Improving the brakes

[shamster]

Wife and I have been riding our "new" Hawk a bit more lately, and loving it! The only issue for me is I would like the brakes to be a bit stronger. Any suggestions as to what the most economical solution is that will help with this, keeping it "stock-like" formation? That is, not doing a major change like F2 front end or something.
Thanks in advance!

[SVHUNTER]

steel lines? brake pads?fork springs?preload caps?
Just a start

[ekubota]

This might be a good place to mention something.

My Hawk already has stainless brake lines front and rear. The pads are EBC Kevlar in the rear. Not sure about the front, but I think stock.

Anyway, the rear brakes are powerful with great feel. The front, not so much. There is a kind of dry slipping sound when I use them, and there's not very much bite. They're effective enough if you really grab a handful, but not as good as I feel like they should be. Is the fluid old/low? Should I get new pads?

Is it normal for Hawks to have better rear brake bite/feel than the front?

[robs321]

do the hawks have a 2 pot front caliper? because the bros has a 4 pot, if thats the case maybe there interchangerble?


cheers
Rob

[Dirk]

No , the 2 pot HAWK caliper and the 4 pot BROS caliper are not interchangeable . You need the left forkleg , a BROS wheel and the 320 mm BROS disk.

I use a EBC disc 316 mm , EBC HH pads , BREMBO 2 pot caliper (RC47) and a Ducati Monster 600 hand pump.
It works very fine

Or you can use an adaptor to fit a BREMBO 4 pot caliper like Uwe do that

http://www.hawk-gt.de/

He says , it´s a two fingers breake now. He also use a BREMBO disc

Or you search for a nice Honda stock 3 pot caliper , this one , it is from a CBF 1000 (SC??) and fits into the HAWK without any changes

[dagus]

I installed stainless lines (an absolute freakin' must) and plan to get new EBC pads soon (which I'm told have plenty of bite compared to stock) while I'm saving up the three bills to do it the right way:
Steve Lenac's front brake kit.

http://www.hawkworks.net/listerpix/steve_lenac/

I always say you could pull an endo in a school bus with these things. Ian Baille let me ride his Hawk with them installed, and they have some stopping power, boy!!!

[shamster]

Thanks guys! So that brake line alone will make a world of difference?

That's actually the "problem" for me. I regularly ride a CBR600RR, so maybe I'm just used to that braking, where a light 2 finger squeeze is usually enough. On the Hawk, it feels like I really need to squeeze the brake to make it stop more effectively. I realize that we're comparing dual radial discs vs single, but I would like to start somewhere.

Thanks again!

[dagus]

Steel lines and EBC pads will be enough. Milktree races his Hawk with that setup. If you want to stop like it's a CBR, go with Lenac's kit.

[shamster]

That kit does look awesome though. Definitely a consideration in the near future. BTW, those blue rotors look awesome.

What is the best stainless steel line to get? I was looking at the Galfer's catalog, but not sure which part number for the Hawk.

[dagus]

I heard something about the red-colored Galfer lines turning pink after a while. Caveat Empror, bro.

I have no idea what brand my lines are. A mechanic friend ordered them for me through his shop when I first bought the bike.

[SVHUNTER]

Call Hord! He did mine.

[Blade_Zero]

What are you opinons of the BROS brakes, I have HH pads on the front caliper of my BROS but no steel lines yet. I can get away with 2 finger braking plus the rear for emergency. Having said that I don't late brake, as the forks are stock and dip severely if you grab a handfull of brake just before the corner.

Why did they give the Hawk weaker brakes than the BROS?

Blade.

[nomoduc]

Go with the Lenac's Kit. It's awesome. I had the F2 front end, but like you, I wanted to keep the stock look. That thing is AWESOME. Or you can just buy the adapter seperate and get the other stuff on your own. But might as well get it all at once. That was one of my better investments..

[Abquid]

Is Steve Lenac available? Alternatives?

Hi,

I emailed Steve Lenac about his kit, but haven't heard back. Does anybody know if he's still doing these? If not, does anybody have any kind of template and/or measurements for the bracket? I might be able to fab one myself...

Has anybody tried the 3-pot Nissin in the CBF1000 photo? It does look like it could be a direct bolt-on for the Hawk...anybody know of any other bikes that use this one?

Last of all, does anybody have a stock caliper they want to sell?

-A recent graduate of the disc lock brain trust

[SVHUNTER]

i've got a complete front set up. Shoot me a offer.