Katana Owners Club U.K.

Ok here we go again!
I think that my bike has a GSXR1100 master cylinder fitted in place of the original (see pic) I’m having a problem with the lever travel and I’m wondering if the ratios are all wrong with the standard calipers? I’ve bled the system and there’s no air in there at all. If I really pull the lever hard the lever comes within 1/2inch of the bars and as I use two finger braking the lever traps my other two between lever and bar even with the span adjuster at maximum? Has anyone else used the gixxer m/cylinder with standard calipers and had the same problem?
As an after thought will the Tokico four pot calipers off the gixxer fit without expensive mods?

As mine ended up as something fairly original (complete with Boat Anchor*) I refurbished the original calipers and had the master cylinder re-worked by Past Parts.

I had a set of Tea-Pot calipers and master cylinder to go on, but ended up with the original set up.

Just remember to use a big handful and the rear and also eat a lot of spinach







*copy right JohnR

The master fitted could be of off many Suzuki , could even be cheap Chinese copy in all honesty of a single disc GS500!
Braided hoses will help because the original rubber must be a bit past it.

Just my own opinion here ref 4pots.......are a real pain, years of a 400 fitted with these. Great brakes ....but all 4 Pistons must move at the same time or the lever just comes to the bar unless pumped.
Setting them up correctly really involves new seals every pad change as there are no rubber boots so the Pistons get grimes up.

The brakes themselves ain’t half bad and I’ve always used the rear brake in combo with the front anyway. After riding a drum braked Kettle you can imagine how I feel!
As I explained the lever won’t come to the bar no matter how a 12stone 63yr old weakling can pull but I like to use two finger braking so I can blip the throttle and make nice smooth downshifts, this is where I trap my fingers twixt lever and bar. If there is anything that winds me up it’s hearing riders shutting the throttle and banging down through the box!
No mechanical sympathy whatsoever

With you, on the clunk it in gear technique.
As for lever travel my S2 (750 like the 1100) has resevoir like yours on it but the lever is basically like you want , but they are usually like you describe!

It may well be as stated previous the anti dive Pistons not moving properly.
Could you disconnect them ? If you have a single banjo bolt to replace the double , then the brakes would work without the anti dive , so you could compare. Just a thought!

4 pots off the gsxr range are ok, its just thee ones from th 400 that seems to suffer. but first things first, if your hoses are more than 5 years old or if you can recall ever changing em, then fit some braided ones because the chances are that all your effoorts pulling the lever are just expanding the rubber hoses rather than pushing the pistons out. braided hoses should be the first step before changing calipers or master cylinders.

Thanks for all the help guys, in answer to some of your questions the hoses are all new braided ones so that rules that out. The anti dives have been rebuilt by the previous owner and as far as I can tell they seem to be working in that if I yank the front brake on hard at 50 odd mph the front end doesn’t dip like I would expect. I’ve had a look at the Jap sites Fossie recommended for caliper adaptors but I’m struggling to find any to fit the Nissin four pots off the gixxer to the Kat legs? I don’t want to stray too far away from standard but this lever travel thing is bugging me and if I have to upgrade the calipers so be it.