Topic: Is it possable to upgrade the stopping performance of the stock single disk?

[DarkRider]

Alright i have been doing some thinking as to the direction i really wanna take with my CB550 project and i realized i wanted to keep the stock spoke wheels..however im still on the fence about the dual disk upgrade..not saying i wont go that route later on just not sure if i want to deal with it now with all the bike needs to start with. Now is there a way to upgrade the braking power of the current set up? i have no issues with the idea of changing master cyl or even the caliper and making an adapter plate to use a more modern piece.

[jreich]

Put on some braided lines, and switch to a MC such as this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FRONT-BRAKE-MASTER-CYLINDER-CB400-CB450-CB550-NIGHTHAWK_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ35592QQihZ001QQitemZ110227940930QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

Drill the rotor too


Should help out quite a bit.

[BobbyR]

I retained my single caliper and I have improved the braking a great deal. I can;t do stoppies, but I don;t need to.

1. I replaced the old rubber brake line with a SS line. It expands less so more pressure is available to the caliper.
2. I rebuilt the existing Master cylinder which is real cheap with OEM Honda parts. Over 30 years a lot of gunk builds up in there.

My handle movement to feel the brakes engage went from halfway to about and inch and it gets better the tighter I squeeze.

If you really need Sportbike level braking you could probably rig up a twin piston caliper on a single disc if you have the machining ability and tools. The disc itself  is really massive when you look at it.

Drilling has pluses and minuses. If your holes are not arrangend properly and theat depends on the nature of the Alloy, you can develop cracks. Drilling can limit squeel a bit and if you are on the brakes a lot dissapate some heat. On the same token you have also reduced the friction area of the disc. Like I said earlier, the disc is real heavy and large, so it would take a lot to make it fade. If you are on the brakes a lot you could fade them. It depends on your riding style. 

That is what I did and I am happy with the result.     

[333]

I'm with Bobby.  Rebuild.  But do the caliper, too.  And if it sees weather the caliper will almost have to be rebuilt yearly.

[754]

6 or 8 piston caliper..bring money..

[DarkRider]

Thank you for the input guys! its things like this why i love this forum...ask a question and almost guaranteed you are going to get the answers you need. Not looking for sport bike level braking at this point since i have no intentions of doing stoppies and what not on this on this bike. Im just the sort of rider that i will grab the front brake first then apply the rear to bring the machine to a complete stop. As long as the M/C that was listed is compatible with even the stock single piston caliper im happy.

[736cc]

   Sand your discs and pads w/ coarse sandpaper, just like the racers do. Gets rid of glaze and adds bite.

[BobbyR]

I think you have all of the simple solutions you need to move forward. The SS lines do make a difference. Got mine from HEL USA and they are black sheathed, so they look more original, except they are the diameter of the clutch cable.

[Terry in Australia]

Drill your disc too mate, it significantly reduces the unsprung weight, (better handling)allows the disc to run much cooler, (reduces "fade") and helps dissipate water off the discs surface. (pulls you up quicker) If it didn't work, racers wouldn't do it............. Cheers, Terry.

[fuzzybutt]

i have a 2 pot caliper off of a ninja that i'm going to try and fit to the front of my 750k. i have access to a full machine shop and i'm going to try and machine a spacer to get the width of the caliper to fir the thickness of the stock rotor.

[Buber]

Drill your disc too mate, it significantly reduces the unsprung weight, (better handling)allows the disc to run much cooler, (reduces "fade") and helps dissipate water off the discs surface. (pulls you up quicker) If it didn't work, racers wouldn't do it............. Cheers, Terry.

Having said this Terry, you should add that you CAN'T do it without a help of a shop with big, mutha machines. Them disks aren't made of soft iron..... 

[DarkRider]

Awesome info guys! Just wondering this about the sand paper trick 736..would this work on the rear drum brake as well to clean it up? Will def look into drilling the rotor after the bike is running...(aka after my budget recovers from that stage lol) One of the things im doing to this bike is relacing the stock hubs to lighter 17" aluminum wheels which will allow me to use more modern sport bike rubber (keeping in mind that i go down a speed rating level with the use of tubes in them) so that may or may not help stopping given it would be less weight for the brakes to slow down.

[Buber]

Hmm, not being an expert, but.. if you are hoping to see real difference in braking by changing to alu rims... maybe you should reconsider. If you want to feel difference NOW, then braided lines and sintered pads, and that's it. fairly affordable, and really simple to perform.... At least on the front.

[Terry in Australia]

Drill your disc too mate, it significantly reduces the unsprung weight, (better handling)allows the disc to run much cooler, (reduces "fade") and helps dissipate water off the discs surface. (pulls you up quicker) If it didn't work, racers wouldn't do it............. Cheers, Terry.

Having said this Terry, you should add that you CAN'T do it without a help of a shop with big, mutha machines. Them disks aren't made of soft iron..... 

