Topic: Help me figure out my brakes

[new2novas]

So i ordered a set of pads for a 75 SS from Z1 (who are AWESOME btw)....got the right pads for the app, wrong pads for the bike....help me figure out whats been done here...

The pads i received are not a full circle which is what i wanted because the pads that were on there are a full circle and were wearing wrong because the pad doesn;t fully contact the rotor....so it seems like i have the right rotors for my year, but the wrong calipers maybe....the forks have provisions for dual calipers, but only have the left, but the PO put a set of wheels on that have dual rotors and the speedo drive is on the left....i can take better pics, these are what i had on the computer.....what the heck is goin on here....oh and FWIW it has a single piston rear disc as well

[BeSeeingYou]

Well it looks like the rear caliper is from the 77/78 but the rear MC is from the 75/76.  The wheels are also from the 77/78.  The front caliper looks like the older version as the 77/78 had them mounted behind the fork

[new2novas]

so it seems i have older calipers with newer rotors, so that is where the size difference/wear shape comes from?

can i mount the calipers behind the forks like the later models with these forks, or do i need to keep this current setup and figure out the correct rotors to use

[mattcb350f]

I think it would help if you took some closer pics of the caliper set up and the forks, disks, and pads for us.

That being said, I know my pads arent completely round, but rather have a squared off edge on the top and bottom of the pad.

I'm rusty on my 750F knowledge, but I think the earlier ones like yours had spoked wheels? If so, maybe the forks are original and the comstars off a later model.

 Matt.

[new2novas]

i will take some good pics tonight and we'll try and get this figured out

[new2novas]

snapped some pics tonight...the way you see it is the way it is, the floating bar is crooked like that, the pads hang over, etc....and from what i've gathered the forks are original but the wheels are not, i would like to have some spoked wheels though

[BeSeeingYou]

That front caliper is not from any of the F series bikes.  Looks like an 75 or earlier K bike caliper. The F bike calipers are better and are not as ugly.  Yeah those wheels are ugly too but I think you would have to have the spoked rear wheel and proper rear caliper for the 75/76 Super Sport for it to fit..

There is a thread somewhere about mounting the caliper behind the fork. 

[750goes]

From what I see in the photos, you have an F2 front end with comstar wheels and as suggested a "K" style sinlge front caliper. which by the way definitely looks odd - and depending on the front Master Cylinder size whether it will be up to the job of stopping if you put on another brake caliper. Best bet would be to replace what you have with an F2 or F3 master cylinfer and both F2/F3 brake calipers and brake hoses. sell what you have on ebay to recoup some costs.

If you get an F1 rim (spoked) you will need to keep the caliper. But these will probably interchange with nearly all "K" series brake calipers. and pivot arms.

Rear wheel is comstar and if you have a single piston Caliper it is also from an F2/F3. The F1 has a double piston caliper, so not sure how effective the matching of the brake parts will be for the rear with the F1 master cylinder, but I think (probably wrong) the F2/F3 are similar bore size so you would probably be OK..

good luck with it

[new2novas]

i keep rereading your guys' posts and can't really figure out what i need to do....BTW i have a Frembo (fake brembo) master which is a bit big for a single caliper but should work great with two, so if i were to keep that front wheel (budget may require that, unless a cheap one is found, any approximate costs) would i be able to get a set of later calipers and brackets and will they bolt up.....if i ditch that wheel, i have a bunch of other crap to run into??? they don't have a spoked wheel that will just fit in there (i apologize for the newbness and searching gives me too much info, i need to be able to narrow down what i'm up to first)...i'll tackle the front wheel first and worry about the rear later

[BeSeeingYou]

The F0/1 brake pads do not overhang the disc like your picture shows.  It seems pretty oblivious that the K caliper is not compatible with your discs.  Twin discs are usually smaller than a single.   You really have a mish mash of parts and that needs to get sorted out to find out what you really have.  IMO it looks like you have the F2/3 wheels, rear caliper, and brake discs.  You have a 76 or earlier K bike front caliper.  An F0/1 rear master cylinder.  I am not sure what fork you have and that may be important to find out as the F2/3 fork would already be set up for twin calipers but you need the F2/3 calipers.  If it is an F0/1 fork it is set up for one but can be modified for two.  I don't know all the details on this but there is a thread about it.
Another member picked up a spoked rear wheel, disc, caliper, and master cylinder for a F0/1 for $200 recently and a few of us thought that was a good price so that gives you something of an idea on that.  Until you know definitely what fork you have it is hard to proceed on the front end other than getting rid of that K bike caliper in combo with those smaller twin discs. .  It looks like trouble the way it fits.  I suppose the least expensive thing would be to remove the smaller twin discs and put a larger single on if it will fit on the comstars or go with a spoked wheel and the larger single disc.  This is a picture of an F0/1 front caliper.

[new2novas]

it seems as though i have the f0/1 forks, as the later forks have large hole mounts on the rear side of the fork for rearward caliper mounting.....in the picture above, looks like i have those same forks, but the caliper is different...the floating mount and mount locations are the same, the caliper is obviously different....heres the later F forks and the way they mount, guess if i had those forks and calipers it would work ..... ok...so i have f0/1 forks with later wheels and discs with a k caliper (guess F and K calipers interchange on those mounts) and the same rear wheel and brake setup as below, which i'll keep if it can work with other wheels

[BeSeeingYou]

It looks like the larger single disc on my F1 has a 6 hole bolt pattern and the twin discs you have have a 5 bolt pattern so bolting on a larger disc to go with that K caliper may not work out with those comstar wheels.  Unless you can find some other aftermarket disc to fit.  Something has to go, either the forks and the K caliper  or the wheels to get this right.  Or like I said you find some other larger single disc upfront and leave it at that.

[new2novas]

yeah....these wheels stink so i'll ditch them before anything else, so assuming the wheels go, i can keep the caliper mount and forks, now what is there that i need to know for getting a wheel....does it have to be for a 750F or will any earlier wheels work as well....i will do some searching on dual disc as well and see where that will bring me

[BeSeeingYou]

I think the rear spoked wheel will have to come from a F0/1 and it would probably be best to get the caliper and disc as well.  The front spoked wheel  could come from a K or an F.  I am not sure all years of the K wheel would be compatible but it looks like many are.

[gerhed]

Front calipers look like they're off a CB350/360.
Definitely smaller than those on a 750F.