SOHC.co.uk Forums > CB500/550

Fancy a conversion to cast iron discs, anyone done this?

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Oddjob:
In order to improve braking performance I was investigating have the OE discs drilled or slotted or both. Current cost to drill them is about £100 a pair. Can't find anyone to slot and drill them yet.

However whilst I was investigating I spotted some cast iron discs in Australia, yeah, other side of the world, postage etc won't be cheap but they should perform miles better than standard discs and they are drilled with a decent pattern of holes as well. Cost around £270 for a pair including postage but maybe import duties on top. You need to remount the discs on original carriers though, which is something I've done before so doesn't bother me.

I was wondering however IF cast iron discs were also available in the UK and if anyone has tried them before and if so what was you're findings, worth it or not.

I do remember they were available back in the day but searching for them gives no results in the UK.

Bryanj:
Yes Ken they were available in late 70's and came with small bolts with nylock nuts to fit them to the carriers, fitted one to the 500 i had at the time and from memory it made little if any difference in the dry and worked too well in the wet, locked up and came off when the ubiqutous little old lady walked off the kerb in front of me going to Skellerns in Worcester for an urget parts run when it was heavy rain and lots of standing water.
Then went to twin stainless using 2 500 sliders so one caliper in front and one behind with a cut and shut mudguard bracket plus GL 1000 master and found it better.
Just what i found in the day mate

Oddjob:
So being honest Bryan. How much of the rain comment was due to the tyre compounds of those days? I mean if they were the original Bridgestone tyres they'd let go in the rain just banking the bike over, worse tyre I've ever ridden on, scared me to death, hated them with a vengeance and to this day I still refuse to fit any Bridgestone tyres as the memory is not a good one.

I have the twin disc setup now and have done since the 70s, even with undrilled discs I found them adequate, in the wet not great if I'm honest. But in the dry I could really stop in comparison to the single disc, saying that I had updated to braided lines and fitted a bigger MC.

Bryanj:
I was on TT 100 at the time Ken, it felt to me like the brake just locked in comparison to the stainless but there was about 3 inch of water on the road at the time and it was on a corner, as a single disc it just did not seem an improvement in the dry, where twin did, but too much in the wet. At least it was on the way to Skellerns so i just added the headlamp bracket and handlebars to the list of bits i needed!
This is all from a very Guinessed, adled, aged brain mate so i cant be 100% on any of it

Oddjob:
I think I'll give it a miss then Bryan.

At least I found a nice pattern for the holes, I've found someone in Scotland who can drill them to your pattern.

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