Hi all! A few days ago I acquired a '76 CB400 four, took it out for my first ride. Fun little bike...except for the front brake which I found totally inadequate.
Subsequently I found this site and read all the posts I could find, seeing much re the "wooden" feel and generally mediocre stopping power. On my bike the lever is firm, no sponginess. It just doesn't apply any real stopping power, regardless of how much pressure I apply on the lever. The bike has 13,276 miles and is in excellent, well serviced condition with a lot of receipts for work done, to include replacing the cam chain tensioner as well as other engine "freshening." The only modification to the bike from stock is an electronic ignition.
I contacted a well-known vintage Honda spares supplier, asking them for recommendations to improve the brake. I was surprised that rather than trying to sell me a new rotor, new lines, new master cylinder, etc), the response was, "New pads may help but the brakes on a CB400F were never great."
The front brake feels pretty much the same as the stock front brake did on my '73 Norton Commando - maybe even a bit worse - before I replaced the OEM master cylinder with a Brembo from Colorado Norton Works. That, a set of braided SS lines, and some more aggressive pads in the OEM caliper transformed that brake. It is now acts and feels like modern brakes. Of course the down side is that the master cylinder does not look anything like the OEM version.
My general thought is to go down a similar path though from searching and the suppliers response, it doesn't sound like anything is going to make the sort of transformation I am looking for.
So...I'm wondering if anyone has done something similar (different master cylinder) or found some tricks/tweaks/mods to the OEM front brake that I have not managed to find via the search function. Also, what are the most aggressive brake pads for street riding, including aggressive riding on narrow, twisty roads? I don't care about rotor wear. If I had to replace a rotor every 10,000 miles to get good brakes, that's fine.
Thanks!