Front Calipers

[ted1r]

Good Morning to all,

Is there an easy upgrade with the front brakes ? I find that they could be better,
I have done all the refits ie pads seals fluid flush etc but I think be better especially
on our twisty short UK roads,
I await your valuable input

Ted

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

Ted, lots of people have replaced the original hydraulic lines with stainless steel and have noticed a remarkable difference in braking.
Search the forums for stainless steel brake lines to read their opinion's!

[ted1r]

Many thanks Scott but I have done that before Christmas with a slight improvement only.

Thanks Ted

[Nails]

I saw a modest improvement, too. There isn't really any Brembo-in-a-jar solution. Given how pricey discs are, I'm not attracted to sintered pads &etc, but you might be.
Another way to look at it is the brakes are pretty good with some realistic consideration of the age of these bikes.

[ted1r]

I agree sir is an age thing its 35 and i,m 65 so that makes a 100

ted sorry for the late reply

[buzzcut]

I have found that the hydraulic fluid makes a huge difference in the braking. I use 5.1 or the racing fluid with really high temp rating. (cant remember the name) Dot 4 not enuf. Also I use the HH sintered and she stops. Never had the organics on the front....Have considered it just to take the jolt out of stopping...but I have adjusted my finger tension enuf now so smooth

[buzzcut]

motul 600

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

Have to seach locally to see if it's available in my area and give it s try.

[madmax]

Hi Ted, I’ve been looking for the same for a while. I’ve asked this same question myself. I’m also on your side of the pond (UK).
What I use is EBC Double-H Sintered Pad Set (FA085HH) & stainless-steel braded brake lines.
At low speed (5mph) I can lock up the front wheel. So I think they are good enough. The main problem is the weight of the bike & tires fitted.
I running Avon’s which I found to be the best on the voyager.
It’s all to do with grip. It’s no use having great brakes if the tires brake away under heavy load. I also have a GTR1400 which has excellent brakes. But the two are miles apart. One is an 80’s bike & the other a 2000’s bike.
You could fit just about any calipers you wanted, but you would have to make up a mounting bracket. Probably more hassle than it’s worth.
Good luck.

[Nails]

Non-sequitur: I recently test-rode a 2nd Gen Multistrada (the ugly one). The things I expected to dislike were non-issues (and I don't care about ugly). But two deal-killers cropped up: too many vibes for long days; and the front brake was over the top. Even with just one finger, I had trouble modulating it. It would take a while to get used to that over-achieving front brake.

Not dissing folks who want better brakes on our piggly XIIs. Just saying that with more modern bikes (a 2007 Multi?), enough can be more than enough.

For the record, it was a tough call -- I could grow fond of power wheelies, and being hundreds of pounds lighter the Multi would smoke the XII on anything twisty. (That is, until I low-side it on a locked front wheel.) But I already have four bikes; and the Multi wasn't quite going to replace the XII. Kinda sorry to say that I'm just not ready to abandon long superslab days, the one thing the XII truly excels at. But I'm sure getting there.