Newbie needs advice on brakes upgrade on GS 1000

[Thierry]

"Newbie" refers to this being my first day on this forum, not my age (if only!).

A mere 44 years after parting with my beloved '77 GS 550 E, I am about to ride a GS again, this time a '79 GS 1000 E (I know, some guys are deprived of any imagination).

More concerned with my safety and that of others than with authenticity, I would like to improve the stopping power of my ride.

Anybody here have upgraded successfully the brakes on their GS 1000? What works well, and what should be avoided? Tragicallly, the worst mistakes are unlikely to be reported first-hand,  but I will take second-hand advice from those who were witnesses to those lethal errors.  

Thank you for your kind and enlightened advice. 

[Gsxrsam]

Welcome..

Most in here are thrifty with cash, so would just put a full bandit front end in, for less money than period correct aftermarket calipers......

[Swiss Toni]

As Sam says! Quick and easy. Swap stems, and away you go!  You can also improve the Bandit forks easily too. And welcome to OSS.
Our motto? ‘We like pictures!’

Edited June 5, 2023 by Swiss Toni

[wraith]

Welcome to OSS

Think someone in the projects pages used fzr1000 discs and calipers with caliper adapter plates (home made)

You can get Lockheed calipers to fit straight onto the GS but they a very hard to find these days.

[Thierry]

Thank you for the advice.

There are not any modern or recent calipers that are easily available and would be a plug and play fit onto the  GS 1000 fork?

[Thierry]

And if not, what model are these Lockheed calibers?

[Swiss Toni]

AP Classic. Getting pricy now. 

[wraith]

3 hours ago, Thierry said:

And if not, what model are these Lockheed calibers?

Aftermarket race part, don't think they make them anymore and finding second hand ones is hard to say the least.

Don't know of any plug and play that goes straight on to the GS forks, one of the problems is the GS discs are thicker than more modern discs.

[Thierry]

OK, thank you for the information and help!

[slayer61]

There's a fella on this side who goes to your side from time-to-time, I guess. He does some brake upgrades and might be worth talking to, if you've a mind. He's called "salty_monk" on the GSR site.

 

https://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/forum/technical-forums/performance-tuning-mods/33111-twinpot-brake-upgrade-on-78-skunk

 

 

[Thierry]

Thank you for the tip and for the link, Paul. I will try getting in touch with Salty Monk 

[Dezza]

Have you serviced your OEM calipers and master cylinder, and then fitted decent modern brake pads and stainless braided hoses? This can make a big difference and is a good starting point.

[Safra]

Interesting upgrade I've seen was cbr900 rotors and sv650 dl650 dl1000 calipers it would require brackets,spacers and bushings

[Thierry]

6 hours ago, Dezza said:

Have you serviced your OEM calipers and master cylinder, and then fitted decent modern brake pads and stainless braided hoses? This can make a big difference and is a good starting point.

I actually sent the bike for a comprehensive service and requested stainless braided hoses, but the mechanic said that it was "not necessary"; these days, mechanics have become artists who do as they see fit, not according to the requests of the customers; but is is on my bucket list, just to be performed by another guy.

[Thierry]

4 hours ago, Safra said:

Interesting upgrade I've seen was cbr900 rotors and sv650 dl650 dl1000 calipers it would require brackets,spacers and bushings

Thank you Safra; I do not have access to people who would be able or willing to fabricate the brackets, so I am looking for complete kits. 

[Dennisgs1085]

Fireblade discs and Kwak calipers can be made to fit.

[Dennisgs1085]

I also fitted another set with SV650 calipers on my GS850.

[Thierry]

Thank you for the photos Dennis; I assume that you fabricated these brackets? Neat work! 

[Dennisgs1085]

Yes brackets made by myself. Adapter with Kwak caliper carrier.

Edited June 8, 2023 by Dennisgs1085

[Thierry]

Great job!

[jensvonbustenskjold]

Might be late to the party, but I found this site. I think it's a list of calipers you can use:

https://rbitter.home.xs4all.nl/GS1000_front-brake-upgrade.html

[Thierry]

Definitely not too late, Jens; this is very good, it gives a lot of options.

Many thanks! 

[Dennisgs1085]

That's the salty monk conversion. Same calipers I have on my gs1000, but with bracket on inside of fork.

[Thierry]

I replaced as planned the rubber lines on the front brakes with stainless steel braided items, and braking became instantly, perfectly acceptable (at least, for my type of riding). I had planned to do it all along, but was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of urgency when I squeezed the front brake handle while standing next to the bike, and saw the diameter of said rubber lines expand by several mm: they were actually the original, 45 years old items! 

So Dezza (and I) were right, and once I apply the same treatment to the rear brake, stopping the old filly will be a piece of cake.

Thanks to Dezza and everyone else for their good advice; the lists of adaptable calipers and disks will come in handy whenever I decide to give my bike the resto-mod treatment (which I have done to both of my other vehicles from the '70s).

In response to Swiss Toni's request, here is a picture of the GS 1000, after it was spruced up (but not a nut and bolt restoration).

 

 

[bitzz]

On 6/5/2023 at 3:04 PM, Swiss Toni said:

AP Classic

AP CP2195

They're making them again. Not quite the same, they now are ambidextrous.

A more modern 4 pot is a FAR better choice... even a 2 pot Yamaha caliper off a RD is a better choice