Topic: Yet ANOTHER CB550 brake upgrade question

[acejcl]

I've just read over 12 pages of the search results and still wasn't able to find an answer to my question and I'm hoping that someone knowledgeable would be able to help me out.

I'd like to upgrade the brakes on my '75 550 and I did read a lot of ppl saying that the stock brakes have plenty of stopping power if rebuilt. Well, I have a new MC, braided SS lines, drilled rotors, and new pads and I still don't feel comfortable with my brakes. It just doesn't have that bite. I've seen people upgrading their front end to GSX-R, R6, or GL1000s front ends in order upgrade their front suspension and brakes but my question is, would it be possible to retrofit a dual piston brake caliper to the stock 550 fork with a custom built adapter? I don't need a dual disc setup.

Here's a picture of a brake adapter made by Lossa but it was made to fit a GL1k's fork:


Here's one made for a SR500:

[mono]

i may be wrong, but from what i understand, all you need is for the caliper to be centered properly over the rotor (and of course the pads need to be the right size/hit the correct place on the disc) -- other than that, it's just a matter of making a mount that will accommodate the caliper so that it will be in the correct position.

[acejcl]

i may be wrong, but from what i understand, all you need is for the caliper to be centered properly over the rotor (and of course the pads need to be the right size/hit the correct place on the disc) -- other than that, it's just a matter of making a mount that will accommodate the caliper so that it will be in the correct position.

I would image it to be that simple, but why aren't that many ppl (at least from what I was able to find) doing this? I'm assuming there must be a reason why people are replacing their whole front end and I would like to know why.

[Cut]

The reason many arent doing this is because the overall system is adequate if properly maintained.  Yes, improvements can be had to bring the bike up to modern standards (like what youve already done), but unless you weight 400 lbs or  you have ubber horsepower too boot, you will be well served by properly caring for your existing setup.  Sintered pads would also be something to consider, but am not sure how well this would play with the stock rotors...should yours be stock.  At the end of the day, its a cost/benefit thing and wish you well in whatever direction you choose to go.  I admit, I have had the opportunity to see and R6 front-end setup in person and report that it is very slick.  But then again, it was a 550/cafe rebuilt from the ground up as a track bike.

[acejcl]

The reason many arent doing this is because the overall system is adequate if properly maintained.  Yes, improvements can be had to bring the bike up to modern standards (like what youve already done), but unless you weight 400 lbs or  you have ubber horsepower too boot, you will be well served by properly caring for your existing setup.  Sintered pads would also be something to consider, but am not sure how well this would play with the stock rotors...should yours be stock.  At the end of the day, its a cost/benefit thing and wish you well in whatever direction you choose to go.  I admit, I have had the opportunity to see and R6 front-end setup in person and report that it is very slick.  But then again, it was a 550/cafe rebuilt from the ground up as a track bike.

Thanks for your input. That seems to be the consensus here and that's why I chose to rebuild and upgrade my stock set up but it's still not as good as I would like it to be. I may be bias as my other bike is a Duc Monster so I am used to the "modern standards", I feel like it's a safety issue and I'm not saying that the stock setup is not good, it's just not good enough for my comfort level.
When I said that there must be a reason why ppl are not simply buying or getting an adapter made plus a dual piston caliper and MC I was comparing to people who decided to go with a complete front end swap, not people who decided to keep their stock setup. If I can't find an answer to this, I might just end up doing a GL1k front end swap but I would much rather just be able to upgrade my brake system. I'm not really a fan of how the R6/GSXR front look on our bikes.

[big bad bob dog]

Did it with mine but it was quite a lot of work. People swap to GL forks not only for their beefier size, but they have clearance.

The 500/550 has none. I wanted to fit an opposed piston caliper on the front, but spokes to glide is too narrow. The only calipers I could find was the brembo job off the RS125 (money) or fancy custom shops like performance machines (way too much money). I had to settle with a dual piston slide off a SV650. Disk is a modern CBR900 replacement, center turned out to 60.1mm in order to fit, with the 8.1mm holes drilled to fit the honda studs. Could have done into the 6mm holes, but didn't want them oval. Anyway. I'm having issues with my shifter at the moment, but have had it up to 60mph and stopped a #$%* load better than what the original hockey puck could. If you have the time, do it.