Linked Brakes Delete Possible?

Bandit Greg said:

Hey guys... as I've got my '08 Feejer set up more for SPORT than Touring as some of you know... and one of the things I've been considering is the possibility of separating the rear-to-front linked brake system.

I'm finding that I would rather have the front and rear brake systems completely independent. The reasons for this is that I find the need to apply them separately in certain conditions...

For example, today I was out on a back road and started to make a very tight U-turn, on a bit of a sloping road. It was almost a full-lock turn, and I wanted to drag the rear to stabilize the bike at the very slow speed, to stabilize the weight transfer..
But instead what happened is that the front caliper came on as well of course, and then the drag happened at both ends, which upset the slow speed balance and the bike almost went down. It's a heavy bird at slow speeds, and I've found I have to keep a rigidly upright balance point or you're really fighting the weight.

Anyway, I was thinking that, A) I don't really care if I have ABS at the back wheel, and B) I'd rather have my own separate control over both ends. I often wonder if they didn't make that linked system for riders who aren't very confident with their braking skills... I don't know.

But if there's any way to separate the two without major surgery... I think I'd like to test it out. I don't even know if this is possible; it would require blocking-off the hydraulic line to the front and somehow tricking-out the ABS system to ignore the rear brake being offline.

Any thoughts?

PS - First day of Spring here in southern NY State, and you could smell it in the air... very rich and organic in the Northeast. No leaves yet. Good riding ahead.

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First, I agree on the linked brakes. I don't see why they need to be linked if there is ABS on both ends. The GEN 1 ABS models did not have linked brakes.

But, if everything in the linked system is working properly, the proportioning valve keeps the rear brake from activating the lower right front brake with light rear brake activation such as the situation you described. Unless you may have been a little too heavy on the rear brake. My experience making u-turns on sloped roads is that gravity favors the downhill slope coupled with the lean angle of the scooter.

As far as separating the rear / front link, there is no need to give up the ABS on the rear wheel. All that is needed is to separate / block / detach / plug the brake line from the proportioning valve to the lower right front caliper. That would leave you with 75% of the front brakes. That may also cause the ABS system to throw an error code.

You might want to fabricate a short brake line with appropriate length banjo bolts to connect the right front upper caliper line to the right front lower caliper fitting. That might affect the feel of the front brake lever in a negative manor since the front master cylinder would have to pump more brake fluid.

This subject has been discussed previously on one of the FJR forums. Might search for that if you want to see what others did.

My opinion is the FJR linked brake system is relatively well designed and relatively unobtrusive in daily use. Considering the brakes are an integrated safety system, designed by a company with hundreds of millions of miles experience, I would have to question the advisability of the home mechanic modifying a system that your life depends on.

On the other hand, if you screw up your brake system, it doesn't affect anyone else's life, except maybe your family. Good luck with your experiment.


dan

Just pinch and roll the front brake line a few times and vice grip the loose end to something solid somewhere

I barely notice the linked brakes, just keep your hand OFF the front brake lever when doing u-turns or riding on gravel and all will be golden. Avoid touching the clutch lever doing slow u-turns on gravel unless you want to dump the bike. Keep practicing slow speed maneuvers in an empty asphalt parking lot before trying the gravel.

Cutting the ABS isn't the solution to driver skill. Watch the following video, the guy NEVER touches his front brake or clutch

I'm with you, @Bandit Greg . I think it should be selectable. At low speed on gravel, I want rear only, if anything at all. On pavement u-turns, I can use either brake as long as I maintain sufficient speed. But typically, I avoid braking during u-turns.
In the twisties, I've been trained to not use rear brake at all. Use front only to compress the front suspension at the beginning of the turn. When done aggressively, the rear end is so light, there is little or no traction for braking.

But let's face it; most of these bikes are not ridden by riders with track skills. I mean, how many riders do you encounter on group rides who don't use front brake at all? Just watch them. It's shocking. Therefore, many riders benefit greatly by linked ABS.

I'm too old school. I love the Gen1 with no ABS at all. It feels like a larger version of my old friend, the YZF600R. I would love to have CC, but not if it means having all that other nonsense. I'm not surprised that others have asked how to delete some or all of it.

Bandit Greg said:

Yeah, thanks guys... This thread was mostly about curiosity; I mean I'm not launching out to the garage clutching a hacksaw with a cigar clenched in my teeth, here.
I'm a big fan of minimalism and simplicity, (simple fixes for simple minds?)... But no, I'm not about to go nuts trying to reinvent the Wheel.. or Braking. Just something I'm interested in understanding better, and if there was any sane, safe way to affect separation I might try it someday. Maybe. Not high on my "To Do" list.

As mentioned, I traditionally like to use the rear brake pedal to stabilize the balance of a bike at very low cornering speeds, (tight U turns, etc). I had an event yesterday where it SEEMED like the front was dragging along with the rear while I was doing this and in that case the bike abruptly felt like it was going down. I dabbed (pretty hard, she's a big boat), and kept it upright. It was a surprise moment; I suppose I just got the balance point wrong.

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Based solely on your avatar, I do usually picture you with a cigar clenched in your teeth. 😁

I'm not saying that OEM brake systems are always perfect. Or that braking systems can't be upgraded, modified, or altered to fit the purpose. I AM saying that any alterations should be undertaken with utmost care and thought because your life depends on it. I'm just not willing to go to the expense, mess and frustration trying to invent a fix that may take multiple passes to work satisfactorily, although I do have some ideas. Refer to Howe's Law.

I have been thrown down by surprise while making a U-Turn across a slope when the slow speed, lean angle, balance and gravity got the better of me. Afterwards I learned to look a little farther for better locations for U-Turns. It's no easy task picking up a loaded boat, on a downhill slope, in gravel and thin air on the way up Pike's Peak!!


dan