Well I do have a shop full of big mutha machines, but you can drill yours discs at home with a cheap drill press and some good sharp drill bits.

I've done plenty, and as long as you clamp the discs well, use slow speeds and a good cutting liquid, (dish washing liquid is the best I've used so far) you'll end up with a professional looking result.

If you look at some other disc drilling threads here you'll see that a couple of guys here have templates on offer for those not blessed with a milling machine and a rotary table. Cheers, Terry.

[lordmoonpie]

The mods I do for racing on all my classic hondas keep the original looks and give you power to do a stoppie extreme - over the bars if you want!

You can keep the same master cylinder  - add braided hoses, EBC HH sintered pads or equivalent and then get a machine shop to drill out the rotor and fit a new cast iron rotor to the original disc carrier.. It's not cheap - about £190 GBP for a 280mm 750 disc but the stopping is single finger action. If you then add an AP Classic racing master cylinder you will have brakes as good if not better than most modern road bikes easy!

In the UK, CAT Security Engineering can do the job beautifully, not sure about USA suppliers but CAT will do it mail order if you send in the original disc.

[DarkRider]

Drill your disc too mate, it significantly reduces the unsprung weight, (better handling)allows the disc to run much cooler, (reduces "fade") and helps dissipate water off the discs surface. (pulls you up quicker) If it didn't work, racers wouldn't do it............. Cheers, Terry.

Having said this Terry, you should add that you CAN'T do it without a help of a shop with big, mutha machines. Them disks aren't made of soft iron..... 

Well I do have a shop full of big mutha machines, but you can drill yours discs at home with a cheap drill press and some good sharp drill bits.

I've done plenty, and as long as you clamp the discs well, use slow speeds and a good cutting liquid, (dish washing liquid is the best I've used so far) you'll end up with a professional looking result.

If you look at some other disc drilling threads here you'll see that a couple of guys here have templates on offer for those not blessed with a milling machine and a rotary table. Cheers, Terry.

Since you do have some experience with them terry would it be possable to send the disk to you and have you drill it? Also...just wondering if one of your oil cooler kits would work on the 550?

[JZEROE]

You guys see any reason why someone who was a candidate for front rotor replacement anyway wouldn't buy this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Honda-CB550-CB500T-CB-550-500T-Cross-Drilled-Disc-Rotor_W0QQitemZ160212958669QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item160212958669

Guy has good feedback, seems to do this a lot. But $90 seems a little cheap.

[Jim F]

Here is my take on up-grades
I am waiting on my RC51 rotors to get here
Those are 6 pot calipers off of E-bay for $50 bucks
the Rotors where $85

[Terry in Australia]

Since you do have some experience with them terry would it be possable to send the disk to you and have you drill it? Also...just wondering if one of your oil cooler kits would work on the 550?

I'd be happy to mate, but the shipping would probably kill the deal, this guys work looks good though, and 50 bucks for changeover discs is a good price, 3/8" Cobalt drill bits cost 18 bucks each here, so I wouldn't do them any cheaper. I'm busy bashing Sean Condon's tank this weekend, but I'll start looking at oil coolers again before it gets too warm on your side of the pond, ha ha! Cheers, Terry.  

[jsaab2748]

Alright i have been doing some thinking as to the direction i really wanna take with my CB550 project and i realized i wanted to keep the stock spoke wheels..however im still on the fence about the dual disk upgrade..not saying i wont go that route later on just not sure if i want to deal with it now with all the bike needs to start with. Now is there a way to upgrade the braking power of the current set up? i have no issues with the idea of changing master cyl or even the caliper and making an adapter plate to use a more modern piece.

Is your 550 a k model? the '74-'76 has the same lower cases as the 750
which makes it possible to swap to a 750 caliper, and the wheel is the same also, so you can swap out for the bigger 750 rotor to match. Lower cases have the number 341 stamped on the inside edge of case.

[DarkRider]

Yes my 550 is a K however it is a 77...so that may just take me out of being able to do that..

[kayaker43]

I was going to suggest the 750 brake too, I have one on my 76. Cast iron does have a better coefficient of friction and faster heat transfer, but it rusts badly.

[DarkRider]

just wondering if i were to take a stock Interceptor caliper and have a replica of the stock caliper mount made but designed for the Interceptor caliper if that would work or not...guess im just seeing the stock single piston as a possable weak point..

[DarkRider]

Hmm, not being an expert, but.. if you are hoping to see real difference in braking by changing to alu rims... maybe you should reconsider. If you want to feel difference NOW, then braided lines and sintered pads, and that's it. fairly affordable, and really simple to perform.... At least on the front.

wasnt saying that it should increase performance just hoping it may since its reducing the weight of the machine the stock brake system has to bring to a halt lol

[DarkRider]

Ok the RC51 rotors that Big jim is using are they larger then the stock rotor in diameter? If so i will look more into the idea of making a new mount to use one of the 4 pot calipers from the Interceptor parts bike to use a single RC rotor..seems like that may get me just what im seeking