Twinpot Brake upgrade on 78 Skunk

[Steve]

Little late to the party but was wondering if there are any bracket kits still available?

Send a PM to Salty Monk, he had a post just a couple before yours. Be sure to mention what bike you have.

While you are at it, why not create a signature that mentions your bike HERE?
It will save you from trying to remember posting it each time you ask a question about it.

.

Little late to the party but was wondering if there are any bracket kits still available?

[Chuck78]

I would like to add that yes, the calipers are not reversible, although the OEM caliper bracket frames are. Although on a dual disc setup, the GS500 caliper works just the same as a dual disc right caliper, but you will still be needing a left from a different donor bike.
L/R spotters guide: If looking at single calipers on ebay, the piston side goes out obviously, and the piston bores/pads are visible from the inside. Based on that orientation, the bleeder screws will be at the top of the caliper over top FRONT end of the larger of the two piston bulges in the caliper.

I learned from sifting through the inventory of the Rice Paddy Motorcycles vintage salvage shop that early EX500 Ninjas use a left side single disc setup, and later EX500 Ninjas use the right side only in their single disc setup (or vise-versa).

I think the Ninja 250 as far as I recollect are also right side only? So on our GS single disc bikes if trying to just do single 310mm disc with a 98-99 CBR900RR rotor, you need a left specific caliper, and would only be able to use the GS500 or other right side single disc calipers for parts.

[salty_monk]

Yes, you can only use them as a parts source for pistons & rubber bits on one side... you do need an actual body for the correct side.

[limeex2]

Ninja 250's and GS500's used them, but are single disc set up's. I believe the bleeder will be upside down on one side.

[salty_monk]

I use the EX650 master cylinder as it has all the benefits of a modern setup without looking too modern and still having a mirror mount.

The Ninja 250 used one of these calipers up to 2006 & are the best source of cheap spare parts I've found.

The newest matching pair you'll find is a 2006 Concourse set. They are all silver.

Brackets are all powdercoated black as usual (more Henry Ford than Suzuki! )

[limeex2]

Oh Now I see the killer prices!!! lol While researching pads, I found that besides Concourse brake calipers, you can use calipers off of a 88-97 Kawasaki ZX600C. Use Suzuki 89-95 GS500E's for rebuild parts. WAY cheaper than Kawasaki! Same caliper, but they only use 1 caliper. They are plentiful and are black in color. $60 for a system with a nice master and lever. These guys had cheap EBC129HH pads http://www.pdi-racing.com/ebc-brake-...SABEgI1p_D_BwE

This is my second twinpot update. Im with Chuck. With this set up, HH pads and S/S lines they stop very well. Get a modern master cylinder also. Dont go cheap charlie on brakes

[Chuck78]

Good tip thanks. I've bought parts from those guys via Ebay before without issue. It's a shame they're closing - tough times I guess.

Not really tough times, it's the opposite of that. Too good of times for the surrounding urban areas... it was a horrible neighborhood 20+ years ago when they bought the building. Times are a changin', now the adjacent neighborhood which used to be mostly boarded up houses is being bought up by developers, and the abandoned factory next door got bulldozed and they are now building $300,000 houses and condos there (my friend got one of the nicest houses in that neighborhood 8 years ago for $50,000, just sold it for around or over $200,000).

The nature of the business being so specialized and not taking any huge risks beyond the normal business risks had it always just breaking even. The area has changed drastically and the property became a hot topic for developers, who have been trying o push out the vintahe Japanese bike salvage business... I'm surprised the shop has stuck around the past few years even. My friends and I are very saddened by this huge loss to the community here. There was a motorcycle Co-op space, shared garage workshop space basically, and several other shop spaces that other bike builders rented out adjacent in the same complex of old warehouse/garage buildings.

What a shame. It will be very sorely missed. At least there is the internet! I just can no longer go and sift through rows of parts bikes or 20 ft tall industrial shelving filling up an entire warehouse full of awesome old parts...
There are other bike salvage businesses that cater towards our leanings, at least two others in Ohio that I know of, but they just aren't the same, and not nearly of the scale of cool stuff as Rice Paddy. Just bike dismantlers/Internet clerks.. There's not a community built around them, they are more just internet sales. Less overhead, easier to stay afloat, drastic amount more exposure.

Sign of the internet age. Sign of the times.

[jabcb]

Good tip thanks. I've bought parts from those guys via Ebay before without issue. It's a shame they're closing - tough times I guess.

Sadly it looks like a lot of the small businesses that cater to our vintage bikes are aging out. The owners+employees are getting old and there is nobody interested in taking over.
The list includes Works Performance & Omar’s DTR. Forking by Frank was close, but the owner’s widow has kept it open. (A short list but its currently 4AM.)


Locally…
A small manufacturer had a sign in their front yard advertising for a CNC machinist for what seemed like forever.
Several car&bike shops can’t find mechanics, service writers, & …
I suspect one old/vintage bike shop will close next year because they are aging out & another shop will do the same in a few years.

[salty_monk]

Good tip thanks. I've bought parts from those guys via Ebay before without issue. It's a shame they're closing - tough times I guess.

[Chuck78]

The L models do but I'm fairly sure the GK models don't and I'm also fairly sure someone else here used them on a GK.

If they don't work out you can send them back to me if they are not damaged, just pay postage (and any Paypal fees).

One of my good buddies here just picked up several parts bikes and engines, he now has four sets of 41mm GK forks, 4 D-port 1100GK engines, and a 5th 1100G engine...
The GK forks are the widest triples on any GS at 204mm, but on the fork legs aka the sliders, the brake mounting bosses go inboard so much further than any other GS fork, 9.5 mm each side further in board I am assuming based on triple widths. So I would venture to say that the twinpot mod is likely to bolt up all the same as on the 37mm tube size 185mm width forks.

I like this twin pod mod so much on my bike that I have collected approximately 10 or 11 calipers like this off of eBay and more recently since my friends vintage Japanese salvage yard is going out of business, I bought them out of a lot.

If anyone is looking for some deals on calipers, call up Rice Paddy Motorcycles in Columbus Ohio, talk to Grant or Steve, tell them "I need dual disc left and right set of the calipers that your friend Suzuki GS Chuck runs, like the EX500 ninja has with the steel bracket."

They have one spot on the shelves in particular that has like 30 of these calipers, and they are trying to sell off everything dirt cheap now as developers have bought them out and they are closing their doors.

They cater to Kawasaki more than Honda, so they're limited stock on the rotors we need, I have bought most of. I think they have a few left though. The ones that need the bolt pattern redrilled to 78mm

[GSXR7ED]

Nice upgrade...and riding pics look great!


Ed

[salty_monk]

I have some brackets on the shelf (powdercoated black as usual) for anyone looking for Christmas presents....

[Chuck78]

Actually, cross-referencing just the piston seals or the rubber boots on the end of the sliding pins/caliper pin bores would give you the absolute best cross reference amongst Kawasaki models. Those parts are all the same no matter what color caliper, no matter left or right.

[Chuck78]

Ninja ZX1000 or 1100, EX250, EX500. Suzuki GSX1100G around 1990, 1993? GS500 first 10-12 years. Several models beyond that. Not certain on years. The Kawasaki part numbers change a lot due to left vs right and three different colors of the same calipers offered on the Kawasaki models, so it is hard to cross reference fully