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V7 Brake Upgrades

RandomGRK said:
OK, so in summary to get the Brembo RCS15 Radial Front Brake master installed you need the below three items.
Click to expand...

Brakes man. Tell your fiance that you are really concerned about being able to stop safely. She is sure to OK brake upgrades. If nothing else, put the brake parts on your bridal registry.

Such an approach will not work as well for performance upgrades.
 
Just a "balanced" reply reply and to give food for thought.

  1. Dual front disks & calipers: Give a thought to the increase in Unsprung Weight they will add. Unless your front forks are upgraded too it is possible that worse handling (even weaker damping) will offset the increased "safety" that more aggressive front braking is said to provide.
  2. I do not think that the thrills of "one-finger" braking and "mini-stoppies" are worth the risk of a too-easily locked-up front wheel. How cool will you really look dumped on your squid arse?
  3. I have put almost 50,000 miles on a Breva 750cc. One disk, two-pot caliper. I never felt the front brake was anything but just right.

Think about it.

'Geezer
 
M0T0Geezer said:
Think about it. 'Geezer
Click to expand...
Well Dan, as someone who spent 2/3'rds of his life racing (~10 years Pro), I can certainly agree that the front brake for 90% of V7 owners is adequate. That said, my first race-bike (a Honda HawkGT) had a single rotor. While everyone was swapping to Honda F2 front ends with dual disks, I put a steel-braided line on and changed to the most aggressive pads available back then, and won a few Championships with it. There were a few tracks that taxed this set up and caused me to crash though, so as power and speed increased, it forced me to go to a far more powerful setup, like outlined above.
If those reading this are playing in the canyons or doing track days, and/or as one gets faster, the brakes can certainly use an upgrade. Not adding a second disk (nearly impossibly costly for headache and expense) for sure, but just changing the pads to Brembo sintered is a good first step.
For those who enjoy top shelf braking on other bikes, the above combo really gives amazingly good power and feedback. If you can see my brake hand in the MGS-01 pic below, one-finger power is incredibly important when your speed goes way up. Though, I went pretty quick on the drum brake Dondo as well... so if you're a high-mile street rider, probably not worth the money. For all others, it's a solid worthwhile investment. Food for thought.
 
M0T0Geezer said:
I have put almost 50,000 miles on a Breva 750cc. One disk, two-pot caliper. I never felt the front brake was anything but just right.

Think about it.

'Geezer
Click to expand...

I completely agree! Think about it. I thought about it, and I am very happy with the lighter pull, more responsive set up.
 
With ABS I am not seeing the downside of more responsive brakes. On my BMW bikes the brakes (with ABS) were right there. So when I find myself in a situation on the street I would brake harder than needed and then let up as my brain tells me the threat is not too bad.

With the stock Guzzi brakes, now granted I only have about 300 miles on the bike, in a situation I find myself applying brakes, and then often making a decision to squeeze harder.

That initial bite is lost and can't be recovered, if really needed.

Also, I believe I am better at modulating the brakes when they have more initial bite and take a softer squeeze. I'm sure much of this is due to my riding style and skills. I'm sure an expert rider could out brake me.
 
To the specific point of unsprung weight on the 750 front end:

Does anyone have weight-difference specs for the 1-disk 1-caliper stock parts vs the 2-Disk 2-Caliper parts?

'Geezer
 
M0T0Geezer said:
To the specific point of unsprung weight on the 750 front end:

Does anyone have weight-difference specs for the 1-disk 1-caliper stock parts vs the 2-Disk 2-Caliper parts?

'Geezer
Click to expand...

No, and I doubt anybody will offer up any numbers to you as you try to continue to "stir the pot". Let it be.

Todd only sells the very best stuff here for which the majority of us are insanely grateful, and Stradagene has already stated that LOVES his brake upgrade.

Enough said.
 
M0T0Geezer said:
Does anyone have weight-difference specs for the 1-disk 1-caliper stock parts vs the 2-Disk 2-Caliper parts?
Click to expand...
No, and you'd have to also include the lower fork slider/stanchion, which doesn't exist, or weight of the alternate fork that does.
 
GT-Rx® said:
No, and you'd have to also include the lower fork slider/stanchion, which doesn't exist, or weight of the alternate fork that does.
Click to expand...
Besides, as we can't have and or don't want two disks, I would think the real question is in the weight difference between the stock and upgraded calipers. Which I suspect is minimal.

If this upgrade works as well as I think it will, I could see having Todd look at doing the same for my KTM 690 Enduro with ABS brakes. I find the brakes on that bike a bit soft on street use too. Talk about a fun bike.
 
socalrob said:
Brakes man. Tell your fiance that you are really concerned about being able to stop safely. She is sure to OK brake upgrades. If nothing else, put the brake parts on your bridal registry.

Such an approach will not work as well for performance upgrades.
Click to expand...
Worked for me and I'm loving the new setup!
 
What about this solution ?
A simple upgrade of diameter : guareschimoto.it/prodotto/dischi-freni-v7iii-320-5-sport-gcbd-2/
 
I think the braking system is my next notable upgrade.

Thanks for the useful information guys.

Last weekend I installed clip-on bars,I installed them with the new, shorter brake line that came with the new bars. But actually have no idea what is the lenght of it. I understand Ill want to upgrade it. Anyone can tell me the cable lenght ill need to order?
 
Chrisfer said:
What about this solution ?
A simple upgrade of diameter : guareschimoto.it/prodotto/dischi-freni-v7iii-320-5-sport-gcbd-2/
Click to expand...

I installed a larger rotor on the front wheel of my 2012 KLR 650 and it made a HUGE difference in braking performance.

Jason
 
Just installed the Brembo RCS 15 master cylinder, the OEM line adapter, and the reservoir kit.

gtmotocycles.com

BREMBO RCS RADIAL FRONT BRAKE MASTER

Genuine Brembo 15, 17 or 19mm Radial Front Brake M/C with Brake Switch Serious upgrade over stock, offering one finger braking, with folding lever. Reservoir Kit is required. We recommend the 15 for single caliper applications (V7/9), 17 for the M50 calipers (ONLY), single caliper tracks...
gtmotocycles.com gtmotocycles.com

I have not not replaced the pads, so did not notice the improvement of the braking power. What I did notice is much less effort required to achieve the same braking result. I can now brake with one finger.

This is my first time installing radial brake master cylinder, so I spent a lot of time finding a position for the RCS-15 so that the brake line was not under too much stress. I would also suggest using a vacuum type brake bleeding kit, because reversed bleeding from the nipples on the master cylinder and the caliper could not get all the air out of the system.

Did I break anything? Sure, it would not be a DIY project without messing something up for an amateur technician like me, LOL.
The special bolt holding the reservoir to the bracket is M5 (5mm dia.) and made out of aluminum. It snapped without much effort. A little research online found that a titanium one is available, so I got one. However, I would believe you can find a workable solution from local hardware store for much less.

20211219_130332.jpg20211219_130304.jpg
 
Chrisfer said:
And what about disc wear with EBC HH pads ?
Click to expand...
They do work well, however (as stated dozens of times on this site) they are excessively hard on disks, as I've ridden and raced on them in my earlier life. I personally won't use them any more.
 
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