Im wondering if anyone on here has bothered going aftermarket with the front and rear roters are there any prefered disks that anyone has? Same with the SS braided lines

Any reputable SS line is a good improvement; you can expect better feel out of the brakes.

I highly recommend upgrading to a high temp brake fluid. 500 degree or higher boiling point.

If you have the older (pre 08, I think?) calipers, a SV caliper is a nice improvement at a low price. I recommend replacing the seals and cleaning the piston out when you get it.

Pads are a huge improvement. I'm a strong proponent of the EBC EPFA (Extreme Pro) pads. Endurance racing pads can easily handle the higher temps of a single rotor setup.

I never upgraded the rotor on my GS; cost is high, and the stock one works okay. In the past, I've run waive rotors on other bikes for a nice improvement in braking power and rotor life.

FWIW, brakes must absolutely be maintained. But suspension is the first and most important upgrade.

I got an EBC wave rotor for the front. Once in a while I'll get a pretty bad vibration when going from heavy braking to very light braking-not sure if it's caused by the rotor or not though.

Quote from: burning1 on March 21, 2014, 05:57:12 PM
Any reputable SS line is a good improvement; you can expect better feel out of the brakes.

I highly recommend upgrading to a high temp brake fluid. 500 degree or higher boiling point.

If you have the older (pre 08, I think?) calipers, a SV caliper is a nice improvement at a low price. I recommend replacing the seals and cleaning the piston out when you get it.

Pads are a huge improvement. I'm a strong proponent of the EBC EPFA (Extreme Pro) pads. Endurance racing pads can easily handle the higher temps of a single rotor setup.

I never upgraded the rotor on my GS; cost is high, and the stock one works okay. In the past, I've run waive rotors on other bikes for a nice improvement in braking power and rotor life.

Cheers mate im looking at HEL braded lines dont know if there reputable they are though? Was looking at some disks but think they are more for looks then function, i didnt even think of better brake fluid,  good idea is it worth swapping a race style pad in fpr track days and then swapping normal ones back in when finished or just keep the racing pads in?

Ive got a set of springs on the way and emulators, im still not sure what to do with the rear though, ive asked a couple workshops whats what and there going.to get back to me with some optipns

If anyone knows how to get rid of the rear brake squeal, that would be the ultimate GS brake mod. 

Quote from: dinkydonuts on March 21, 2014, 08:23:23 PM
If anyone knows how to get rid of the rear brake squeal, that would be the ultimate GS brake mod. 

Ive never had mine squeal

Quote from: TheOzTurkish on March 21, 2014, 08:20:26 PMCheers mate im looking at HEL braded lines dont know if there reputable they are though? Was looking at some disks but think they are more for looks then function, i didnt even think of better brake fluid,  good idea is it worth swapping a race style pad in fpr track days and then swapping normal ones back in when finished or just keep the racing pads in?

Ive got a set of springs on the way and emulators, im still not sure what to do with the rear though, ive asked a couple workshops whats what and there going.to get back to me with some optipns

HEL is reputable. I'd shy away from no-name on ebay. Any recognizable brand should be fine.

EBC ExtremePro is an endurance racing pad. I run it on all of my bikes, street and track. There are alternatives on the market, such as the Vesra SRJL. Endurance pads last forever, tend to be gentle on the rotors. They provide greater stopping power than conventional HH pads, and more linear response. I highly recommend them for all bikes, street and track.

The GS500 rear shock is compatible with newer Yamaha R6 shocks. You need 2008+ R6 with the upper eye and lower clevis mount. OEM Yamaha shocks work. I suspect any after-market will work. If you're going to go after-market, get a remote reservoir shock (more clearance, useful if you ever do a swingarm swap.) You'll need the OEM Yamaha bolt and spacer. Other than that, it's a bolt on upgrade, and pretty much perfect for our bikes.

For rotors, the Galfer Wave rotor is nice. EBC makes some nice after-market rotors as well, if pairing the pad and rotor  is important to you.

R6S shocks will not work, BTW. Only newer R6 shocks.

Quote from: dinkydonuts on March 21, 2014, 08:23:23 PM
If anyone knows how to get rid of the rear brake squeal, that would be the ultimate GS brake mod. 

Easy peasy. Put a blob of thick grease between the piston and brake pad (of course, be sure to keep it off the working surface of the pad and rotor)

Sorry I am not trying to hijack the thread but two quick questions... will the R6 shock mentioned above change the ride height at all? And for the EPFA brake pads, what are the correct part numbers for front and rear?

Quote from: burning1 on March 21, 2014, 09:06:40 PM

Quote from: TheOzTurkish on March 21, 2014, 08:20:26 PMCheers mate im looking at HEL braded lines dont know if there reputable they are though? Was looking at some disks but think they are more for looks then function, i didnt even think of better brake fluid,  good idea is it worth swapping a race style pad in fpr track days and then swapping normal ones back in when finished or just keep the racing pads in?

Ive got a set of springs on the way and emulators, im still not sure what to do with the rear though, ive asked a couple workshops whats what and there going.to get back to me with some optipns

HEL is reputable. I'd shy away from no-name on ebay. Any recognizable brand should be fine.

EBC ExtremePro is an endurance racing pad. I run it on all of my bikes, street and track. There are alternatives on the market, such as the Vesra SRJL. Endurance pads last forever, tend to be gentle on the rotors. They provide greater stopping power than conventional HH pads, and more linear response. I highly recommend them for all bikes, street and track.

