86-03 F/R Brake Upgrade Suggestions
86-03 F/R Brake Upgrade Suggestions
Hi hi all, I'm curious if anyone has any suggestions for improving the front and rear brake components on pre-rubber mount Sportsters? I really feel that the rear brakes especially function pretty poorly. I borrowed a friend's Sporty last week, and it has a rear Tokico caliper, and dual front Tokicos. They seemed to work phenomenally well, especially the rear, which was being run with the stock rear master cylinder. My bike currently has stock rotors/pads/calipers (pads have plenty of meat, calipers are not warped or dinged or anything).
I think I'm leaning towards Tokicos, since depending on the ones I get all I may need to do is make a brake stay with a adapter bracket, which would be no problem for me to fab. Does anyone else have some brake upgrades they've tried out with success? Would simply improving the rotors and pads yield better braking results?
I think I'm leaning towards Tokicos, since depending on the ones I get all I may need to do is make a brake stay with a adapter bracket, which would be no problem for me to fab. Does anyone else have some brake upgrades they've tried out with success? Would simply improving the rotors and pads yield better braking results?
HDF Community Team
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 8,512
Likes: 3,924
From: San Diego, CA
I put a Wilwood GP310 caliper on my 1991 recently, and installed EBC HH pads on the rear. I use my front brake on the street much more than the rear. The Wilwood caliper was only about $220. Mounts with two 3/8"x16x1" bolts (not supplied). I used a couple of flange bolts from Ace.
Have not done any panic stops, but the lever feels much more "linear" in applying force. This is a four piston caliper as opposed to the stock single piston. Definitely stops smoother than the stock setup. I still have the stock brake line, but have a SS line on the bench, just not happy with how it looked on the bike, the stock piping is much less visible. Plus, the new caliper seems to have negated the need for additional measures.
John
Have not done any panic stops, but the lever feels much more "linear" in applying force. This is a four piston caliper as opposed to the stock single piston. Definitely stops smoother than the stock setup. I still have the stock brake line, but have a SS line on the bench, just not happy with how it looked on the bike, the stock piping is much less visible. Plus, the new caliper seems to have negated the need for additional measures.
John
Last edited by John Harper; Jul 13, 2021 at 07:19 AM.
I put a Wilwood GP310 caliper on my 1991 recently, and installed EBC HH pads on the rear. I use my front brake on the street much more than the rear. The Wilwood caliper was only about $220. Mounts with two 3/8"x16x1" bolts (not supplied). I used a couple of flange bolts from Ace.
Have not done any panic stops, but the lever feels much more "linear" in applying force. This is a four piston caliper as opposed to the stock single piston. Definitely stops smoother than the stock setup. I still have the stock brake line, but have a SS line on the bench, just not happy with how it looked on the bike, the stock piping is much less visible. Plus, the new caliper seems to have negated the need for additional measures.
John
Have not done any panic stops, but the lever feels much more "linear" in applying force. This is a four piston caliper as opposed to the stock single piston. Definitely stops smoother than the stock setup. I still have the stock brake line, but have a SS line on the bench, just not happy with how it looked on the bike, the stock piping is much less visible. Plus, the new caliper seems to have negated the need for additional measures.
John
Totally hear ya on the stainless lines. I'm running stainless F/R and not really into how they look. Maybe I'd like 'em if I was running SS throttle and clutch cables.
Tourer
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 373
Likes: 133
From: South Dakota
It's always best to try the least expensive and most visible things first so that you don't waste money and time fixing things that aren't broken.
Pads make a huge difference in braking, especially if they are properly broken in after installation. It's possible that yours weren't and that they are glazed.
To that end, inspect your pads to see if they might be glazed or otherwise damaged. If there is any doubt about whether they are OK try one of the other brands mentioned above and be sure to properly bed them in before you use them hard.
Also, if you've not recently flushed your brakes, this might be a good time to do it. Over time the fluid ages and degrades, reducing braking performance and causing corrosion inside the system.
Pads make a huge difference in braking, especially if they are properly broken in after installation. It's possible that yours weren't and that they are glazed.
To that end, inspect your pads to see if they might be glazed or otherwise damaged. If there is any doubt about whether they are OK try one of the other brands mentioned above and be sure to properly bed them in before you use them hard.
Also, if you've not recently flushed your brakes, this might be a good time to do it. Over time the fluid ages and degrades, reducing braking performance and causing corrosion inside the system.
Last edited by John Ha; Jul 13, 2021 at 01:55 PM.
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