XR LH Front Brake Caliper swap on 48
#21
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Red Banks, Mississippi
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Yeah, I've been debating that issue myself. There's a part of me that likes the TL and a part that doesn't. Mainly I don't won't to loose any of my already dismal tank capacity and from what I understand, you loose some with a tank lift.
But, another thing is the wire tuck. I don't want to cut the factory harness or remove any factory connectors, and from what I understand you really need to do a tank lift to do a wire tuck with everything intact. Is this not true? Any info or pics on how you accomplished yours?
But, another thing is the wire tuck. I don't want to cut the factory harness or remove any factory connectors, and from what I understand you really need to do a tank lift to do a wire tuck with everything intact. Is this not true? Any info or pics on how you accomplished yours?
However, it is not a problem to do a wire tuck on the 2.1 gallon tanks Without having to cut any wires/remove the factory connectors. There is enough room.
Here is a link that has lots of pictures and instructions on doing a wire tuck. It is on a 3.3 gallon, but the principles hold true for the 2.1 gallon, just that the wires will be hidden even more with the 2.1 gallon tank.
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/sport...k-no-lift.html
#22
Thanks for the info and the link to the wire tuck thread, DK. Still on the fence, but I appreciate the info.
Now, back to the original thread topic. I got my new 4 pot caliper installed last night. As mentioned earlier in this thread, this is a direct bolt-on affair. Two bolts out, slip old caliper off rotor, slide new caliper back in, apply loctite and torque bolts, then attach existing banjo bolt (with new sealing washers), tighten and bleed system.
One thing I will mention that everyone needs to know, even if you don't plan to do this swap... CHECK YOUR CALIPER BOLTS! I was a little worried about stripping those funky heads when I got ready to remove them. So, imagine my surprise that they broke loose with about 3 in/lbs of force! And there was no sign of factory applied loctite. And this is a brand new bike with less than 300 miles on it.
So, anyway, after that little surprise everything went easy. Until I started to bleed the system that is! I'm not new to bleeding brake systems but still.... Yep, I got a little overzealous with my Mityvac and sucked the damned MC dry! Luckily I had splurged and picked up the large container of brake fluid, just in case, so I just did a thorough and complete system flush and bleed, using about twenty some-odd ounces to try to get all the air out. Kept sucking and sucking, refilling and refilling, until nothing but clean, bubble-free fluid had been coming out for a while. Once that was done, I pumped the lever a few times to pump up the new caliper. Brake lever still felt a little spongy though, so I used an old trick that I learn probably 30 years ago… Pull the brake lever had in, zip-tie it to the grip, and leave over night. This morning I cut the zip-tie off and was rewarded with a very firm lever, with very little movement to reach full pressure.
Might be a couple of days before I get a chance to bed the brakes in and give'em a real test, but with the way the lever felt this morning I say so far, so good!
Now, back to the original thread topic. I got my new 4 pot caliper installed last night. As mentioned earlier in this thread, this is a direct bolt-on affair. Two bolts out, slip old caliper off rotor, slide new caliper back in, apply loctite and torque bolts, then attach existing banjo bolt (with new sealing washers), tighten and bleed system.
One thing I will mention that everyone needs to know, even if you don't plan to do this swap... CHECK YOUR CALIPER BOLTS! I was a little worried about stripping those funky heads when I got ready to remove them. So, imagine my surprise that they broke loose with about 3 in/lbs of force! And there was no sign of factory applied loctite. And this is a brand new bike with less than 300 miles on it.
So, anyway, after that little surprise everything went easy. Until I started to bleed the system that is! I'm not new to bleeding brake systems but still.... Yep, I got a little overzealous with my Mityvac and sucked the damned MC dry! Luckily I had splurged and picked up the large container of brake fluid, just in case, so I just did a thorough and complete system flush and bleed, using about twenty some-odd ounces to try to get all the air out. Kept sucking and sucking, refilling and refilling, until nothing but clean, bubble-free fluid had been coming out for a while. Once that was done, I pumped the lever a few times to pump up the new caliper. Brake lever still felt a little spongy though, so I used an old trick that I learn probably 30 years ago… Pull the brake lever had in, zip-tie it to the grip, and leave over night. This morning I cut the zip-tie off and was rewarded with a very firm lever, with very little movement to reach full pressure.
Might be a couple of days before I get a chance to bed the brakes in and give'em a real test, but with the way the lever felt this morning I say so far, so good!
#23
Thanks for the info and the link to the wire tuck thread, DK. Still on the fence, but I appreciate the info.
Now, back to the original thread topic. I got my new 4 pot caliper installed last night. As mentioned earlier in this thread, this is a direct bolt-on affair. Two bolts out, slip old caliper off rotor, slide new caliper back in, apply loctite and torque bolts, then attach existing banjo bolt (with new sealing washers), tighten and bleed system.
