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Calipers wont fit

  • Thread starter Thread starter oohsam
  • Start date Start date
O

oohsam

Guest
Hi Guys,
I have an 83 GS1100g that I got with no front brakes.
I bought a few different sets of front calipers off Ebay for this bike and cant get any to fit.
The mounting points on the forks line up on one my sets (which looks like the right calipers), however I can only get the first bolt on as it seems the disc is too big for the brake caliper to swing down to get the second bolt (lower bolt) on.

I have a feeling this bike could have different forks on it, or a different front tyre, from the previous owner... which would have had a a smaller disc or smaller front tyre...but the forks are setup for dual brakes..and I thought all GS's with dual brakes were the same disc/front tyre setup, which means the forks are all the same...unless im terribly wrong.

The other issue I have is that the gap between the fork and the disc on one side of the wheel is big enough for the brake caliper to fit, but on the other side, its not at all. I can just fit a pencil in the gap, even if the mounting points/offset of the disc was right, the caliper wouldn't even fit in there...

Is there anyway I can find out if these forks/front tyre is correct...
I think if the tyre was a smaller diamater (and the discs were a smaller diamater) then it would fit easily..or could I have bought 3 sets of incorrect brakes?

The current rim on the GS currently is a 19 inch for the front....
My other option is to buy a complete front end (forks, front tyre, discs, brakes)....which is goign to be hard.
I've attached some pics.
 
Why don't you take some measurements like rotor diameter, distances from axle to top and bottom caliper mounts, distance between forks, fork length, and fork diameter. Then could ask an other member to measure theirs and compare notes. To me the forks look a little small but could just be the pics. If the forks and triples are from another bike this could cause the calipers not to fit. Possible why the PO didn't have any on it.
 
yeah, i was thinking the same as to why there were no brakes on the bike when I got it.

The tripple has been changed by me. I have 3 Tripples, all different, and I finally got the right one for my model...so I know thats right....

I'll do some measurements tonight and post some more pics hopefully someone on here with a GS1100g can check...Biggest problem I have with my bike is its named so many different things in different countries, buying parts for it is very difficult. I've bought the wrong part many times over.

If I can get past the front brake issue, I can proceed with the rest of the build but this is really holding me up!
 
I have an '82 GS1100G and can check the calipers, forks and rotors tomorrow for you.

daniel
 
Thanks 781GS i'll post a pic with dimensions and measurements tonight.

Those Forks from ebay are nice and cheap. Will find out shipping. Hopefuly i wont need to buy them after I validate the measurements with 7981gs. otherwise i'll see how i go.
 
Are you sure the spacers are in the right way? Not going to tell you how many discs I chewed up because I had the spacers in wrong.Lets just say it's a good thing I had spares.
 
I havn't actually pulled off the wheel yet....however I will do that and post some pics tonight. I've got a feeling this thing has not been assembled properly.
 
yeah true! LoL.
The hardest thing bout this build that I have no history whatsoever on the bike. Everytime I pull something off im thinking..hmm this does not look right....then have to work it all out from scratch. Just as well im rebuilding everything.
 
I think the Axle is in backwards. The nut should be on the right hand side of the bike (when your sitting on it)
spacers may be arse about or the wrong type
I have a spare front end if you need any bits and Im in melbourne
 
The calipers are bolted to caliper brackets. The caliper brackets are bolted to the forks.

The caliper brackets are different on the different models, but the '80-'83 calipers are the same. G, GL, and E models all use different mounting brackets.


So, we need to solve the puzzle of exactly what forks you have.

You'll also need to sort out the axle and axle spacers -- those do appear to be Suzuki GS forks, very likely from a G (shaftie) model, but the spacers on the axle are all wrong for any GS. And I might be wrong, but it looks like the axle is a big rusty bolt, not an actual axle... :eek:

You'll also need to measure the center-to-center distance between the fork legs to verify what sort of triple tree you have.

On my 1983 GS850G (forks are the same as what should be stock on your 1100G):
fork upper tube diameter: 37mm (41mm forks were found on 1100GK models, but yours appear to be 37mm in the photos)

All measurements below are center-to-center:
between the fork tubes: 185mm (this is 10mm different on chain drive models; can't remember which way -- if yours measure the same as mine, then at least we know we're dealing with shaftie forks)

between caliper mounting bracket holes on the fork: 70mm (I think this is the same on all models)

between upper caliper bracket-to-fork bolt and upper caliper-to-bracket bolt: 30mm

between lower caliper bracket-to-fork bolt and lower caliper-to-bracket bolt: 100mm (this measurement is much shorter on GL brackets)

Back in the disco '80s, GL models were a lot more popular than G models, so most of the used parts you find are from GL models. I suspect this is your problem with the brake caliper mounting -- you need G brackets, and you probably have several GL brackets.

The axles and axle spacers are the same on all G/GL models, fortunately, so it should be fairly easy to obtain the proper front axle with the proper spacers instead of whatever that is in there now.
 
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Correct me if I am wrong, but I think there may be a couple issues.
I think the fork tubes are on the wrong sides or turned upside down in the case of the first picture.

The bolts should be on the under side of the fork tube, and I believe they should be on the outside away from the tire and wheel.

A previous poster was right, the axle bolt should be on the right.
I know this may sound crazy but it may help to post a profile view of the front wheel.
The rotors should be facing a certain way as well.
 
Wow, thanks for all the replies guys.
Nufnuf i might just take your offer on that based on how i go...thanks for the help!

Its clear there are several issues here with this front end.

This is what I've got so far (measurements and profile)
For the fork tubes (middle to middle) I got 185mm....

The right side (when sitting on the bike)

disc_measure.jpg


The left side (when sitting on the bike)

disc5.jpg


The calipers i have (2 diff sets)

disc4.jpg


So you're saying i need a bracket for this to bolt into ? hmmm... The top hole lines up, the bottom one doesn't as the disc is hitting the caliper, it wont go in any further.

disc2.jpg
 
I think I have the right Forks, and the right discs based on bwringer's measurements. The spacers/axle is def. suspicious, so i'll def be pulling that apart and sorting that out. I think both calipers I have (with their brackets) are wrong....I think regardless of the spacing/axle issues, the calipers should still be able to bolt on ..right?
 
Awesome. yeah the squarish caliper is the one that looks right...based on all the pictures I have and in my workshop manual...So the caliper should fit in the 'right' caliper bracket? fingers crossed!

Based on all the other images i've seen also, my axle looks very odd...
 
Don't the caps on the ends that hols the axle in place normally have a bit of space in them?

If not do ou have the worng axle?
 
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