SOHC.co.uk Forums > CB350/400

Front brake!

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K2-K6:
Your'e right there Florence, they do need a regular clean to keep them operating as well as possible.

I don't think the caliper is that bad as an engineering solution, more that you can't get enough leverage with standard master cylinder. I call this effect the first real anti-lock disc brake system as you'd have to have hands like king Kong to lock the wheel in the dry!!

Ran a K2 750 with twin standard discs and std master in the 80's and they were suprisingly effective as the effort you have to put in was reduced for any friction that was generated.

florence:
You are right, but I was very surprised how much difference the pads make.  I had put up with the brakes for years and accepted that they were just a bad design. I stripped and cleaned the caliper, used a new piston and seal and the Vesrah pads from David Silver and adjusted carefully.  The brakes are now the best they have been in 15 years

One day, as an experiment (with the old EBC pads in), I found a quiet long straight stretch of country road.  I placed a stick in the verge, went back down the road and approached my marker at 60mph making sure there were no cars following.  When I reached the stick I did an emergency stop to see how far I would travel.  I was surprised to see that the braking distance was not in any way as far as I had imagined it would be.  Evidently, the brakes have no 'feel' but are actually not as bad as one perceives them to be.

The best brakes I have experienced were the ones on my CX500, twin disc with twin piston calipers.  They were amazing, I could stop on a sixpence with those in the dry, from any speed.  If it could be done, without loosing the wire spoked wheels, I would love that set-up on my CB500.

Yoshi823:


When I did the twin disc conversion on my commuter 550 it used a set of Ferodo sport pads on one disc & Vesrah in the other. As the Ferodo were good in the wet but the others were rubbish it was auto-select disc system. The standard master cylinder was utilised with careful bleeding of the system...& the front wheel was easy to lock up if I got heavy handed with it...like when I was speed zapped one morning on the way into work. 42 in a 30, but that was once he had a lock on me, so I was probably going faster.

K2-K6:
As you say Yoshi, if you blead them well they are fine with a standard master cylinder and I guess that later ones with taller reservoir was to give more fluid "stock" between services. If you check the level regularly there is ample safety margin.

I'm making the assumption that operating two calipers with the same master then you would halve the hand effort to get the same amount of squeeze at the wheel?

I like brakes with a softer start point anyway as if they are too grabby at first they are harder to control over a range of grip levels, you just need them to keep on getting more power as pressure is applied in a linear fashion.

Yes Florence the pads have a major effect so worth evaluating if you are not happy with what you've got, and sticking to a good type when you find it.

Your point about the CX500 are interesting. Years ago rode a superdream 400 (same brakes I think) track bike and they'd used a girling master on std brakes which they found too sharp so had then fitted a device to add some squishyness? into the system to make them easier to control, they were still very potent though.

PatM:
I had all sorts of brake issues with my CX500 but I have to admit most of it was due to corrosion and riding it in all weathers- but what a bike! Most people that took the piss out of it were either loaded or had never ridden one. They were all-season bikes, for sure. I miss CUC 500V!

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