Wee Brake System Overhaul & Upgrade

[Juvecu]

As I need to replace both my front disks and the rear disk I figured I'd make an effort to overhaul the whole brake system.

I plan to:
- replace front and rear disks
- replace front and rear brake hoses with braided ones
- install new seals in the front and rear brake calipers
- install new front and rear master cylinder seals
- new brake pads all round

It's a lot of work so I will probably do it in shifts. I'd appreciate if anyone can recommend some disks and hoses to me and maybe where you get them from.

Also, can someone explain if these wavey type disks are any better than the normal ones and why I'd appreciated it.

[Juvecu]

So I did a bit of searching and reading to try to answer my questions. I can't find any real benefit in using wave type disks on the Wee so I'll probably stick with the normal drilled ones unless I get some good reason not to or to use something else.

It seems EBC has disks for my Wee all round, are there any other manufacturer's that anyone would recommend?

As for the braided brake hoses, HEL sells some, I gather that they are good quality. Are there any other hose manufacturers that can be recommended?

[Eric The Viking]

I was told by a supplier at a show that wavey disks aren't prone to heat build up and warping as much as conventional ones.  personally I'm not that heavy on the brakes on the Vee so not an issue, but I've had 2 sets of normal discs on the ZZR so it'll be wavey on there next time for the little extra cost.

[Juvecu]

I decided I'll post some updates here as I go along to help anyone in the same situation. I'm going with EBC disks because (1) I know the name and I know they provide good quality products and (2) any company that has their stuff as well documented and make it that easy for you to get the part numbers and figure it all out deserves to get business. Point 2 sprouts from trying to find information and part numbers on competitor sites and giving up because it's such a mess.

I was going through the EBC catalog to find my options when I came accross a page that showed some new disks. They are called the X-Series (I don't know how new/old they really are) and they use some new fangled square drive rotor buttons. Long story short, they are lighter than normal ones and are fit both the left and the right side on the front wheel (same part and part number.) They also make a contoured (wave type) version of this, but I don't see myself going for that (even though it is just £10 extra for the wave ones.) So in the end I decided I'm buying the new X-Series disks and I start looking for a price. Imagine my surprise when I find that they are £10 less than the old type disks, result! I found a cheap site for these disks too: http://www.brakes4u.co.uk They have the front X series rotors for ~£132 each and the rear disk (standard carbon steel) for £47! That is very cheap compared to other sites and I can pay using Paypal so I'll give them a go.

They also sell HEL brake lines so I'm investigating my options at the moment and will update if I get some results in that category.

[Juvecu]

I searched around a bit more, ended up calling http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk to find out if they stocked the stuff I wanted. I have no idea what made me decide to call, I never do, if it's not on the website I normally CBA to buy from someone. Turns out they have the stuff I want and the prices were great with a free rear brake line and free postage thrown in. I couldn't miss a deal like that and after checking that I can't get it cheaper somewhere else easily I stuck it on my credit card.

Here's a list of what I got and what it cost (prices are including VAT):
EBC X-Series brake disks part #: MD3088X (x2) @ £244.70
Goodridge Front* Brake Lines (stainless steel ends, black sleeved) @ £73.24
Goodridge Rear Brake Line (stainless steel ends, black sleeved) @ £0.00!
EBC Rear steel brake disk part #: MD6232D @ £43.32
EBC rear brake pad part #: FA174** @ £13.89
Delivery @ £0.01!

So the total comes to: £375.16

The disks will last me longer than I'll have the bike for and the Goodridge brake lines have a lifetime warranty so I think it is money well spent.

* The front brake lines are in the same configuration as the OEM ones, meaning that they have the T-split connector on the mudguard, I specifically wanted this. I know they are a tad pricey, but I got them because I mentioned that they are overpriced and the bloke responded by throwing in a free rear line which then works out cheaper than buying both elsewhere.

** I accidentally bought some normal kevlar front brake pads a while ago, they are lying around in the garage. I bought a normal rear instead of an HH pad so that I can have the same pads all round when I put the disks on. When these are worn out I'll put HH pads on all round again.

The only things I still need is seals sets for the master cylinders and the front calipers.

[73bm73]

EBC break disks?
Hmmmm....
Beat me if I'm wrong, but haven't they problems about rust???

[2112]

The EBC's have a high iron content which means they can 'go orange' overnight, not a problem with regular use but if stored in a damp garage it could be a 'drag' (groan). High iron content however equals better stopping power due to superior heat absorbtion (less fade) and less risk of warping.

[Iggy]

Until the end of October, a pair of genuine Suzuki front discs is £200 for k4 - k6 models and £168 for k7. Yes - per PAIR !

See the 'My Suzuki' special offers on their UK web site.......


Iggy

[Juvecu]

The the X-Series uses higher friction mechanically destressed stainless steel and the hub is made of aluminium. This combined with the new square drive buttons gives a weight saving. Less unsprung weight = quicker handling. That's the sales yap yap that they have in the video they made about these new disks. I guess I'll find out soon enough if they are good or bad.