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First of all, change the original
brake lines and fit
rigid ones. Today, in any FJ model, they are well past their service limit (Yamaha
recommend brake lines changed at 2 years intervals),
so rid off them. The best setting is fitting 2 lines only, straight on from the master cylinder
to each caliper, not the 3 original lines, even although these
are prettier to my taste.
The FJ 1100 and FJ 1200 -88 original auto-ventilated discs, in good shape, are far away better than the FJ 1200 88 on ones, that could warp due to intensive using. Read my test with my friend Mingo´s 1TX. Only change the master cylinder for better feel & power, with insufficient flow). This is a recommendation valid for all FJ series and another Yamaha of the era, such as FZR 600/1000, TDM... FJs from 1988 on have an ugly problem with their brakes: with metallic hoses, the feeling is very hard, but without brake force. I change the master cylinder too and test a lot of pads. The problem are the calipers: I experienced the same problems in the FZR 1000 and the FZR 600 and after playing with pads, master cylinders, discs and hoses, my conclusion is that the original gold painted 4 pots calipers are RUBBISH. So an improvement in brakes is the 1st item you must do in your FJ. Those are the conclusions of the items I have tested
Harrison billet calipers: fantastic 4 pots ones that I fitted in my FJ 1100. Expensive but effectives, with 4 little pads in each caliper (one for piston). Fantastic feel even with the original master cylinder. The problem is their tendency to leak brake fluid by the piston seals and the shims that you have to play with to centre the disc in the caliper. A complete pain in the arse. I can not recommend them.
The best solution is to fit the new Yamahas blue, silver or gold calipers buying them from a breaker. Mines are from my poor Fazer 600. These are the only things that survived to my crash. They fit straight on in the original front brake mounts. Fit a Fazer 600, 1000 or FJR 1300 master cylinder (all of them are the same item) and your brakes will be awesome. Be careful to choose the Nissin master cylinder, because starting in 2003 Yamaha changed to Brembo and these are not as good as the Nissin ones. I have tested these calipers with the original FJ master cylinder and the brakes feeling is too hard, doing the brakes like a switch on/off, without modulation control. On june 2012 I changed to 2003 R 1 gold calipers only because the bike looks better. I've feel not difference at all
The master cylinder change is imperative:
even more brake power, and best of all, more feeling and better
control of this power. See too my friend Jose Carlos GSXR 1000
master cilinder adaptated., very ugly to my taste: the Fazer
master cilinder looks integrated and both solutions are equally
awesome when stopping
PADS I strongly recommend the OE R1 Summimoto Yamaha pads: yes, these are expensive, but on power, feeling and matching your disc material, these are the best far away. This advice is useful for the 1100 & 1TX models too. And if you have mounted the blue pots, use the OE R1 gold pads: WOW!!
On
February 2012 I fitted GOLDFREN pads to my Honda CBX 750. The
brakes have improved no end compared with the HH Ferodo pads
fitted previously. The Goldfren pads compound look very similar
to the Yamaha R1 pads compound. The Goldfren are less than half the price of the Yamaha OE ones, so now I fitted those in S33 compound for road use, or, for fast road pace, even better, GP5 compound. GALFER G1375 compound are superb, even with more sensible & progressive feeling than the S33 Goldfren Code pad FD178 IMPORTANT: use always organic pads (black ones) on the first FJ series callipers, those with auto-ventilated discs. I include 2 references on the pics. If you use modern sintered pads you will destroy the disc compound. The EBC pads must be WITHOUT the HH code Best pads for the 1st series are de original equipment Sumitomo, like on the pic. Tested
The OE rear brake is an excellente unit in power and feel. My actual GSXR 1100 rear adapted is not match for the OE unit. But the quality of the OE rear calliper is very bad. The piston corrode fast and stick in the calliper, searing the rear disc in the process. It need a carefully annual cleaning and protecting with red grease
ABS FRONT BRAKE MASTER REPLACEMENT
The OE front brake master is clearly no match for the FJs performance, so, like we have seen, the improvement with another master with more flow is imperative and and easy improvement, and with Yamaha Summimoto callipers from the new series, a fabulous and necessary upgrade to enjoy the full potential of our bikes. But for the ABS equipped FJs the mod is not so easy or straight on because the ABS connections to the master cylinder. Thanks to my friend Xavier, member of our Spanish FJ group, for the document included with the solution to perform the brakes upgrade in the ABS serie. CLICK at the pic to download the document
Summimoto 4 pot callipers The distance between mounting holes of the Summimoto monoblock callipers form the Yamaha conventional braked last series is 100 mm. those blue, gold o plated external coloured pistons, so don't fit for a replacement instead of the single opposed pistons original equipment for the FJs first series to 1987, with 83 mm. So to fit those monoblock callipers the fork low ends must be replaced from the last series, 1.988-1992, without the antidive, fitting new discs and 17" front rim. In most EU countries this mod must be legalized, adding costs to the mod.
