ok well i got the katana front end swap done and its so sweet.  it feels so much beter but it does feel odd having such narrow handle bars down. (ill get build pics up tomarow) but new problem and you can go ahead and start laughing cause its almost funny for me too.

brakes

obviously they should be beter duel 4 pistons and twin rotors.  well since i also got a Kat master cycl i had to beed all the fluid out so i when ahead and just squezed all the fluid out to replace all the brake fluid.  i also forgot to tighten the brake lines at the calipers down (start of my problem i think) so i started bleading them with some nice Dot 5 fluid. but still felt funny then i found the leeking lose ftiings at this point the calipers are coated in fluid. so i tighten them and finish of bleeding now the brakes feel GREAT very firm......... but they don't stop.

my hand hurts from having to pull on the brake lever so hard yesterday.  somthings up i did spray some brake cleaner on the rotors but that was about 20 hours after the fluid got on them they seemed to get alittle better the second day of riding not much but alittle. and the bike will stop pretty well but you REALLY have to pull on the lever

1. is there still Bfluid on them brakes?
2. does brake cleaner not lossen up silicon based fluid?
3. is it mainly that the brake pads of the 97 suck and the little fluid isn't helping

any other ideas?

I believe you mixed two completely incompatible brake fluids together. 

Dot 3, 4, 5.1 are compatible because they're glycol based.   
Dot 5 is silicone based and won't mix with the latter.

Double check the pad alignment in the calipers - if they are hung up -that can produce the problem you are having.

rotormay be clean; but how about the pads?

if you got ANY brake fluid on the pads, They wont work worth a

Mdow - you put 97 what on a 89-95 fork How ? you running 96-97 legs too ?? if so, you're buying 89-95 triples from me, you do know those aren't gonna fit it
All parts have to be 89-95, random mix and match wont work ...
I just sent your triples out, but I need 89-95 triples back from you. Yes knuckles as well.
On a kat swap only 5 parts are needed.
legs, triples and stem, brakes m/c, calipers and discs, axle and handle tubes. AFAIK, they all have to be of the same design. 89-96 or 96-97 or 98-whatever ...
Ohm 97 calipers are single action dual piston, you have the disks properly inside the pads ? Are its slider pins nice and clean and lubed ?
Cool.
Buddha.

Legs   97 750
upper triples   89 600
stem     year unknown but its GS500
Lower tripple  year unknown but its katana
brake m/c  97  600
calipers    97 600
discs   97  750
axle   97 750
handle tubes  89 600
fork brace  94 GS
fender  94 GS

all these years bolt up just fine

Quote from: ATLRIDER on September 22, 2008, 06:57:29 AM
I believe you mixed two completely incompatible brake fluids together. 

Dot 3, 4, 5.1 are compatible because they're glycol based.   
Dot 5 is silicone based and won't mix with the latter.

i bleed it all out i ran about a quart of dot 5 threw it after draining all the dot 4 nothing was coming out other then blue for a long time and the lever is not spungy at all its super firm

Quote from: Jared on September 22, 2008, 08:13:27 AM
Double check the pad alignment in the calipers - if they are hung up -that can produce the problem you are having.

if i lift the front end up the wheel spins fine and i have checked all the pads will wiggle alittle but as soon as you touch the brakes none of them move so all the pistons are working

Quote from: littleblackjeep on September 22, 2008, 08:48:50 AM
if you got ANY brake fluid on the pads, They wont work worth a

ya i know it will not but i know you can burn it off on car rotors cause i did on my car when i did a big brake kit up front and they didn't work great till i got them hot burned off the brake fluid and set up a contact layer on the rotors.  i just didn't know if Dot 5 will burn off like dot 3 and 4 will

