Although the SV brakes are on the budget side of things, they are quit capable if properly cared for.

A 99 on original hoses, isn’t going to be working at its optimum anyway, however IMHO all SV’s should have a minimum of springs & oil done to correct a basic limitation of the bike, unfortunately people believe this is how the bike should feel just because it rode like that from new and end up riding around a problem not even realizing they are doing it, so that’s a prerequisite as far as I’m concerned.

Braking performance is about feel, just about any setup will work (as in stop the wheel turning), but the feel you get or don’t is the limiting factor in how you use them.

Well cared for calipers, double H pads, on good original lines (3-4 years then replaced, yes they brake down internally) or braided ones, will increase the feedback you get tremendously, and make them more than capable given the performance of the machine.

Although you could change the whole front-end it’s an expensive business, by all means do it if that’s what your hobby is but it’s not an economic brake mod by any means.

Another option could be GSXR adaptor plate, but once again the effects will be limited on old original lines and without the front end being sorted.

Cheers Mark.

Hmm. I have also noticed how under-powered the brakes are on teh standard SV. I may invest in some braided lines and EBC HH sintered pads but after riding a Ninja and a Z1000 the brakes just seem pants. Z1000 brakes are phenomenal.

What he said. Even that bloke that was trying to sell GSX-R caliper adapters for SVs here conceded that there was little/no point putting meaty brakes onto the stock front end (at least until the springs/fork oil etc. were changed).

Cheap alternative: Only ride as fast as you can see to be clear. :wink:

Braided Lines?
 

Any recommendations on buying braided hoses for the front end?
Mitch

Have to say my brakes still feel fine. Not sports bike good, but definately ok. All I've done is change to a heavier fork oil. There was a bit of messin' with the air gap but after that it was fine.

Re: Braided Lines?
 

Goodridge, Earls's or Hel all good stuff. Avoid anodised ally ends, get stainless. Plastic covered hoses are worth the extra couple of quid. Uncovered braided hoses can abrade through a plastic hugger/fender in a few hundred miles of they're rubbing.

Wee word for the other side... SV parts are expensive, GSXR parts are comparatively cheap. The reason being, most people bend SV front ends than GSXR. If your front end is in good condition, the resale value should cover most of if not all of the cost of a GSXR front end swap- if you used, say, a SRAD 600 front you could come out ahead. Probably should come out ahead. With just a couple of cost-cutting moves I'd have come out ahead with mine (the powdercoating and a new tyre and master cylinder messed that up...)

Only problem with that is that you either need the funds to pay up front then sell the bits, or you need to sell the bits first and have your bike off the road till you can get the new bits.

The actual frontend/brakes maybe, but there are some things which are a lot more costly. GSXR brake seals for one. Recently looked into the cost of getting new dust and fluid seals for the GSXR 4-pots. P&H quoted me £37 per set, per caliper :shock: so if you want to overhaul the brakes before fitting them to your bike (which given the unknown age and history of second hand parts, probably is a good idea) then this could increase the cost quite a bit.

Good point that. Also fork seals are harder to change on USDs. Also, insurance might go up. Still, the same would be true if you just fit the calipers.

Glad you are riding some good bikes!!