The GS500 rear shock is compatible with newer Yamaha R6 shocks. You need 2008+ R6 with the upper eye and lower clevis mount. OEM Yamaha shocks work. I suspect any after-market will work. If you're going to go after-market, get a remote reservoir shock (more clearance, useful if you ever do a swingarm swap.) You'll need the OEM Yamaha bolt and spacer. Other than that, it's a bolt on upgrade, and pretty much perfect for our bikes.

For rotors, the Galfer Wave rotor is nice. EBC makes some nice after-market rotors as well, if pairing the pad and rotor  is important to you.

Word cheers exactly the info i was after, i dunno what the shops are planning they said it would be best if it was rebuildable so im guessng they'll reccomend after market but we'll see should be good once its finished

Standard forks are shocking ive never riden anythin that dives on the front like the gs ... I just dont want to keep throwing money at this thing.
Also brakes are some of the worst ive had aswell very little feel and braking power sucks
If it wasnt for engine braking id have been in trouble a few times. But again i really dont want to keep throwing money at this thing to make it the way suzuki should have . . .

Quote from: Crasm on March 22, 2014, 02:57:49 AM
Standard forks are shocking ive never riden anythin that dives on the front like the gs ... I just dont want to keep throwing money at this thing.
Also brakes are some of the worst ive had aswell very little feel and braking power sucks
If it wasnt for engine braking id have been in trouble a few times. But again i really dont want to keep throwing money at this thing to make it the way suzuki should have . . .

I was suprised how cheap the sonic spings were for the improvement they give but if they made the bike better it would cost more new.

I had a look at the EBC page it seems none of there disks are compatable with there pads

Quote from: joweaver88 on March 22, 2014, 12:19:42 AM
Sorry I am not trying to hijack the thread but two quick questions... will the R6 shock mentioned above change the ride height at all? And for the EPFA brake pads, what are the correct part numbers for front and rear?

I don't know that there's an EPFA fitment for the rear. I use a standard HH pad on the rear, and to be honest when I was racing, I had the OEM on there, since I so rarely used it.

89-95 calipers get EPFA129HH
96-2010 calipers get EPFA231HH

http://www.unitedparts.us/AppCharts/EBC%20USA%20MC%202011.pdf

The R6 shock is close enough to standard ride height that I didn't notice a difference. It's been a while since I checked the lengths, and my memory isn't very good.

Quote from: Crasm on March 22, 2014, 02:57:49 AM
Standard forks are shocking ive never riden anythin that dives on the front like the gs ... I just dont want to keep throwing money at this thing.
Also brakes are some of the worst ive had aswell very little feel and braking power sucks
If it wasnt for engine braking id have been in trouble a few times. But again i really dont want to keep throwing money at this thing to make it the way suzuki should have . . .

You say that, but it's actually kind of surprising how shitty most bikes are setup from the factory. Almost every sport bike I've owned required spring swaps, valving, and a lot of tuning to get it setup correctly. I almost always end up doing SS lines, EPFA pads, and a brake fluid change. The ergos almost always require modification.

We're actually kind of lucky... The R6 shock is cheap, and nearly perfect. The front isn't very hard to improve.

I think the GS brakes are very good for a bike in it's price class and anyone who thinks they are amongst the worst must have bought a used high mileage GS with under par brakes.   I traded a 85 CB650SC with dual front discs and drum rear in on my new 97 GS and the GS brakes were as good as the Nighthawks and better than the 3 previous Hondas I had with single disc/drum for sure. 

My GS has dual discs, one in the front and one in the back.    Use all three brakes all the time, front, rear, and engine.  The GS rear disc is noticeably larger than a 600 sport bikes rear disc because it's usable.  Need to upgrade to at least HH pads on the front but best to keep FF pads on the rear at least until you get a good feel for the rear.  Later model GSs came with that combo.  I used a couple sets of HH pads on the rear of my 02 GS and they really brake.  Hard to beat a good rear brake when your into a corner too hot, has much the same stabilizing affect as a little throttle does in a corner without picking up speed. 

Just my opinions of  course.

Gsjack - my bike has 14000 miles im the second owner from new with full documented suzuki service and repair history.

Must just be me . . . My last 3 bikes have been all 600 and 1000cc supersports bikesand i had no complaints about the way they stopped or handled.

My last bike was a cbr1000 so maybe im bias ?! Compared to that the gs suspension and braking suck but as said its good for its price maybe i am looking outside the box a little to much for the type of bike the gs is and its price tag .

Its easier to transition upto a supersports than move back down from one thats for sure

Quote from: Crasm on March 23, 2014, 05:30:14 AM
Gsjack - my bike has 14000 miles im the second owner from new with full documented suzuki service and repair history.

Must just be me . . . My last 3 bikes have been all 600 and 1000cc supersports bikesand i had no complaints about the way they stopped or handled.

My last bike was a cbr1000 so maybe im bias ?! Compared to that the gs suspension and braking suck but as said its good for its price maybe i am looking outside the box a little to much for the type of bike the gs is and its price tag .

Its easier to transition upto a supersports than move back down from one thats for sure

Theres your problem this isnt a supersport, hell it isnt even a sport bike.

Its a budget commuter, tourer, light, flickable, sewing machine

Crasm,

Once you do the suspension and brake work, the bike is amazing. The GS has a surprisingly good frame compared to most of the budget bikes. It's lighter weight and lower speeds mean that the suspension works better than a super-sport.

When setup properly, the GS500 is insanely confidence inspiring - my best laptimes are on the GS; I haven't been able to beat those times on my BMW or my wife's CBR. My trackday videos are out there if you doubt what the GS is capable of.