Airhead brake upgrade

[janejohnstewart]

#1858

Hi Folks,I've recently had a visit from Mr. Bell, of these parts, and I've had a chance to measure up the adapter bracket that allows the Nissin 4 pot calliper to be fitted in place of the original Brembo 2 pot.By all accounts it gives a significant improvement in braking over the standard setup.  If you are not familiar with the set up, have a look at this thread on Advrider.Steve seems to think that the total cost of the upgrade is of the order of $200.  That should include the adapter bracket, a second hand Nissin calliper and a braided brake line.I'll do a quick sketch of the bracket and start talking to a few folks over the the next couple of days.So, here's the question for you good people:  If the numbers stack up, would anybody else be interested in obtaining either the adapter bracket, or a full upgrade kit?Send me a PM if you are interested.CheersJohn

[Dave Ross]

#6591

I would be interested, but I am not sure if it is needed. On gravel the brakes are fine and on the road the knobblies will be the limiting factor. Did you get a picture of Mr Bell north of Auckland, it is supposedly a very rare event, or so he says  😀

[2bjr]

#6592

What can I say 😕 If BMW wanted to do that on the bikes, then they would have done so. 😉Maybe going on an advance rider course can also be the difference on braking techniques.

[Dave Morris]

#6593

the great thing about the upgrade is now when i am out, i no longer have to do a u turn when i have driven past a road i wanted to turn down as the brakes do't stop ya. This is a low cost brake mod which is works better than the other better alternate or early gs brakes (holding both arms out horizonal, facing your palms forward and cupping your hands) and heres a piccie for ya Koko. (where am i)and two reasons why i hate going thru Orkland, 1. the 5km traffic jam nth from Drury. Thank christ for the grass verge by the medium barrier and owning a GS. 2. The traffic doing 20kmh from Western springs to Lincoln Road, why oh why would someone inflict this on themselves.

[Dave Morris]

#6594

one more

[Dave Ross]

#6595

Neat pictures Steve, the bikes are looking good. I have a bike with brakes, the basic is for a more leisurely pace. But you are right, it is a cheap mod and I will look into it.

[janejohnstewart]

#6596

What can I say 😕 If BMW wanted to do that on the bikes, then they would have done so. 😉Maybe going on an advance rider course can also be the difference on braking techniques.

Thanks for the comments Tharon,I think that if you look at the front of your bike you'll find that BMW actually did do something about the brakes, when they opted for twin large diameter rotors and 4 pot callipers.Also, whilst I respect that rider training can be invaluable where braking technique is concerned, I think that the best advice that an experienced trainer could offer to the rider of an airhead GS would be to eat more spinach and develop biceps like Popeye 😀Besides, wasn't it you that started the thread here about modifications 😉Seriously though, there is a lot of talk on various websites regarding the braking capabilities of these bikes, and offering suggestions on how to improve matters.  The options range from the cheap and cheerful suggestions such as this, to the Lotto winners HPN style conversions.For what it's worth, I think that the benefit of this conversion is that 4 callipers offer a far greater bearing surface on the back of the brake pad when compared with the standard 2 pot Brembo's.  Therefore the breaking force is transferred more effectively.  Also, the modification is cheap and it's reversible.Anyway, ... Steve, It was good to meet up with you at the weekend, and I'm pleased you had a good time up here.  Alex, I'll keep you posted with how things develop on the pricing when you stray up this way over the holidays.RegardsJohn

[Dave Morris]

#6597

Maybe going on an advance rider course can also be the difference on braking techniques.

I suppose all those hours i spent training in the MOT riding bikes does not count, and the refresher courses the Police made me do were also a waste of time. Riding a bike for 6 years working in Orkland traffic and never having an incident must be testament to this. 😀I actually don't use the brakes much unless having a yahoo, and to prove this have had the brake pads in the for 7 years on this brake mod.  👿and I totally agree with you re rider training. All time spent upskilling is a positive and people that think going out for a ride ad not crashing is a good ride. To me this does not come into the equation. 

[Dion Dunlop]

#6598

When I bought my GS, it had had the K100 front callipers fitted.  Apparently you need to mill 3 or 6 mm off the bracket to fit it.  Fitted with the scintered disc, it certainly stops well, even when laden with me and 150kg of gear.

[janejohnstewart]

#6599

When I bought my GS, it had had the K100 front callipers fitted.

Yup, that's an option too.  Or should it be option 2 …  😀The way things stand, I'm not going to be ordering the fancy CNC machined part that I would have liked, as the numbers don't stack up at this stage.I'll make some further enquiries about the K bike callipers, and I've also read that callipers off some of the later R bikes fit with a little work.Cheers for nowJohn

[Dave Ross]

#6600

I actually don't use the brakes much unless having a yahoo, and to prove this have had the brake pads in the for 7 years on this brake mod.  👿

They don't wear much in the garage  👿  I've got 53000km on the same pads, still going strong. But after riding the Basic a bit faster I can see how better brakes could be helpful  😀

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