One thing I will mention that everyone needs to know, even if you don't plan to do this swap... CHECK YOUR CALIPER BOLTS! I was a little worried about stripping those funky heads when I got ready to remove them. So, imagine my surprise that they broke loose with about 3 in/lbs of force! And there was no sign of factory applied loctite. And this is a brand new bike with less than 300 miles on it.
So, anyway, after that little surprise everything went easy. Until I started to bleed the system that is! I'm not new to bleeding brake systems but still.... Yep, I got a little overzealous with my Mityvac and sucked the damned MC dry! Luckily I had splurged and picked up the large container of brake fluid, just in case, so I just did a thorough and complete system flush and bleed, using about twenty some-odd ounces to try to get all the air out. Kept sucking and sucking, refilling and refilling, until nothing but clean, bubble-free fluid had been coming out for a while. Once that was done, I pumped the lever a few times to pump up the new caliper. Brake lever still felt a little spongy though, so I used an old trick that I learned probably 30 years ago… Pull the brake lever had in, zip-tie it to the grip, and leave over night. This morning I cut the zip-tie off and was rewarded with a very firm lever, with very little movement to reach full pressure.
Might be a couple of days before I get a chance to bed the brakes in and give'em a real test, but with the way the lever felt this morning I say so far, so good!
So, thanks for the info concerning this upgrade and the confirmation that it's a direct and worthwhile swap. Can't wait to try it out now!
Now, back to the original thread topic. I got my new 4 pot caliper installed last night. As mentioned earlier in this thread, this is a direct bolt-on affair. Two bolts out, slip old caliper off rotor, slide new caliper back in, apply loctite and torque bolts, then attach existing banjo bolt (with new sealing washers), tighten and bleed system.
One thing I will mention that everyone needs to know, even if you don't plan to do this swap... CHECK YOUR CALIPER BOLTS! I was a little worried about stripping those funky heads when I got ready to remove them. So, imagine my surprise that they broke loose with about 3 in/lbs of force! And there was no sign of factory applied loctite. And this is a brand new bike with less than 300 miles on it.
So, anyway, after that little surprise everything went easy. Until I started to bleed the system that is! I'm not new to bleeding brake systems but still.... Yep, I got a little overzealous with my Mityvac and sucked the damned MC dry! Luckily I had splurged and picked up the large container of brake fluid, just in case, so I just did a thorough and complete system flush and bleed, using about twenty some-odd ounces to try to get all the air out. Kept sucking and sucking, refilling and refilling, until nothing but clean, bubble-free fluid had been coming out for a while. Once that was done, I pumped the lever a few times to pump up the new caliper. Brake lever still felt a little spongy though, so I used an old trick that I learned probably 30 years ago… Pull the brake lever had in, zip-tie it to the grip, and leave over night. This morning I cut the zip-tie off and was rewarded with a very firm lever, with very little movement to reach full pressure.
Might be a couple of days before I get a chance to bed the brakes in and give'em a real test, but with the way the lever felt this morning I say so far, so good!
So, thanks for the info concerning this upgrade and the confirmation that it's a direct and worthwhile swap. Can't wait to try it out now!
Last edited by Imaposer; 01-25-2013 at 12:27 PM.
#24
#25
It'll work fine with your stock rotor and mc. The question is will it work with your front wheel? I've seen where with some cast wheels there can be a slight interference issue between the caliper and spokes. On those it can be made to work by removing a small amount of material from the back side of the caliper with a file. It worked but was close.
I think it was a Nightster that I read about this on but can't remember for sure.
If you try it make sure you check for clearance very carefully, allowing a little extra wiggle room for heat expansion.
I've also seen claims that it won't work on other wire spoked wheels. Can't say for sure about yours, but I do know that it works perfectly on the 48 and has plenty of clearance. If you didn't know better you'd never know it wasn't this way from the factory.
I think it was a Nightster that I read about this on but can't remember for sure.
If you try it make sure you check for clearance very carefully, allowing a little extra wiggle room for heat expansion.
I've also seen claims that it won't work on other wire spoked wheels. Can't say for sure about yours, but I do know that it works perfectly on the 48 and has plenty of clearance. If you didn't know better you'd never know it wasn't this way from the factory.
Last edited by Imaposer; 01-25-2013 at 01:52 PM.
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LarryDavidson (05-18-2016)
#29
no issues and some that needed some more clearance. Since this is not a
"factory" configuration, it's going to differ on a case-by-case basis.
If you dont want to chance the XR calipers, use the real brembo's or the touring
bike brembo version. I liked the looks of the XR calper more than the
others, simple as that...
good luck,
T.