To
keep the OE 16" front inch, with all its advantages in absorbing
bumps and handling, but need more brake power, you must look for
EXCLUSIVELY
FZR400 RR SP 3TJ, TZR250 3MA
(reverse cylinder) or TZR 250 3XV V twin callipers. Others
FZR 400/600 or 250 series don't fit: the auto-ventilated disc is
too tick. IMPORTANT note: the new callipers go straight on, but you need 1 std shim inserted between the fork support and the calliper mounting hole in order to center the callipers with the disc. The brake hoses system is maintained exactly the same. Pads are the same used for the blue/gold/silver Summimoto conventional callipers. IMPORTANT note: the pads must be organics or GG code, discs material compatible, NOT sintered pads. Goldfren S33 compound are very good.
Side to side with my STD 1TX with 16" Nissin master and Kyoto organic pads, the brake power is similar at hogh speed, but the main difference is found at the end of the braking, from around 100 km/h to full stop. With 14" Nissin master and Kyoto semi-sinterized pads, Mingo´s brakes are much more sensitive, with much more feeling at the lever and with less effort the results are better. My bike at this speeds are like a switch ON/OFF. If you increase the force, the bike stops. If not, no. Having my OE callipers in perfect shape the difference is not too much. The marginally increased brake force, and better, feeling at the lever got with the Mingo settings do me to finally buy and fit a set of these callipers. RECOMMENDED
3CV 3CV original 298 mm semi-floating discs, metallic hoses, 16 "Nissin master, GoldFren S33 pads and gold R1 Summimoto callipers.
Objective data obtained with
the Yamaha MyRide app on various routes riding on both
motorcycles from May to September 2,019
All on several routes, also almost always riding from sea level to 2,300 m. of altitude in scarce 30 km. And conversely, the app is best used to test braking in vertiginous descents.
With FZR 400 RRSP callipers
the 1TX achieves values between -7.41 to -11.31 m / sg2
Tokico
callipers from Triumph models
Straight on fitment too, like the previous callipers. We must look the callipers with 83 mm. distance mounting holes, fitted for the third Triumph generation series, i.e. Daytona 600, presented in the pics illustrating this mod. The Triumph logo has been deleted with a radial hacksaw and painted after. I think any Tokico calliper from other models (i.e. Kawasaki), would fit with the correct distance between mounting points
But, like you see at the
pics, there is a problem: the pads are too large, covering and
exceeding the wear track of the brake plate. To solve it, Javier, from Valencia, member of the Spanish owner group, opted for removing the exceeding material from the brake pad with the radial hacksaw, like you can see at the pics. For me, the best solution could be to choose brake pads for Yamaha monoblock callipers instead of the appropriate Triumph designed for. I've been checking measures and change from brand to brand in large, tick and wide measures.
Another problem is that you must change your brake lines with special banjos, adding cost to the improvement. When we fit & test the alternative pads this mod will be update. If anyone have done it, please mail me and inform. In reference to the results of this mod, Javier says that the difference is like day at night with reference to the original callipers, that Javier had fitted with Fazer master and metallic hoses. Tested by myself this summer 2019, the brakes are like any other modern brake setup, or like the Summimoto conversion: tremendous power AND feeling, not only brute power like the my OE 1TX callipers with master and hoses. RECOMENDED
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