front brakes

I have in the past done all the work and the problem was the master cylinder, so you might need to get a servicing kit for it and replace the seals. After which the brakes where back to there 2 fingered greatness.

[Viney]

Originally Posted by fast-lad

can't be any air in system as they have had nearly 1 litre of fluid bled through?

cheers steve

That means nothing. In the old days i used over 2 litres of fluid and still had air in the system. Its the method used to beleed brakes, not the ammount of fluid.

Many poeple say that the brakes are rubbish on the SV. Agreed they are not Gixxer standard, but they are more than up to the job when in full working order.

[Viney]

Gixxer claipers fit but need adapter plates.

[yorkie_chris]

Nowt wrong with SV brakes, just you need to be a little firmer with them. The problem is they totally overwhelme standard front end.

I agree with most that say there must be air in the system somewhere because oil or any liquid won't compress nomatter how hard you try.

One thing to remember is there are areas where air can be trapped as others have mentioned.

Yes in principal bleeding brakes is quite simple.... easy is another thing because air always wants to go up and you're trying to push it down so speed is quite useful. If the calipers are in good order then air really is the only other culprit.

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

The problem is they totally overwhelme standard front end.

Yeap, fit some progressive springs and oil to suit your weight and the brakes will be transformed also.

[dizzyblonde]

How do you know when the rubber hoses are past their sell by date? The brakes on my black SV were serviced by myself and YC a couple of months back but still seem poor. Thats compared to the yellow one with 8 year old braided hoses, newly serviced and a front end with prog springs and 15w oil...they stop on a pin with one finger!

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

How do you know when the rubber hoses are past their sell by date?

I think the service schedule on the standard hoses says replace after 4 years. Now IMHO this is a guideline and I know mine are the originals and it's an 02 with 30K and they look fine no cracks still it's always safer to follow the schedule.

As far as the steel braided ones they'll last as long as the bike and don't expand giving that mushy feeling the stock ones give that's what makes them perform better.

[rowdy]

Cheers fastlad, mentioned in another thread that I didn't like the front brakes and got endless posts saying there is nothing wrong with them, there is , they are cheap so never going to be brilliant (owned the bike from brand new ,tried different pads so the "brakes need servicing" doesn't apply). I too think that they lack feel, best thing to do is change forks and brakes for GSXR fare imo.

Originally Posted by rowdy

got endless posts saying there is nothing wrong with them

Doesn't that prove that the majority of SV riders say there is nothing wrong with the brakes then???

If you are going to post a thread and then ignore all the sensible advice given by peolpe who have owned and worked on SV's for many years then what was the point of the thread???

The SV's are raced, Minitwins, and the brakes have proven to be more than up to the job on the track and on the road. The SV is a budget bike, it had budget brakes, but again they are more than up to the job of stopping and controlling an SV.

Service the damn things properly and you will see a huge difference....

If you are used to bikes with non-budget brakes then yes you are going to say they aren't as good, but the fact is they are more than enough for the SV650!!!

It is also about they way you use them also...