Inverted Rear Caliper: Curvy to Sharpy style

[snoopy]

Today I was messing about today getting my calipers ready for power coating and had to remove my rusting torque arm.

Then it hit me there's no reason the curvy SV can not be like all the new bikes and have the caliper on-top rather than below.

All you need to do is loosen the rear wheel, bash the caliper holder round with a rubber mallet and re-fit. Move the hose next to pump 90 degrees clockwise to remove new slack and it fits fine.

Then need to make a torque bracket that fits to the swingarm, a little more difficult but not impossible.

Just a thought. Has anyone else tried it?

[northwind]

I've seen it done on race bikes, but only when the rules required a rear caliper but the rider didn't expect to use it... To make it actually work would be trickier... You thinking of puting a bracket around the swingarm, sort of thing?

[timwilky]

Andrew

Please think about it.

Firstly I doubt that you could move the caliper 90 degrees as it would strike the back section of the swinging arm you would be looking more at 150

Secondly the air in the caliper need to be bled. to do this you must have the bleed nipple at the highest point otherwise you would get an air lock.

moving the caliper through 90 degrees would ensure about 40% air in the caliper and to move it further simply increases the amount of air trapped in the caliper.

OK other threads have asked about who uses thier rear brakes. You might not, even for emergencies. But I do think the C&U Regs to require the brake to work.

[Sid Squid]

It might be easier to another suitable caliper, if you spin the support bracket 180 degrees it will be fine, but the torque arm lug on the caliper will be at the back.

Whole job is way more trouble than it's worth.

[snoopy]

The caliper goes 180 degrees + but the pipe at the cylinder ends needs to be moved 90 degrees to take up the slack.

Northwind, my idea exactly. Means no torque arm to worry about and the caliper wont get crap in it.

Brake still works fine. It's an idea anyway.

[Dan_SV]

Do it Andrew, it sounds like another of your groundbreaking great ideas...




:shock: snigger

Dan

[TSM]

just an idea does a K3-4 swingarm fit on K1-2?

[northwind]

Tim has a good point about bleeding the caliper... You'd need to do it right way up then turn it over, and it might still have a tendancy to gather air in the pistons- though of course a well bled system won't have any air in it anyway.

It seems to be a fairly common mod with the wee Brembos for US race bikes, but they're either not very functional, or butt ugly, and no room inbetween. Sid's right that you'll be left with the torque arm mounting on the wrong side, which is going to look rotten... But it should be relatively simple to brace it, since the rotational force would spin the caliper towards the swingarm- it's easier to brace for pushing towards than it is for pulling away.

It's an interesting idea, but the skeptics win :) Unless you were doing it with a totally new caliper and bracket, it's never going to look better than a bodge IMO.

[DeeJay]

forget it mate... never try and mod your brakes.. it is simply not worth it...

[jonboy]

Could also invalidate your insurance in the event of a claim.


.

[snoopy]

Just a thought. Back to finding a TL1000 torque bar,,,

[northwind]

I just bought a SRAD caliper and bar... If that works out I'll have a black powdercoated stock one in good nick up for grabs if you want it (if it doesn't you cna have the SRAD one ;) )

[BURNER]

All these people looking for SRAD and TL torque arms, wonder what kicked that off :lol:

[northwind]

Funny you should say that :) I've been looking for another rear caliper for a while anyway, I'm told the SRAD one is interchangable, and it just happens to have a torque arm with it (and it cost me a fiver :) At that price if it doesn't work, who cares?)

[BURNER]

You felt the difference in weight between the stock torque arm and the SRAD item?
Caliper should be OK, up to '99 they all used the same one. I've got older GSXR ones and they seem to be the same.

[snoopy]

This is just for the rear right? What's the weight difference, major? I found the SV stock quite light.

[northwind]

Not got mine yet so I've not felt it.