As we’ve already established, what I’m looking for is something that works just as well as the stock set-up but looks a lot sexier. Furthermore, I’m not really limited by budget. So as ingenious as it is I don’t think your solution is the answer.
It’s not a trap I’m falling into… I’m doing it willingly. My problem is I don’t know much about bike parts so I want advice on what is the most sought after bit of kit that would be appropriate for a bike of this era. I fully accept that I don’t need better braking performance. I just want a bike that is sexier. I appreciate that the Brembo t-discs are a better disc but I think the gold on the Supersport looks brilliant. Perhaps it’s because it’s the race bikes of the era had gold centre discs. As for calipers, as someone above mentioned, I think I need a monobloc in nickel I just don’t know which model within the Brembo range gets me what I want.
Up until last year I was running bog standard calipers and master cylinder on my track only 749R. I had Brembo HPK (not T drive) fitted. I ran it like this for about 10 years and always found it absolutely superb, one finger braking, no fade, great feel. Last year, I swapped to M4 calipers mainly because of the cost of replacing the 4 pad pads on the OE radial Brembos, and, because I just wanted a change. While I was at it, I fitted an RCS19 master cylinder that I bagged cheap on here (!) just for the shits and giggles. To be honest, I don’t think the calipers and RCS are brilliantly matched as although the brakes are still fab, some of the finesse I had previously has been lost. The brakes are now lacking the feel that I previously had. I may change back to the original master cylinder. In summary - original brake setup was more than adequate for my level of riding and it was always a pleasure to hear the “squwesssshh” when the brakes were lightly applied but with fantastic and controllable stopping power.
I do understand the sexiness thing although as I am 51, ai find the P4 on my racing 999 better looking than the Stylemas on my Streetfighter Just for brake and feel: P4 are better than M4 and I run them with standard discs, RCS19 and IMPORTANT Z04 and there isn’t much more braking and feel of it available on the market. Old but gold combination. Hideous pricing of the Z04 though, but again, brakes absolutely perfect. Up until a bigger crash a couple of years ago I managed to creep forward near the fastest guys on new racing machinery (I mean 4 to 5 secs off) and the braking power was still no limitation then!
Despite my predilection for sexy parts I think I've been talked into the following reasonably modest upgrade package: Brembo HPK Supersport discs Brembo RCS19 master cylinder Brembo Z04 pads Brembo Stylema calipers I love the look of the gold centres on the Supersport discs. I guess that was what came stock on the 749 R as well as what the look of the race bikes of the era was too. Master cyclinder and pads was a no brainer. When it came to calipers I couldn't decide so I just went with what my local dealer recommended. I guess no matter what I buy it's going to be an improvement on than what came stock on my 2005 749 biposto.
Stylemas and a 19 mm bore master cylinder are not a good match. The Stylema pistons are smaller than the 749R calipers and the feel at the lever will be hard and wooden. You could go for monoblocs with 34 mm pistons, but I believe the calipers you have on your 749r forks are the same as being raced on the V2 in Supersport. . T drives are the best discs that brembo make for sale to the public, but the Supersport are very, very close. As the 749 is not going to be travelling as fast down fast straights as a modern 1000cc bike, T drives would be overkill. Proper race pads, Castrol SRF and the Supersport discs will give you amazing, consistent brakes. Also, for track use, it may be worth ensuring your Ohlins are set up correctly for your pace to give you the right level of support under braking.
Appreciate the advice. The donor bike is a 749 biposto with a lot of 749 R parts on it including the forks however not the brakes. Other than the RCS19 master cylinder, which was fitted some time ago, everything needs to be bought. I'm interested in your view that the Stylema won't mate well with the RCS19. I've been running the RCS19 with the stock 749 caliper and it feels OK to me. I was originally planning on fitting GP4-RX or at the very least RS calipers but my dealer said it was unnecessary.
Stylemas have 32 mm pistons, and the optimum master cylinder bore is 17 mm. GP4 calipers have 34 mm pistons AFAIK as do yours I expect, which is a good match. There are formulas to calculate master cylinder size and provide guidance on how the lever feels with different combinations. I'm not saying 32 mm piston calipers won't work with a 19 mm bore cylinder, but it will be at one end of the spectrum referred to above, and some people may prefer it.
loving all the 749 love...i need to fettle mine after the poxy lawn is done. im bored of painting fairings so ill try to jam on my new to me oberon clutch slave keep the report rolling OP and wheres the photos?
Here is my 749 set-up with ZO4s, race line set up, but standard 749R MC. Shod with Dunlop 213s the brakes are epic as you might see from the compression at T14 Aragon. I just applied harder and harder brake after that, then had to add more pre-load and compression. Looking for an RCS19 for that extra feel when the rear gets a bit flighty.
Looks like you still have a good few mm of travel to play with there @Paul55 I haven’t got a photo like that but my fork travel indicator shows similar/greater. Those Ktech internals are really great for feel!
By the end of day one the preload and comp needed four turns and two clicks to prevent the bottoming out. BTW, the telltale will never reach the bottom, 5-10mm from the bottom is normal.
I'm running a rcs master cylinder, twin lines, hel calipers, Sr brembo pads, hpk 320 discs on my gsxr track bike, fantastic set up.
