First the things you need:
(click
image to enlarge)
Image
3: The parts you need for this mod.
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Image
4: The parts I replaced on my bike during this mod.
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As you can see I also replaced
the brake disk. The old one was worn, but it is not necessary
for this modification to replace the brake disk if it`s not
worn.
Image
5: It`s not necessary to replace it, but it sure looks good!
Now that you know what you need,
the only thing you need to know is how to do it.
Before you can work on
your fork, you`ll have to remove the old brake caliper. Don`t
loosen the brake hose yet! Only remove it from the fork. First
get all the data, measurements and parts you need to make this
thing work. Only when you`re certain that everything will fit
and you have it and you`re capable to refill the brake fluid,
you can completely remove the caliper and the brake hose and
put the new brake caliper on. When you loosen the brake hose
before you have all the parts and data, you can`t ride your
bike for the day`s you have to wait for the parts because you
don`t have any brake power. When you don`t have any experience
with refilling the brake fluid, don`t loosen the brake hose
at all!! Let a mechanic do it for you. In this explanation I
will inform you when it is time to completely remove the caliper.
Until then, the caliper is removed from the fork, but still
hanging on the brake line!
The GSXR brake caliper
won`t fit to your GS fork immediately. You`ll have to make some
sort of bracket to mate it to your right fork leg. We use the
mounting points on the fork where the old GS caliper was attached
to the it. But in able to do this, you have to know where the
holes for the bolts should come in the bracket (2 holes for
the caliper bolts and 2 holes for the bolts keeping the bracket
on the fork). Best way is to clamp the brake caliper on your
brake disk using the brake pads to keep it in position. You
could also let someone hold the caliper in place. Now you can
see the positions of the holes. You should be able to make some
sort of template or paper with the positions of the holes on
it. I made several templates out of PCB (printed Circuit Board)
until I got one which was precisely the shape it had to be.
I used PCB because it is really easy to work with and still
hard enough to screw the caliper on (just to see if the holes
were on the right place of course). You have to attach the template
(and afterwards, also the bracket) on the outside of the fork
to see if the positions of the holes are right (see also image
9). Just go on making templates until you have one which has
the right shape and the holes on the right position. By the
way, the diameter of the 4 holes you need to drill is 10,0mm.
After you`ve made a template,
you`ll probably notice the caliper isn`t aligned with the brake
disk yet. You`d probably want to mount the template (or later
the bracket) on the inside of the fork, but this causes even
bigger alignment problems. So just mount it on the outside of
the fork. The alignment problem can be solved with a spacer
and some flattening/leveling out of the mounting positions on
the fork, but first make the actual bracket. Aligning is explained
below image 7.
I`ve made the bracket
out of stainless steel. Some people say aluminium will work
too, because the front forks are also made out of aluminium.
My personal opinion? I think aluminium is too soft to handle
the powers the bracket has to withstand. I don`t want to run
the risk the caliper breaks off. That`s why I choose stainless
steel. One problem, the bracket became way too heavy. To solve
this I drilled some holes in it to make it lighter. It worked,
but eventually an aluminium bracket will be much lighter, but
less solid! By the way, I let a metalworker make the bracket
and he also drilled the holes. Stainless steel is just too strong
and hard to do it yourself (or you have machines to do it, then
it`s a piece of cake).
(click
image to enlarge)
Image
6: The template I made out of PCB (Printed Circuit Board).
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Image
7: The result: A stainless steel bracket with a 6mm
thick spacer.
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The numbers in the images
correspond with the holes, so NOT the diameter!
When you`ve made the
bracket, you`ll see that the brake caliper isn`t aligned with
the brake disk. It should be moved to the inside of the wheel.
To attain this, you`ll have to flatten/level out the 2 bumps
on the outside of the fork. After you`ve flattened/leveled out
the mounting positions on the fork, you`ll have to make some
sort of spacer to move the caliper even further away from the
bracket towards the brake disk. The easiest way to do this is
to put some simple round spacers between the bracket and the
caliper. Better is to make one big spacer (see image 7, the
left side). The connection between the bracket and the caliper
will be more solid that way.
(click
image to enlarge)
Image
8: The brake disk is perfectly aligned with the caliper.
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Also make sure the brake
disk doesn`t scratch anything inside the caliper, except the
brake pads. Don`t mount the caliper to far over the brake disk,
or the brake disk rotors will hit the caliper and cause some
serious damage. Mount the caliper over the brake disk as in
image 8.
When you`ve made the bracket
and the spacer, it`s just a matter of mounting it on your right
side fork. Be sure to completely flatten the outside of the
2 mounting points on the fork to be certain the bracket is parallel
with the brake disk (see image 9, the red circle). To mount
the bracket on the fork, you`ll have to remove the front wheel
and push 2 bolts through the 2 holes in the fork from the inside
(the side where the wheel was mounted) to the outside! (I replaced
the brake disk as well, so the front wheel was already out).
The head of the bolt (see image 9, the blue circles) is smaller
than the nut (see image 9, the brown circles) which comes on
the outside of the bracket. So the nut is screwed on to the
bolt on the outside of the bracket. I`ve done this because there
is too little room on the inside of the fork for the nut, but
not for the bolts:
(click
image to enlarge)
Image
9: The nuts on the outside of the bracket! (looking
from straight above the caliper).
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Everything fits well?
The caliper is aligned with the brake disk? The nuts are long
enough? The front wheel can still turn round? You have the equipment
to refill the brake fluid?
You are ready for page
2:
