Hi i normally hanf out on the oil head site but I've got an old R 75/5 that I once upon a time converted to a single disc front brake an improvement fron the old drum. But by todays standard they suck big time, it's a stainless disc and its not very "grippy". there's definitely no need for ABS :eek1 Goods ideas will be implemented. Pls PM me as per above. Thanks Andy
Bar mounted MC and braided stainless hose made an enormous difference on my bike. When I did it I thought it would help, but it went so far beyond my expectations, I could scarcely exaggerate. I started a thread on it maybe 2 years ago. Check it out.
^ the above seems to be consensus from what I read...... I found that using grippy pads made a huge difference... look for HH from EBC, which I used and really liked....I had a single-disk front end with bar m/c and ss, but it improved mightily with the HH's....
+++111 Sintered, or HH pads by EBC, or other quality manufactures can make an enormous difference. I have for decades ridden race bikes with iron rotors, and can't tell the difference between them, and stainless, when using HH pads!
The only EBC pad I have found for my airhead ATE swing caliper was the EBC Organic Kevlar Brake Pads FA22. Using the EBC website, I cannot figure out the EBC HH part number - or if they even make a HH pad for the ATE caliper . Is there a part number for HH scintered pads with an ATE caliper - or is replacing the caliper needed?
I found the cyclebrakes.com website sells and has catalogs for the Galfer and EBC brakes. Per the cyclebrakes.com website, the EBC brake pads do not have a clear cross reference to Galfer and have no FA22 pad in HH material. The Galfer catalogs shows my '78 airhead w/ATE calipers and stainless disc uses the pad # D233-1. So, I emailed cyclebrakes.com to ask if they sell the D233-1 pads in green or HH pad material. I replaced my stock rotor with an EBC and the EBC kevlar pads. The braking was about the same as stock; no worries on locking the front tire! The ATE pivot caliper w/stainless rotor and kevlar pads are marginal. Short of swapping the forks for Brembo calipers, I am willing to try some green or HH Galfer pads and the EBC rotor. On I go with my personal 'Don Quixote' style adventure for decent ATE single caliper brakes. Edit: upon another examination of the Galfer catalog, the D233-1 part number is for a brake line, not pads. There are no airhead 74-80 brake pads made by Galfer listed in their catalog. It looks like different forks with Brembo calipers may be needed. Maybe cyclebrakes.com will have more information.
I ran EBC HH Sintergrip on both my old Ducatis, for street and track (SS rotors). Great results wet or dry. But.... Tried them on the R 80 ST when I went to a EBC Prolite front rotor with lackluster results. Switched pads immediately to Galfer Greens and basically got two finger braking with good modulation and no fade - same as on my F 650 which runs the Greens. Like lots of folks on here and other forums, cyclebrakes.com is my go-to brake supplier. Call on the phone and talk with the owner or her assistant rather than use the website. They both know a boatload of brake info. For the question about what the HH means - IIRC, pads are rated by initial bite then steady grip, or either grip then fade resistance. Been a long time since I looked it up. And if I recall correctly HH are the highest rating, but don't hold me to that. Also, note that as stated above HH sintered pads weren't the best in all applications.
On my dual disc 38mm R90/6, it was the smaller sized handlebar MC that really made the differeance, playing around with discs/pads may help but won't deal with the main issue: BMW got the ratios between the handlebar MC and the slave cylinders wrong. Going from a stock 17mm MC to a 13mm Mc gave me brakes that were almost as good as the brakes on my Brembo equipped 82, brakes with a greatly increased lever travel give both control and power.
Where is everyone finding the Galfer green pads that fit the OP's R75/5? Galfer doesn't list a pad for that bike in any compound.
Just to throw in a different angle: I have never noticed that much difference between sintered and organic pads or pads in general. I use organic pads because they are the easiest on my rotors. I have worn out a lot of rotors. I have literally worn out almost as many rotors as I have pads if you count pulsing rotors as worn out! Sintered pads seem to eat my rotors. If I include all the half worn pads I have replaced after replacing a pulsing rotor I have for sure worn out more rotors than pads! I do notice a big difference with different rotor alloys. IMO, rotor material is a big part of the equation. Personally, I run stock rotors but I also run Brembo calipers. Good braking with swinging calipers is an uphill battle. They are a bad design from the get go. An over inch tall pad that swings on a super short radius to meet a flat rotor? Good rotor/pad contact is impossible. IMO too much lever travel via larger caliper/MC ratio decreases braking control. Not enough 'feedback' IMO. I prefer a firm lever. Not too firm but firm. Personally, I wouldn't own and ride a bike regularly that has ATE swinging calipers but if I did I would start improving the setup with a handlebar mounted MC and steel braided lines. That stock MC setup is somehow the worst of two worlds combined.
