I am not understanding the big differences in brake designs of 35 years ago and today's. Without changing appearance, how can I gain modern "wet" performance from the 35 year old design of the CB750 Honda and GT750 Suzuki?
I have a strong idea it's in the caliper design, but I'd like to hear what you have to say.
1) Dual disc won't do it alone - the GT750 has those from the factory and their "wet" performance is horrible - maybe worse than Honda's single CB750 Four's design.
2) Drilled disc don't solve the problem - a very good friend of mine has paid good money to have his rotors turned-down to 7mm thickness, ground on a flywheel surfacer for a x-hatch surface, and had them drilled - he still has dismal "wet" weather performance.
What can we do to gain-back that precious 2~3 seconds of stopping power when in the wet? Those seconds feel like minutes when a car, fallen tree, or animal is in your path. Those seconds can mean life and death when you're caught in the rain. The back will lock so easily and you simply must have front brakes to stop in a hurry. With stock, vintage brakes, the first few seconds are consumed "drying" the disc. With modern bikes, this is not the case - they grab and work almost instantly. Again, drilled disc are not the missing ingredient - there is something else.
I want to add that every modern bike made in the last 10 years has had fantastic brakes. My Nomad and ZRX are killer - wet or dry. By having reliable braking, you don't have to squeeze hard and even in the wet, I feel I have total control. Sure I do so with care and don't panic, but those fronts really help - standing water included. I need the secret for these old machines.
Thanks in advance.
Gordon
