I’m interested in people’s “secret” hardware they found increased their braking power on a track or the road. From my google research and checking various forums it would seem:
Wavy discs look good but don’t really increase performance.
Steel braided cables DO increase feel and performance/stopping power (Not seen reviews on how much better titanium is over steel.)
There isn’t too much difference in pads.
I have all stock braking malarkey on an '08 R6 apart from some Pazzo shorts. Any further information on products that can stop you better are welcomed. Please feel free to contribute even if you are Northern.
Condolences to the bloke who broke his bike wheelie-ing outside Ace on Friday night, although (not meaning to sound like someone’s Dad), there is a time and a place son…
I’ve literally just been looking at Goodridge braided lines… From everything I’ve read they seem like they’re worth it. Saw that smash on Fri… lot of oil around but he seemed ok?
No, didn’t you see? He was rushed to the ICU with massive ego injuries. Luckily I was on hand to donate some of mine at the hospital. It’s ok though, I was left with plenty for myself still - that’s because I am so great.
Ok Goodridge and Hel are the two names I have heard most. I’m definitely going for one of those. But probably only on the front for now as I hardly use my back at all!
Mmm exactly. Still quite a lot to think about with the lines. You going for titanium or steel? Well glad he’s ok lol. The fear of dropping a bike at the Ace is horrific. I nearly slipped in the sand they threw down on the oil lol…
Bloody hell I know! And those nutcases wheeling through it as well! It’s just a really stupid place to do stunts, tradition or not. All that busy traffic - buses, residents, massive RM trucks - ridiculous really.
I’ve been talking to a few people and it seems there isn’t much difference in the titanium and steel, so I am going for steel as they are half price. Probably the Hel ones. £50 on ebay I do believe. And maybe some new pads. I hear Performance Friction are good so will look into them.
That’s not bad at all. How are you going to set up the lines? I’ve got an 08 R6 as well. I’ve got the Stomp grips coming end of this week after Jay kindly let me try his out… Changing to Pirelli corsas too because I’m still on the stupid Dunlop oe
Is that from the article in Bike lessismore? sounds bloody tiring taking all that strain through your arms at every corner lol…
Have heard damn good things about those steel lines. May have to invest in some at the end of this week…
You can’t increase the hydraulic pressure, period.You can improve the braking force a little by changing from rubber lines as they can swell, so you’ll have less piston movement at the caliper end.
Braided lines will make bugger all difference if the std lines are less than a couple of years old.
As for the Ti Vs stainless steel thing… it will make absolutely no difference to the way the brakes work - the outer braiding is just to protect the tube that carries fluid from chafing.
The tube in the middle is PTFE, and is one of the best materials you can use for brake lines as it won’t swell under pressure.
Any braided lines will make the brakes feel firmer if you’re running older rubber hoses, and the weight saving from Ti is’nt that great on something like brake lines - they’re not overly heavy anyway
Thanks for the clarification. Basically I neeed all the help I can get - changing from the old liquorice tubes that were on my Kwak to braided has helped a bit. :hehe:
Well I did some more research on the pads and it’s seems “Performance Friction” ones are one of the leading preferences for race pads - looks like my initial thoughts were pretty wrong. So I went for the “07” compound along with the new steel braided lines - £140 total expenditure.
You’ll find the stomp grips really good lamree - help you grip the tank well especially when breaking! I went for Michelin Pilot Power 2CTs when my initial Dunlops wore out. I am on my second rear tyre now. They get really sticky feeling when warm so I would definitely recommend them.
My neighbour helped me give my bike a brilliant clean yesterday - he’s a bike nut too and has a load of professional cleaning products - and then got caught in ten minutes of rain today. The only ten bastad minutes that we got today. I think that was god’s sense of humour at my expense.
I wasn’t laughing.
Thanks for the info gurninman! Need to spend the money on tire replacement anyway.
Sheraz I take it you havn’t tried the Diablo Corsas then? Im debating between the Pirellis and the Michelins… Seems they are both awesome, just don’t want to make a mistake when it comes down to tires.
Got the black Stomp grips in the post this morning and I’m a lil reluctant to put them on in case they peel off lol any tips?
Thunderstorms after you spend two hours cleaning your bike are standard as far as I’m concerned.
I haven’t tried the diablos no, but my friend has a set on his R1. We took it the track and when we both came off my rear tyre was quite a bit softer at the higher temperatures. After discussing it seems this made me feel quite confident and “stuck” more to the track with better grip compared to how he felt. I think the Diablos must be a harder compound, at least around the edges. The down side of my tyre is that it wears quite quickly as I replaced a rear within three months of every day use. It’s a bit of a problem with tyres because you will only ever know what that tyre is like once you’ve bought it, and by that time it may be too late (as with my friend who would rather have my tyre). The only thing you can do is go by referral and check reviews over the net. I don’t think I would change from the pilots though, unless I had a really good referral as to why another set would be better over mine. They are great for getting knee down action!
As for the grips, you need to heat them and the tank with a heat gun, and then stick slowly from the edge, gradually pulling the backing off at the same time. Just make sure you get em on straight or you will be wonky like mine are!! There’s a post somewhere on this forum where I put pics up. One side I did ok, but the other is annoyingly bent.
I got my bike back to shiny clean today already. It didn’t actually require a lot of work as most of the dirt had gone from the day before. I had a ride out till really late last night though and my front visor and fairing were distgustingly splattered with summer bugs. Still, better than rain.
Any weather is always better than rain…
The fluid cannot be compressed , however much pressure is applied to it - basic hydraulic theory.
It is better as it leaves fewer places for air to collect - with the over-mudguard line, you can get air locks quite easily.
- changing from the old liquorice tubes that were on my Kwak to braided has helped a bit. :hehe: