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Main Area => General GS500 Discussion => Topic started by: sprint_9 on April 15, 2005, 02:12:45 PM

Title: Fork Idea/Question
Post by: sprint_9 on April 15, 2005, 02:12:45 PM
I was looking over my bike today and have always wondered if you can take a right fork leg and put it on the left side and have dual front brakes. If I get a brake system off a katana and put on there, I think with some spacing it might maybe work but I wanted to see if any of you have tried it or know of something that would prevent it from ever happening.  Thanks.
Title: Fork Idea/Question
Post by: Jared on April 15, 2005, 03:24:11 PM
If you're going to put the Katana Brakes on why not just swap to a whole Katana front end?

I *think* a bandit 400 leg/brake caliper/rotor  (left) will work for you if you feel like cobbling the brakes together... But the bandits tubes might be larger ( I remember something was different about them..)

Probably hard to find a good one/set off a bandit 400 anyway...

So.....I'd lean towards a Katana front end swap...
Title: Fork Idea/Question
Post by: werase643 on April 15, 2005, 07:28:04 PM
go for it....but the left caliper will be in front of the fork

why do you need a scond rotor....the gs will pull the back wheel of the ground.....what more do you need?
Title: Fork Idea/Question
Post by: paternoster2012 on April 15, 2005, 07:36:04 PM
I picke dup a set of kat forks for 50 bucks off ebay and sold my stock gs forks for 90

that leaves 40 bucks for the calipers and rotors
Title: Fork Idea/Question
Post by: sprint_9 on April 16, 2005, 09:20:48 AM
Hmmm, I think the bandit's have bigger forks, like 41mm.  I would do a front end swap but then you have to figure out what to do for a headlight, gauges.  I was just throwing around an idea cause Ive always wondered if it would work.
Title: Fork Idea/Question
Post by: paternoster2012 on April 16, 2005, 09:36:00 AM
you could always have someone weld the caliper mounts onto the fork leg
Title: Fork Idea/Question
Post by: sprint_9 on April 16, 2005, 02:59:32 PM
That would work too, never thought about that.
Title: Fork Idea/Question
Post by: Blueknyt on April 16, 2005, 04:14:27 PM
be very careful with that, the fork leg is cast then machined to specs,i had a crack below the caliper mount on mine, just enough to leak fork oil through onto caliper. had it welded by a pro, looked good, but the walls are so thin the basemetel malformed inside and i couldnt put the tub back into the leg, the bushing would hit and lock.  The GS brakes are good but here is couple issues i found.  

1 the rotors are expensive and arent as plentiful as the kat600's in my opinion.

2 im positive the caliper designe helps add to rotor warpage and uneven pad wear as the slide rails get worn, rusty/dirty and bind progressively more with age.  whereas opposed pistons give equal pressure from both sides of disc and the caiper doesnt need to shift

3 the katana rotors may be smaller in diameter but not by a whole lot  and i still feel 2 rotors doing the work of one makes for better brakes with less stress on a single given rotor. under braking, your also stressing/flexing both forks insted of twisting one like the single disc setup

ive got complete front brake sysem, i need kat forks,wheel and rotors now.