...why the heck should good quality aftermarket parts perform worse than original OEM parts?
I'd guess that the OEM ones are specifically designed
for the individual vehicle*, whist after-markets are basically "universal"... despite all that glossy folder claims...
(Brake pads for the VRF750 have identical shape & design (but thinner lining IIRC) then the ones for the ST, still different P/Ns; also the front pads for the Deauville or CB500
appear identical, but just aren't...)
...so it seems its "just for looks" then that manufacturers make alternative rotors, lines, and other stuff then?
The
"general forest and meadow" tuning-stores surely do, for their average clients its all about looks...
Any serious tuner would do a quite different approach: go to the drawing board and break out the slide rule ;-)
Then they will come with some seriously expensive stuff like carbon-rotors, 6-piston callipers (so in total 12 on them front brakes) and such...
Fork swap it is then, bigger rotors, and six-pot calipers.
Let's also not forget the risk of too powerful brakes... you don't want to lock up the front wheel at every gentle touch either...
Which is what I think the Honda engineers had managed to carefully balance when designing the ST1100 stoppers... in comparison the brakes are huge, massive and aside any average motorcycle/rider the deceleration rates are (still) impressive... (the '94 ABS-I/TCS did beat the "magical" 35 meters in stopping from 60mph/100kph...)
But OK, the design of the
Pan-European AKA ST1100 origins in the mid/late 80ies...
(BTW, I lecture in motorcycle maintenance and restoration at a college in the UK)
Well, then you might not require my
quite individual brake bleeding technique, but I spill it anyway ;-)
First am I using an air-powered vacuum-bleeder; regular bleeder nipples on the callipers, nothing special... only my trusted BelRay fluid, and there always new, still sealed bottles...
- suck out all old fluid from the reservoir and top off with new fluid
- start bleeding at the furthest calliper, while topping off the reservoir
- commence bleeding on the closer calliper, but this time allow the level in reservoir to drop to the MIN line (never below of course...)
- push pistons on one calliper fully in and pump back out for
3 times
- repeat procedure on other calliper, also:
3 times
- repeat full bleeding procedure
again by starting at furthest, then working at the closest calliper, again keeping the reservoir level near the MIN at the end
- push all calliper pistons fully in again and
now is the moment to top off fluid level to the MAX line
- pump callipers back out (I use this moment to check on smooth and quick operation: spin wheel by hand and blip on the brake lever, the wheel should instantly stop with a "BAM!" but the callipers also instantly release the rotors again) and
tie brake lever to the handle (medium force, zip-tie, Velcro strip, piece of inner tube, bungee-cord, whatever is avail), and leave it for a couple of hours or even over night; one can do the same on the rear brake by hanging a hammer on the pedal...)
And then you might laugh your arse off about the fella next door on his highly modified GSX/RR/XX/whatever and his
specially made braided brake lines with titanium banjos/gold plated dunnowhat, complaining about a
mushy pressure point... cause in comparison your stoppers feel like grabbing a log... :lol: