Fitting different brake calipers?

Hi everyone,

Just wondered if a caliper swap would be a cheap-ish and effective way of improving the braking on the sv. have already got braided lines and some HH pads. was wondering how compatible a set of brembo's of a ducati would be as these can be had fairly cheaply second hand. also, would it be possible to run the same lines and fit to the caliper, i would presume the banjo would be the same... any help would be greatly appreciated as It was just a thought as to if they would bolt straight onto the existing mounts without a special bracket

Cheers

[maviczap]

If could be done, someone would have done it by now.

To fit alternative calipers would require an adapter plate, which has been done, but with mixed results & problems. The common caliper swap is for the Nissin 4 pot caliper using an adapter plate.

But I think that Zoran has stopped making them now.

However a properly set up and freshly serviced SV caliper is plenty good enough.

Get them serviced, new braided brake line & decent pads will have it stopping properly.

Its all the SV racers use, so if its good enough for race use, it'll be good enough for the road.

[punyXpress]

Are the calipers the 'weakest link' ?
You haven't mentioned any suspension mods in your sig. Perhaps they might be the better cost/improvement option?

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by punyXpress

Are the calipers the 'weakest link' ?
You haven't mentioned any suspension mods in your sig. Perhaps they might be the better cost/improvement option?

Yes, another source of problems.

[Sid Squid]

Nothing else fits straight on to an SV - are we discussing an SV?

If they're working right, an SVs brakes are fine.

[Jayneflakes]

I serviced mine recently and the improvement was dramatic due to one piston sticking slightly. When I stripped and cleaned the callipers I removed a lot of dirt and grit and then cleaned everything up before greasing with red rubber grease and putting it all back together. New fluid and careful bleeding led to brakes that now feel fabulous.

Calipers like the F4i Nissans can be fitted pretty easily with a flat plate and suitable spacers. The spacers don't need to be attached to the plates. I made a cardboard template, then duplicated it out of thin aluminum to check that it was correct, then made plates to match out of 1/4" aluminum. Spacers can be sourced cheaply on-line. How difficult this is depends on your skills.
I think they are noticeably better, and you don't have to fuss with sliding parts to keep them working properly, just keep them clean enough so the pistons don't rust.
I don't know about the Brembos- if they are radial mount, I think it would be a tricky project to mount them to your SV fork legs.

[andrewsmith]

If your thinking twin pot brembos, there would be no gain. 888 calipers were conventional4 pots IIRC

written with a brio

Ok guys thanks for your advice, yes the bike is an sv650sk2, the front two are already serviced, never had any issues since they have had new seals and braided lines, just wondered if there was a popular caliper swap, regarding suspension- no mods have been done as of yet but when I had it serviced last week the front forks were mentioned as being overly soft with preload at the maximum already. I have plans to get some Ktech springs and fresh oil put in as soon as i can, but may be summertime before i can do so. The rear shock is standard too.

looks like I may aswell stick with the originals then as it may be too much hassle and expense since along with the rear caliper having to be split by the dealer at another £80 plus new disks in the near future its going to be a costly few months! Thanks for all the advice guys its good to have so many responses!

Originally Posted by mills94

along with the rear caliper having to be split by the dealer at another £80 plus new disks in the near future its going to be a costly few months! Thanks for all the advice guys its good to have so many responses!

I'd look for a used rear caliper on e-bay. I've had excellent success buying used calipers there.