Want more stopping power

[Pete68]

Hi all,
How or what experience have you had with the wooden brake feel of the front brakes ( 02 st1100 ). Any recommendations for pad type could be helpful.
My older one (90)was the same , bled the lines new pads ..Still one hell of a pull the bring it to stop quickly.

 

[Upt' North]

ABS or non ABS.
The non ABS is perhaps a little hard to pull up quickly in comparison with ABS II.
From experience on other bikes they are what they are and you can spend a fortune on brake lines, new discs, pads etc just to find you are back where you started.
Honda pads work best in my experience and freshly serviced calipers give better brake feel.
You can fit a different master cylinder I think, maybe from a VFR but I'm not sure. But it has been discussed before so it'll be on here somewhere.
Good luck.
Upt'North.

 

[ad.hom]

Upgrade to a 1300 with ABS

Don't worry, someone will be along with a serious answer shortly.

 

[Upt' North]

Upgrade to a 1300 with ABS

Don't worry, someone will be along with a serious answer shortly.

But of course you're right.
12 years of development counts for a lot.
Upt'North.

 

[Pete68]

ABS or non ABS.
The non ABS is perhaps a little hard to pull up quickly in comparison with ABS II.
From experience on other bikes they are what they are and you can spend a fortune on brake lines, new discs, pads etc just to find you are back where you started.
Honda pads work best in my experience and freshly serviced calipers give better brake feel.
You can fit a different master cylinder I think, maybe from a VFR but I'm not sure. But it has been discussed before so it'll be on here somewhere.
Good luck.
Upt'North.

Thanks for that , its non abs.
30k on clock and mint full service life ..So Honda pads next then..

 

[Oldbikefixr]

My 1991, non ABS, stops with almost as much authority as my 2006, which is also non ABS. No wooden or stiff feel to it. Honda pads.

 

[dwalby]

While the ST1100 is a bit of a beast to bring down to a halt, the brakes shouldn't feel wooden. The OEM Honda pads are HH friction rated, and its possible to fit certain EBC pads that are GG friction rated (lower friction rating) but are the exact shape of the stock ST pads and are compatible. The correct EBC pads are called FA142HH, the GG rated ones are just called FA142 as I recall. You may want to check the pads to see what's in there, if its something with a GG rating it wouldn't be a bad idea to swap them out with something that's HH rated.

 

[Al st1100]

front brake do about 70% of the stopping so if expecting the rears to stop on a dime thats not going to happen. I have used different pads on mine and don't find much difference in stopping power.

 

[ChriSTian_64]

Well, something you already know, but good to remember from time to time : you can't expect sportbike performance from a heavy touring bike. A 1000 cc sportbike (blackbird, fireblade) weight two third the weight of an ST1100.

The ST1100 wet weight is near 700 lbs.
Sitting on it, we're over 900 lbs.

Just as a reminder :
The brake power required to stop a vehicle varies directly with its weight and the “square” of its speed.

 

[rwthomas1]

I've noticed that it's a bit of a firm pull initially. However once they bite, they bite hard. Often I find myself releasing pressure a bit after the initial grab, and build up to max pressure exerted. Almost as if the pads/rotors become more effective as they heat up a bit. Honda pads. Could be my imagination...

RT

 

[red one]

Nothing wrong with mine. Honda oem pads.

 

[Larry Fine]

Even racers prefer OEM or similar (sintered) over carbon, ceramic, etc. pads.

 

[Slydynbye]

It wouldn't hurt to replace the 20+ year old Line with a new Braided line. It can increase the feel and possibly give you more brake power.

 

[paulcb]

IMO, you can try different pads/rotors and/or braided lines, but it won't help a lot. You've still got the same force (pressure*area) applied via the 2-piston calipers and the same diameter rotor. New pads might give you a higher coefficient of friction, but not significant. The 3-piston calipers of the ABSII ST11 provide much more braking power than the 2 piston of the non-ABS and ABSI models. Another option is a master cylinder with a smaller bore diameter. This will give you a higher pressure at the pistons, thus a higher force. The trade off will be a longer stroke on the master cylinder. I've not heard of anyone doing that on an ST, but it's done on sport bikes.

 

[Larry Fine]

I may have bigger and stronger hands than average, but I have never found a need for greater braking power than stock.

 

[Pete68]

IMO, you can try different pads/rotors and/or braided lines, but it won't help a lot. You've still got the same force (pressure*area) applied via the 2-piston calipers and the same diameter rotor. New pads might give you a higher coefficient of friction, but not significant. The 3-piston calipers of the ABSII ST11 provide much more braking power than the 2 piston of the non-ABS and ABSI models. Another option is a master cylinder with a smaller bore diameter. This will give you a higher pressure at the pistons, thus a higher force. The trade off will be a longer stroke on the master cylinder. I've not heard of anyone doing that on an ST, but it's done on sport bikes.

I did think about the number of pistols ont caliper. I'm not as 'I'm going to rip the bike' apart rebuild like I used to be ,but I wonder if other calipers would fit....
Been spoilt , had cbf1000r for a few weeks , boy could it stop quickly.
Or my be I just ride a touch slower

 

[ST1100Y]

Overhaul the entire system properly, give it a serious, thorough bleed with a top brand (super DOT4) brake fluid...
New brake lever, brass bushing, MC and SC kits, the whole thing...
I've OEM brake lines and stop that rig with only 2 fingers (+ a big toe) on mewling tires... my pressure points are steady and feel like trying to squeeze hard rubber...

 

[Ron]

Take a look at this thread. The master cylinder (VFR800) is swapped for the ST one. It has a smaller bore. Are you are comfortable doing it? Buy the master cylinder off a breaker or ebay. Stay with Honda pads and rotors.

www.st-owners.com/forums/threads/brake-master-cylinder-swap.168536/


I did the mentioned clutch master cylinder, slave cylinder and lever swap and am very happy with it.

www.st-owners.com/forums/threads/clutch-master-cylinder-swap.167869/

 

[Uncle Phil]

I installed an ABSII front end and the ABSII calipers on my standard and I could do a 'stoppie' now!
A little radical but I am super pleased with the results.

 

[Flexit]

The only thing that ever made any difference was braided lines. On my outfit, the front brake system also feeds my sidecar brake, with braided lines fitted I have easy and solid braking pressure. My solo has standard lines and when I swap bikes I have an immediate difference, more spongy on the solo, but still perfectly adequate. Both bikes always fitted with OEM pads after some very poor results in the early days with others.