looking for a new frontend...

[lee_dutcher]

ok so i got some cash from scrapping catalytic converters and saved up enough to upgrade the xs front end. first thing is first is the brakes. what kind of brake lines are out there that wont brake the budget (no pun intended)? also any aftermarket brake disks or will i have to drill and slot the stockers? upgradable master cylinders? im looking to stay in the ball park of about 500 bones. or will it be easier and more beneficial to swap in a new front end like a r1. but if i do so is there one that will require minimum work.

[natemoen]

If you have (or someone you know has) machining skills/access to equipment you can make any caliper fit the xs. You just need to fab a bracket for it to fit.

Www.650central.com has brembo brake discs that fit the 1100 (same as the 650 discs). Not cheap though.

The only reason you would need to change master cylinders would be if you went with a different caliper. Just upping caliper size will cause your front breaks to lock VERY easy.

[lee_dutcher]

ok so with the brembo disk they wont just swap over i would need a 650 caliper? if not then nope i have none of my friends that even close to a machinist..just lawyers and physiologist. so it looks like a nice polish for the front mc as well as the rear mc.

[natemoen]

650 uses the same caliper.

I honestly don't know what advantage those discs give other than lighter and being drilled though.

I do want to try and make (or get someone to make) a 72 hole pattern for drilling these rotors.

[lee_dutcher]

looks like im going to just drill the rotors

[Rasputin]

I do not know how many holes are in it but there is a pattern for disc brake holes on the site somehwere.

[natemoen]

I do not know how many holes are in it but there is a pattern for disc brake holes on the site somehwere.

Yeah, I know, just don't want that pattern. This is more what I am looking to do.

[crazy steve]

Lee, first thing you have to know is with your Special front forks, adapting any other caliper on there will be nearly impossible with that single-bolt caliper attachment they used. Braided lines will help with brake 'feel', but won't do much for stopping power. Drilled rotors will help slightly, but for a real improvement you need better calipers. Those trick rotors that Mikes Xs sells will not fit your forks, although they can be made to fit the 'standard' forks. Way too much money for the benefits IMO...

$500 budget? No problem.... look here: http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...ight=fork+swap
Phil has his done and is thrilled with it, and he just adapted the original OEM 'standard' calipers on. I'm going with modified 4-piston HD calipers, but there's others that can be fitted. Depending on how good you are at scrounging parts and your fabrication skills will determine how far under $500 you can go. I expect to have about $400 in mine by the time I'm done and I haven't particularly tried to pinch pennies.

Also check the 'mods' forum over at the UK XS site, as those guys have tried a lot of different things. Be aware that some of the parts (and the bikes they came off) weren't available here, so not everything you see can be done here inexpensively, if at all.

[cywelchjr]

looks like im going to just drill the rotors

EBC also has replacement rotors for our bikes, so that might be another option that is likely cheaper. They are both drilled and they are lighter by way of being thinner to start with.

[lee_dutcher]

well the way i look at it i will be drilling out the stockers. because the ebc are going to cost me 135 EACH front and rear...unless someone else has a link to where they are cheaper.... what about Galfer brake lines any good?

[Eveready1100]

Lee, check on the legality of fitting thinner discs first, before splashing out on a set. Over here, anything 1/2 mm under the standard specification is deemed worn out despite the fact the discs may have been thinner to start with.
Drilling your stock discs will improve the wet weather braking response but will not improve their performance by much in general terms. The best help is to fit some braided lines to give you some more pressure to the calipers and some good sintered pads which really put the bite on the discs.
I'm in the same boat as you with a '79 Special, but after doing these mods, the brakes are working to their full potential, plus without blowing the budget.

[cywelchjr]

Lee, check on the legality of fitting thinner discs first, before splashing out on a set. Over here, anything 1/2 mm under the standard specification is deemed worn out despite the fact the discs may have been thinner to start with.
Drilling your stock discs will improve the wet weather braking response but will not improve their performance by much in general terms. The best help is to fit some braided lines to give you some more pressure to the calipers and some good sintered pads which really put the bite on the discs.
I'm in the same boat as you with a '79 Special, but after doing these mods, the brakes are working to their full potential, plus without blowing the budget.

I'm not sure about the 1/2 mm thing for aftermarket replacement parts that start out with a different thickness, but you know your laws obviously better than we would. That said, I'm pretty sure EBC (a pretty major supplier) would market something that couldn't be used, which may mean you can buy them where you are if what you say is true.

As for drilling not improving performance, the numbers out there tell a different story. On any given disk braking system, slotting or drilling improves braking performance. This is because the holes give somewhere for the gasses given off by the pads a place to go without making the pads try to float (which is what happens under hard braking with non-drill rotors). It also tends to increase pad life a little due to increased efficiency. I believe it was horsepower TV that did some testing on a vehicle where they did all those things (braided ss lines, and drill/slotted rotors) and then did them separately and showed a significant increase in braking power with each change.

[lee_dutcher]

well also help the brake cool down as well. only think about DRILL and slotted brakes is they have tendency to crack.

Lee, check on the legality of fitting thinner discs first, before splashing out on a set. Over here, anything 1/2 mm under the standard specification is deemed worn out despite the fact the discs may have been thinner to start with.

DIDNT EVEN KNOW THERE WAS A LAW...lol but pretty sure IOWA dont give a rats a$$.

will not improve their performance by much in general terms.

anything to help stop these GOLEMS. is an upgrade..lol

[DiverRay]

Lee,
Drilling the rotors is a BIG help in the rain. As stated, it will also help the disk stay cooler, and the pads should last longer. Good pads would be the second choice. Be aware that the REAR PADS on the standard are NOT the same formula as the front! This is too keep the rear tire lock-up down.
The stainless brake lines will give you "power" brakes! ANY stainless line is better than 30 year old rubber lines.
IF you do your own drilling, and it's not that hard, use COBALT Bits, low speed, and plenty of coolant on the bit! anything else and you will go through one bit per hole, as our rotors are HARDENED!

[natemoen]

IF you do your own drilling, and it's not that hard, use COBALT Bits, low speed, and plenty of coolant on the bit! anything else and you will go through one bit per hole, as our rotors are HARDENED!

Yeah especially I'd I get this 72 hole pattern, that would be a lot of sharpening, probably even go through a couple bits due to sharpening.

Anyone have CAD software to set up a pattern like that? It will take me awhile with tagboard, rulers, compass, and protector...