Topic: CB 550 front brake upgrades?

[78Cafe]

Hello I was recently given from my grandfather a 1978 Honda CB 550. Bike is very original and has sat most of its life. I've torn almost everything down body wise and cleaned and scraped years worth of dust and dirt off. I've been riding it for about a year and my pads squeak and grind badly going down the road and my rotor is turning black. That said I have good pad thickness...I'd like to upgrade the front brakes...into more cafe racer style. I'd like to keep it as stock looking but modernized as possible. Will a 750 rotor fit the 550 hub with a 750 caliper and caliber arm/mount that's my main question. I understand modifications and fitting but I'd like a bigger single side rotor. I don't have the money to change forks or do crazy mods unfortanetly. If anyone has any ideas please share them. I've looked all over for a answer and haven't been able to find anything solid.

[RAFster122s]

What do you think the 750 caliper & arm are going to do? It is a single piston caliper just like you have so you are not going to gain anything.  First, ensure that you have the caliper arm aligned evenly on the rotor. Then check to see if the caliper body is square to the rotor face. You may need to put a new set of EBC pads on it and sand your rotor to remove the black build-up.

[calj737]

It would actually benefit you to have the stock 550 rotor drilled and perhaps thinned to improve the wet braking, reduction in brake fade (by expelling gases faster) and reducing the weight. Swapping to a phenolic piston is a nice upgrade, and of course, new (or stainless steel) brake lines.

Good brake pads too help a great deal.