Quote from: Mdow on September 22, 2008, 10:08:47 AM
Legs   97 750
upper triples   89 600
stem     year unknown but its GS500
Lower tripple  year unknown but its katana
brake m/c  97  600
calipers    97 600
discs   97  750
axle   97 750
handle tubes  89 600

all these years bolt up just fine

OK that 96+ and 89-95 mix and match is what I believed I should do ... but I had a real hard time stuffing the wheel in, maybe cos the legs were loose and flopping about a bit instead of being firm in place on a bike.
Now - You had to face the insides of the legs where the wheel goes about a 1/16th I thought it was a wee bit too small. May be mistaken though.
Oooo you have the 89-95 wheel I presume ? I'll also bet you have 89-95 lower triple. Cos only that will fit the 89-95 upper triple. The newer ones are wider ... 10-12mm wider.
Cool.
Buddha.

last i heard silicone is very resilient against heat. hence why it's used in brakes for higher boiling points etc


"If silicone is introduced into an older brake system, the silicone will latch unto the sludge generated by gradual component deterioration and create a gelatin like goop which will attract more crud and eventually plug up metering orifices or cause pistons to stick. If you have already changed to DOT 5, don't compound your initial mistake and change back. Silicone is very tenacious stuff and you will never get it all out of your system. Just change the fluid regularly. For those who race using silicone fluid, I recommend that you crack the bleed screws before each racing session to insure that there is no water in the calipers. "
http://www.xs11.com/tips/maintenance/maint1.shtml

it's no white paper, but it's an interesting read. maybe something related?

Oh Mdow - he does have a point. In switching to the silicone, you may have done the gooping thing.
I switch to 5 all the time, but I usually suck all the fluid out first, then put in 5 and bleed, and suck etc etc and get it all in 5.
In some cases I would conventionally bleed with 3 ride it a few weeks, and then suck it all out and replace with 5. You need to get the crud all displaced and out.
I also have chased acetone down the lines and sucked it out, dried it and then done silicone fluid.
Cool.
Buddha.

Quote from: The Buddha on September 22, 2008, 10:29:28 AM

Quote from: Mdow on September 22, 2008, 10:08:47 AM
Legs   97 750
upper triples   89 600
stem     year unknown but its GS500
Lower tripple  year unknown but its katana
brake m/c  97  600
calipers    97 600
discs   97  750
axle   97 750
handle tubes  89 600

all these years bolt up just fine

OK that 96+ and 89-95 mix and match is what I believed I should do ... but I had a real hard time stuffing the wheel in, maybe cos the legs were loose and flopping about a bit instead of being firm in place on a bike.
Now - You had to face the insides of the legs where the wheel goes about a 1/16th I thought it was a wee bit too small. May be mistaken though.
Oooo you have the 89-95 wheel I presume ? I'll also bet you have 89-95 lower triple. Cos only that will fit the 89-95 upper triple. The newer ones are wider ... 10-12mm wider.
Cool.
Buddha.

wheel is 94 GS

not to call you out on anything but i just slide my 89 lower tripple and my 97 lower tripple on a shock leg and they are the exact same width

only option is eather they are the same or the people parting out bikes were wrong on the years




its on my extra bandit 400 leg i was hopping to do a duel disk with a GS and bandit leg but the bandit is a 41 mm shock

OK Maybe I am looking at a 98 and later kat legs. BTW can I see the top part of the stem off the 97. And the caliper, I have a feeling I am looking at a 98+, cos mine looks just like the pics I have got from atlrider.
Cool.
Buddha.

can do headin out side to get some pics now for ya.

Thanks and also one of the lower - what will be to the rear of the bike ... under the caliper carriers.
Ronin is my favorite movie of all time. One unlikely cast and insanely cool movie.
Cool.
Buddha.

ok photobucket is not responding right now.  so ill try again in an hour. what are you talking about the lower? lower part of the calipers or rear end of the bike?

ronin is a good movie but where did that come from haha

Lower part of the fork leg the area under the caliper carriers. Cos from the pics on ronayers, 89-95 and 96-97 had the same calipers, but were fitted on different legs. These legs just had the screw slot adjustment on top, and no drain bolt under the caliper carriers, but otherwise was similar to the 89-95.
So I been messing with 98+ legs and trying to stuff into 89-95 triples and using a GS type wheel ending up with some material to be milled off the legs on the bottom where the axle goes. Yea with stuff I picked up, anything is possible. Blind leading the blind over here.
Cool.
Buddha.