Front Brake Upgrades For '89 FJ1200?

[Pat Conlon]

Blue and silver dot calipers uses stainless steel pistons




2002/2003 were the last 2 years for the Yamaha YZF R-1 axial mount monoblock calipers and they were gold dots and they used lighter aluminum pistons.


The cost of the oem piston seals for the gold dots is considerably less expensive than the blue/silver dots.

Thanks for the insight!

Does the master cylinder in the set I linked to above (in the ebay auction) look like a good choice? I'm assuming its the matching OEM part for the FZ-1 so that *should* be a keeper? (then again the original master cylinders on the FJ were a 'matched set' too...)

I was expecting to replace the seals/springs/piston and clean them out no matter what - IIRC, I've never rebuilt a caliper in my life that needed new pistons, and if they turn out to be ~that~ bad, I assume I could just make a new set anyway, maybe aluminum. Has anyone done this already?

Robbie....Yes, the choice in your link is a good one. Throw the brake lines and pads away. Clean around the piston seals. Use fresh fluid and see if everything works ok....only rebuild if you need to....the master is easy and cheap.
Those silver dot calipers have expensive seals....but still they are excellent calipers.
Don't bother trying to machine new pistons....just get a new set of calipers.

[Millietant]

I found this complete setup from a 2006, is this the same (functionally) as the Blue/Gold dotted calipers mentioned elsewhere?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/383059101411?fits=Model%3AFZ1&hash=item59301a06e3:g:weoAAOSwLmhdMje2

Please tell us you snagged that lot Robbie - that's a great deal.

[ribbert]

....Clean around the piston seals. Use fresh fluid and see if everything works ok....only rebuild if you need to....

This is good advice. When was the last time anyone had leaking calipers ?

Calipers only have one (barely) moving part, that's it! I have always subscribed to the idea of leaving them well alone while they're working. You start fiddling with things that don't need it and that's where the trouble starts. Also, brakes rarely fail but leak progressively, making early detection easy.

I could cite a number of high mileage vehicles that have never had hydraulic work done but the highest one I can vouch for was '78 Volvo 245 with nearly a million km's on it. I know this because almost exclusively I did the servicing and repairs all it's life. Even then, it's days only ended when it was hit while parked. The rubber brake hoses were also original and it only had one clutch replacement and the engine and gearbox were untouched, and, just to throw the cat amongst the pigeons, it spent it's entire life running on shit oil.

Noel

[Pat Conlon]

The new Volvo's go 12,000 miles between oil changes....
It's a sealed engine so you gotta go to the dealer $$$.

[Motofun]

The new Volvo's go 12,000 miles between oil changes....
It's a sealed engine so you gotta go to the dealer $$$.

I hope they go broke doing BS like this^^^.  Of course with the pending end of ICE they probably don't care.

[Millietant]

My 2010 Volvo V70 D5 (twin turbo diesel, 240bhp, 500Nm) has over 200k miles out and it's service and oil change intervals are every 18,000 miles. Don't need a dealer to do either though - my best friend (and FJ Racer) has done all my servicing since the first free one at his local garage business.

It still runs sweet and strong  

I remember my mother in laws 2014 Subaru Forrester had to go in for oil change every 4,000 miles and all of my families vehicles in the US have ridiculously short oil change intervals vs anything we have here. I really don't understand why - the Forrester here has 12,000 miles oil change intervals and I can't see any difference between the engines/cars to warrant such differences.

[Pat Conlon]

The new Volvo's go 12,000 miles between oil changes....
It's a sealed engine so you gotta go to the dealer $$$.

I hope they go broke doing BS like this^^^.  Of course with the pending end of ICE they probably don't care.

I agree.....BMW does the same thing with their cars.
My friend Dave has an X-3 and I asked him, "How much oil does it hold? I've heard German cars typically hold an extra 2 quarts of oil...." Dave said, "I have no idea, the engine is sealed. There is no way for the owner to add oil. If you need to add oil, your computer tells you and you have to schedule a service appointment at the BMW dealer."
I asked, "How much does an oil change cost at the BMW dealer?"
Dave said, "about $480".

No thank you.

[RobbieKNobbie]

Please tell us you snagged that lot Robbie - that's a great deal.

Yes I did! The package is due in tomorrow, so I'll have a better idea what I've gotten myself into then.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to install them this weekend, but the wife wants to go out to look at tile to redo the bathroom so I'm not holding out much hope.

[ally]

I've a pair of yzf750 6 pots waiting to go on my 3CV, looking forward to them

[RobbieKNobbie]

Got the brakes in today (Fedex likes to deliver everyone's packages to one address in the complex and let us figure out where our stuff went. Nice) and they look surprisingly clean. The pads have about .105 to .115 of material on them, so I think I'd rather put new ones on when I install the calipers. The pistons are cad plated steel and from what I can see look pretty clean, so no need to mess with them.

So for the most part I'm pretty happy.

Have to get a lever though, any suggestions?

[fj1289]

Got the brakes in today (Fedex likes to deliver everyone's packages to one address in the complex and let us figure out where our stuff went. Nice) and they look surprisingly clean. The pads have about .105 to .115 of material on them, so I think I'd rather put new ones on when I install the calipers. The pistons are cad plated steel and from what I can see look pretty clean, so no need to mess with them.

So for the most part I'm pretty happy.

Have to get a lever though, any suggestions?

Yes to new pads!  You have no idea if the old pads have been contaminated, etc.  when I did blue dots several years ago I reused the old pads.  HORRIBLE.  NO stopping power.  Replaced the pads - EXCELLENT brakes!  Old ones must have been contaminated. 

[red]

I've been trying the search feature but end up with a lot of posts to sift through. What modifications are usually performed to help make the front brakes actually work better than the rear?  Thank you
~JM~

~JM~,

Just basics:  Stainless Steel braided brake lines will be a large help.  You can get tailored kit$, or most good hydraulics shops can copy what you have there.  Get the banjo ends that pivot (twist), because hydraulic hoses do not do that.  Unless you have ABS brakes, you can use a longer banjo bolt, and install a separate brake hose down to each caliper, with two ends together at the master cylinder.  You can get bleeder banjo bolts, making it easy to bleed the vertical brake lines.  They cost ~US$20 at the right shops, and over twice that much, at the wrong shops.
You can get aftermarket brake pads, for a better grip.  These are the usual small-dollar upgrades.  Hoses first.
Beyond that, you go for new calipers, rotors, and master cylinder, but unless you ride really hard, the costs may exceed the benefits, on those three items.

It would help us to help you, if you put your year and model of FJ in your signature or avatar text.  We hate to ask, every time.