You need to talk to Harley riders, it's about "layin' 'er down".
small CC bikes with single front brake disc. less braking power?
- Thread starter motoride777
- Start date
You need to talk to Harley riders, it's about "layin' 'er down".
Walms
Well-known member
You guys should try riding a vintage bike if you want to get a taste for bad brakes! Generally the upgrade back then was to double up the front rotor and change to a larger master cylinder at the same time. Keeping the original smaller master cylinder would bet a higher force but will also increase handle movement. This movement can be reduced with braided steel lines as they swell less creating less lost motion.
Fwiw I swapped out the stock single piston caliper and 14mm m/c on my 1978 Kawi, I replaced it with an EX500 twin piston caliper, steel braided lines and a 12mm m/c and it transformed the bike to not being able to lock the wheel at any speed to being able to chirp the front tire at 50 mph. Btw my current setup is better than a period dual caliper setup as well.
The advantages to a single brake setup is obviously weight if a dual is not required.
Fwiw I swapped out the stock single piston caliper and 14mm m/c on my 1978 Kawi, I replaced it with an EX500 twin piston caliper, steel braided lines and a 12mm m/c and it transformed the bike to not being able to lock the wheel at any speed to being able to chirp the front tire at 50 mph. Btw my current setup is better than a period dual caliper setup as well.
The advantages to a single brake setup is obviously weight if a dual is not required.
I think the Ninja 300 tends to be the focus of this complaint but to be honest, I don't have any issue with it's braking power. Quite honestly, I've been finding myself using the rear brake more often by itself along with downshifting to slow down. Front brake I still use here and there but mostly in higher speed stops but I don't find them lacking.
Ninja forum guys claim that some good pads and braided lines do those brakes wonders. I have found huge differences with pads, and some of those OEM lines swell, even from new. You can feel it just by grabbing the line.
A good cheap upgrade:
http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/galfer-sportbike-front-brake-line-kawasaki-ninja-300-250r
The majority of the motorcycles described will brake exceptionally well as designed. If there is an issue with performance, it's not the lack of a rotor that is the cause. It's the components themselves.
Twin discs for high performance or larger machines are necessary for the work they are designed to do. Heavy loads or extreme conditions.
Even within those conditions, not all are equal even if they look the part.
If emergency braking performance is a major concern, you should review the bike as a whole to make sure it will provide the confidence you are looking for.
Just don't use the absence of a rotor to conclude a machine has less than adequate braking.
I'm sure you could stoppie a ninja 300 with sticky tires and aggressive pads.
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The OP noticed some motorcycles are equipped with only a single disc brake and wondered if they don't brake as well?
Tires are a factor along with a host of others.
Yeah. Just saying that it needed to be brought up. They are a more important factor for everyday riders than most of the other ones mentioned. Have you seen the chinese winners that come on a 250? lol
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