Replacement rear brake caliper advice

[snoopy]

For those that are doing this you want the caliper from an older 1300 Busa if at all possible as it has titanium alloy pistons, brass rods and full retaining pin (1 not 2 little ones).

In other words it's much higher quality than the SV but is the same unit.

The torque arm is also a direct fit. No drilling will be needed and bolts fit on SV exactly.

Paid £20 for both, brand new condition. :)

[northwind]

Good call! There's loads of identical looking and mounting Tokico calipers that vary just a little bit, didn;t know any was significantly better though.

[snoopy]

I was really surprised by the titanium pistons!

Unsure if this additional quality extends to the rest of the GSXR range, maybe 750+ but doubtful for the 600.

They all look identical, Suzuki doing penny pinching as there was no reason not to use full brass rods and a proper retaining clip.

People will know how lightbulbs are designed to last a certain length of time. I wonder if Suzuki did what it did to the sv650 to make it last only 5 years. Brakes seizing, floppy suspension and disgraceful paint quality. Cheap.

[northwind]

I got a caliper off either a SRAd 600 or 750 a while back, and it's identical to the SV one, right down to the stuck pins.

I still reckon a big part of the reason that SVs and Bandits tend to get so tatty is that they're inexpensive and therefore don't get looked after so well. Mine after 5 scottish winters, 16000 miles, about half a dozen crashes, etc, is still looking rather fine, I have to say :) It's sort of like RS125's always having rusty chains.

Build quality plays a big part of course , but cheap, practical bikes will naturally tend to get less lovin' than expensive, fashionable, emotive ones, and will tend to get used in worse conditions too. The only elements of build quality that I think really let the carbed SV down are the pitting forks, cheap fasteners and the paint on the tanks. Everything else can be lived with easily... And you have to consider they're built to an incredibly tight price for what you get.

There's no way the SV was designed to only last 5 years, that's nonsense... But some of the parts will be time-limited. The same or similiar brake calipers appear on tons of bikes, for example. You know thge adage "You can have it cheap, you can have it quick, or you can have it good- but you can't have all three"? Similiarly with bikes you can have it effective, you can have it cheap, you can have it durable, but you can only have 2. And the SV's parts are all cheap and effective. To make them durable would push the price up.

[snoopy]

I can't believe you've gone through 5 winters and your subframe isn't rusting. Have a look under the back wheel!

+ Don't forget bolts are high-iron-less-carbon type so cheese and rust quickly.

[northwind]

The one that's on now is rusty, but I got it used last year. The original didn't have a spec of rust on it till after I, er, bent it then blowtorched it in an attempt to unbend it. It's pretty rusty now :)

I did mention the bolts... But even so most last pretty well. They might staret to look ugly but there's only a few places on the bike where they represent an actual practical problem.

[jonacol]

How about the engine cases? Any flaking of paint on them?

[snoopy]

Yup mines started to go that way.

[northwind]

How about the engine cases? Any flaking of paint on them?

Yeah, wee bit, but that's because they get shelled with road crap :) It's pretty common on most bikes with exposed front pots (ie, no huge radiators, fairings or mudguards) so I don't really consider it an SV problem.

Though the water pump cover's a bit ropey, I'll give you that. Seems to happen on all the SVs doesn't it? (front corner) Wonder why that one spot always goes bald? Might pick up a spare and get it coated.

But y'see, none of that is really a problem- it's not like you're going to chuck your bike in the bin because some of the paint's come off the front pot. Nobody's managed to wear an SV out yet through normal use so to talk about a 5-year life cycle is pretty ridiculous. We actually don't know how long they'll last...

Randy O's put over 100K on his with no heroic maintenance, no new engines, and a pretty hard life. Find out when his dies and you'll know what the life cycle of a well kept SV is :)

[snoopy]

When I say 5 years I was talking about the time it takes for the bike to look relatively poor thrashed or not in winter riding.

Oh my front radiator and pump are immaculate :) ...

However the frame that the front screen and fairing bolts onto is rusting.

[northwind]

Yours has been down though hasn't it? Cat D writeoff? Could be that it's been stressed (even if not bent) then and that's caused cracks in the finish...

I was going to take some photos of mine to prove my point but I can't be bothered :) Put it this way, other than out and out damage there's practically nothing on my bike that I'd be bothered by if I were buying it.