as ever bill

The XS650 is a lighter and slower bike so one up front is good. Driving around with 1/2 of the brakes that the manufacture put on any vehicle is a mistake. Other wise nearly ever car on the road would be running right now with 1/2 the brakes disconnected. Like .. what bother fixing them. just block that line to the broken one and were good go.
Rob

[mason79]

but i wonder how it feels with just one brake, any actual experience comments?

[GNEPIG]

I took one off the front of a Special that I had made into a drag bike. I chopped that bike down so much that it lost 75lbs. I noticed that it didn't like stopping as much as it use to, but it was just a drag bike... Right?
Well things happened and it somehow became my only transportation. One day, on my way home from work, a Cady pulled out in front of me, the not so good brakes worked exactly as expected, not so good.
Well, one of the witnesses said that I looked like Superman.
I was lucky that I stood up at the last moment and went over the car and landed somewhere down the road. Landed on my head and left shoulder, good thing that I had on a full face and leather jacket.

I'm probably not goin to do that again (alter the brakes like that again)

[mason79]

lol

[markjs]

OK, so, me being dirt poor and having only a beater XS Eleven for transportation, which has one front caliper in perfect working order, and rear brakes in perfect working order, and no money and/or time (back when I did this trick) to fix it, and bearing in mind it still stops better than my dual disc KZ750....

....Well then what you were saying is, that I should have parked the bike, quit my job, and panhandled me up the cash to fix the brakes right, before I dare go on the road and look for another job to feed myself?!?

Sorry but the current economic realities of this town, this country and my life made me have to take a chance.

Hell I imagine all you spoiled rich kids with like new condition garaged pristine bikes always live safely, follow all speed limits and rules of the road, and have merit badges to say so....

To me motorcycling is all about adventure, living on the edge, and being in the wind....

But aside from all that, I never once suggested that anyone should do this, nor reccomended or endorsed it. I never even said I liked having to do it. I merely said, that the bike's calipers and discs are good enough to get by with this temporary fix in a pinch. I asked a question, and answered it by trying it myself, out of necessity, and reported the results, thats all!

Take a damn valium or something! Geez!

[Crazcnuk]

Hey! I was on your side! lol

Been there, done that.

All I say is have it at the best you can. Then drive accordingly. People get too worked up about this stuff.

Like the caddy killer, had he had both brakes working and the car pulled out 3/10 sec later, same difference.

Chances are he was driving slower than usual, due to his mistrust of his brakes, and normally would have been past that spot, who knows.

I call those things 'Acts of God'.

I am sure that just one caliper on the XS is better than the front brakes on the Virago....

[snowdog51]

ss lines

you guys that don't have stainless lines
should park your bikes until you do.
also anyone with stock front master should stay under 50 . i'm joking but we all need to ride at safe leval as what we have allows.
as ever bill

[crazypainter]

My 81 MNS has dual discs, but only the right one is oprated by the hand brake the left is tied into the rear system. I don't have a problem stopping on just one.

[Crazcnuk]

I'd love stainless brake lines... Know where I can get some without having to mortgage the trailer!

[SG-Olli]

Hey markjs,
I don't want to insult you, but I am glad to live far away from you.
As a father of two I would not like to be in your shoes after you hit the little kid running after its ball just in front of you.
Sure older bikes have worse brakes than an XS11 with just one, but technology advances and things are designed better.
If you argue like that, you don't need any lights or horn or indicators or front brakes or brakes at all.

[Crazcnuk]

I love people like you.

I assume you only have ONE car, or ONE bike, in the entire world that you will drive?

There has to be as you will only drive the ones that stop the Fastest.

After all, if you don't own THE fastest stopping vehicle in the world, I'd hate to drive anywhere near you, where you might run over that kid that runs out in front of you!

Your arguments are ridiculous. Keep your kids off the road, there are FAR worse vehicles roaming around out there.

People's reaction times are a far bigger factor than the brakes usually.

No one is talking about driving with NO brakes, just driving with slightly less braking power on the front. There are dozens of vehicles out there that stop slower than an XS with only 1 front disc. According to you they should all be banned from the road.

Maybe all vehicles w/o anti-lock should be banned tomorrow? Or how about big trucks? Cars with only front discs? Cars with no discs? XJ's with split brakes? Cars with brake fluid over 2 years old... oh wait a minute... Cars/bikes with DOT 3 brake fluid (could fade out) .

Well, thats over half the vehicles on the road .

Basically, if your reading this forum, you own an antique, should they all be banned in favor of better brakes?

[mason79]

this place is a mixed bag, that's why i like it, the people here are passionate, and this is a good place to get unsolicited advice, if anyone knows what that is and has former friends,yes i said former, that unrentlentlessly dispensed it, then you get rid of them, that type of personality inhales.

the good thing is everyone gets all worked up to a lather on some words type to a page in cyberspace.but no one says you have to join the party.

i have 2 cars one 99 dodge stratus, i did the rear drums on them myself, as everyone here can, but they grind for some reason, i am so lazy with it, to open it up, i leave it i think i should bleed it again, yet i am too lasy with it, i also have a new 2 seat sports car that has the best brakes, yes i know what i am driving for i am a perceptive, adaptive and skilled defensive motorcycle or better yet xs1100 rider, i know what's going on, knock on wood....
i give each different stopping distances and follwing distances

my old car don't stop for sex served up on a silver platter by the best looking umbrella girl; my new mercedes does.

[Jerry]

My XJ has the linked braking system; left-front caliper and rear are tied together. I do more than 95 pecent of my braking using just the 2 calipers but would not like to be without the front-right in an emergency situation. Fact is that in most riding conditions 2 calipers are enough to get by, but it is not safe.

[SG-Olli]

Originally posted by Crazcnuk
I love people like you.

I love you, too.
What I wanted to say:
Just because there are far worse vehicles out there does not mean, that I can neglect the state that mine is in.
Working just one caliper instead of two one the XS11 mastercylinder is not comparable to a single disc set up because the hydraulic ratio is completely different.
And what is the difference between having a ****ty brake and having no brake, as long as you just drive carefully enough?

[Crazcnuk]

The difference is one is a working brake and one is not. Night
and day.

You have to remember, that you can always squeeze harder on the lever too.

My point was, and you obviously missed it, is that every vehicle on the road has different stopping characteristics, so you can't just say that one can't drive with a different combination than you have.

IF he said he drove just the same with less brakes, I would say he was a twit too (unless he was always a very conservative driver). If he modifies his driving to compensate for the lesser braking, then what's the big deal.

1/4 of the people out there over drive WHATEVER brakes they have. (especially motorcycles)

If I took what you said, as the truth, once I drove the XS I could never drive my Virago again, as it has less brakes. Or I could never drive the xs as my anti-lock Dodge stops better.

What about my Monte Carlo? With over 500hp, it does not have, mathwise, enough brakes. It has the rear drum setup off of a late 70's Ford 1/2 ton pickup and the stock front disc brakes.

Yet it has more braking power than any of the stock G-body cars, except maybe the Buick Grand National, Pontiac Grand Prix Sport and Olds T-type, although that's up to debate too.

No lather here. I enter into these discussions with a smile on my face. They are not worth getting into a 'lather' over. Just a way to pass the day and get some different ideas.

It IS funny how people always think, because you disagree, that your getting angry....

BTW if anyone out there has the stock front discs from a 78-86 g-body station wagon (not heavy duty brakes) I could really use them!