Harley Brake Upgrade

[ohioyj]

So pieces for my Harley front brake upgrade have started to show up. Before anyone complains, wait! It's getting sport bike pieces! GSXR calipers, though, stock powder coating wouldn't do. So started stripping them:



Starting a bit of polishing:



Oddly enough one of those spent a few minutes on the polishing wheel, and one spent a few minutes on the wire wheel. The wire wheel one looks better? Going to make sure they work before I get too deep into them. Got rebuild kits coming. As well as brackets and 13" rotors for the bike.

[ohioyj]

Well I don't like the polishing part, but I like the end result. It's slowly getting there.



The other caliper is already split in two and all apart. The rebuild kit is supposed to be here tomorrow. The pistons where in good shapes, as where the bores. So hopefully all goes well (they were clean looking calipers for used parts).

[Aaron Coomer (3.504)]

that will be a much appreciated upgrade on that bike. that generation had wood for brakes.

[ohioyj]

that will be a much appreciated upgrade on that bike. that generation had wood for brakes.

I hope so. I have 13" rotors (dual) coming on the new wheels. I'm torn on the master cylinder. Sounds like most guys still run the OEM master cylinder. I'm really tempted to put a radial master cylinder on it though.

[Aaron Coomer (3.504)]

i think running a radial would be awesome.

if you want it, i have an extra brand new radial master (i can't remember if nissin or tokico). you're welcome to it. it doesn't have a lever or a resevoir.

otherwise i'm partial to the brembo RCS units. you'd need an RCS19 for that setup.

[ohioyj]

otherwise i'm partial to the brembo RCS units. you'd need an RCS19 for that setup.

Definitely appreciate the offer. I think if I upgrade I may be forced into the Brembo. From my reading it appears most Harleys have 1" bars, so sport bike master cylinders wouldn't be a good fit. I need to go measure that though.

However I read another interesting thing, and it was Dot 5 can cause the brakes to feel spongy too. I think when I swap over to the radial calipers I'm going to flush the system good (the current system), then rebuild the master cylinder to make sure there is not Dot 5 left. Then I'll swap over to Dot 4.

[Aaron Coomer (3.504)]

it would definitely be more ideal to run dot4 since its more readily available.

i forgot the bars on most HD's are 1", so you'll have to stick with a master for that.

[ohioyj]

Well they don't look perfect, but they are good enough to throw and make sure they don't leak. Then I'll hit them up with some mothers. They definitely won't stand out near as bad as they would in the stock form.