New recruit - Black Panther Brakes

[Garf]

Hi all, I recently got a BP for commuting and general hooning about at the weekends. I had fancied one for a good while but after reading the very positive review in Supermoto magazine my mind was made up.

It is a great bike, a little lardy for a moto, but definately built to last without sacrificing the fun factor.

The only time I really notice the weight is when hard on the brakes ....I just get the feeling that it could do with a little more stopping power .

Has anybody out there upgraded the front stopper ? Check out www.billet.co.uk who list a tasty looking 6 pot for the Mastiff (which I think would fit the height reduced BP ...same suspension isnt it ?) Anybody using it ?

Or if you have a bigger wallet take a look at www.p3unlimited.com and drool over the ISR brakes .....they seem to think that they can build a kit to suit any bike. Must sweet-talk the wife .

Handguards ....I got the Acerbis Brush 2 (or something similar) ....how dissapointing is the quality ?? Got to save up for something better ...any suggestions?

I have just fitted some of the Maxxis Goldspeed street rubber and I am very happy so far. Good feedback, sure footed and very good value.

Has anybody fitted a scot oiler (yawn, I know) but I have heard that they are great for chain life but dont know of anybody using one.
Cheers for now.

[keithcross]

I have fitted a scottoiler to my Baghira, its easy to fit and it works really well.

Keith

[Garf]

Thanks Keith. I actually saw one fitted to a ZZR the other night and the owner was extremely positive about the benefits .....he reckons it seriously extends chain life. Given the price of chains and sprockets these days, and the hammering they take from a big single like the BP, I think it will be a worthwhile investment.

[Garf]

I finally got around to fitting the handguards and to be fair, reference my earlier comments about the quality, I must say that they look a lot better on the bike than they did in the bag. Also, there was just about enough clearance for the standard levers although I did have to move them inboard fractionally.

An Acerbis universal supermoto front fender has also been installed due to a large crack appearing in the original (it had been stitched with cable ties at some point). Consequently it was flapping about a bit on my boring motorway commute. It looks great and despite it just being black plastic, rather than a painted finish, it has polished up pretty well and blends in.

Tyres are still going well and I have had the pegs down a few times without any drama.

Back to brakes; I still feel they are lacking initial bite and could do with more power........despite what you American lads seem to think this is not a light bike (well, I suppose a diet of Harley's sort of distorts your concept of weight )!!!! I have bled them with high quality DOT4, checked the pads and everything seems to be in order. I am not saying they are poor brakes, just that sometimes they feel a little 'overwhelmed'.

Has anybody done an upgrade ? Perhaps a 320mm disc and 6 pot caliper ? I notice loads of decent (and cheap) OEM 6 potters from superbikes on Ebay and am itching to know if anybody has done a home brewed upgrade ......cos I dont want all the hassle / expense of trying to work one out for myself ......probably dont have the mechanical aptitude either !!

Any info appreciated.

Cheers for now.

[RichBeBe]

THough I live in the United States I know Richard from P3 Unlimited and I thought about speaking to him about brakes for my Mastiff. I agree that there is not nearly enough brake for the bike. I also thought about going to a friend and having him mak eme a bracket to mount either an R1 caliper or a Nissan 4 or 6 piston from a GSXR.
I think the rotor is big enough it is the caliper that is the problem. Though if I change the caliper I would most likeyl change the master cylinder. There is a certain ratio you want to keep.
The link below is to a caliper/master cylinder chart. An excellent resource for this stuff. http://www.vintagebrake.com/mastercylinder.htm

[Garf]

Glad to see that I am not the only one who would like a brake upgrade !

I would disagree slightly ref rotor size when you consider that most sports bikes are equipped with double discs and 4 / 6 pots up front (many with 320mm discs). Yeah, OK these potentially have to slow a bike weighing in at around the same as the MZ from 160+ but in the real world they spend their time stopping these bikes from MZ type speeds and they do not feel 'over-braked'.

Similarly, SM race bikes weighing in at low 100Kg's are generally equipped with 320's and 6 pots. Race conditions obviously do make a difference but at the end of the day these bikes are considerably lighter than the MZ's to start with.

If you are happy with the standard rotor then check out the other link I mention (www.billet.co.uk) as the 6 pot they build for the Mastiff is designed to work with the standard disc / master cylinder set up. I understand it is just a bolt on and bleed job. I know a couple of guys who have used their products on supersports bikes and it is top quality kit.

Cheers for the ratio's link.....it could prove useful.

[keithcross]

Whle I find the front brake to be OK on my Baggi (I am after all used to the pathetic brakes on a Goldwing), I can understand why some may want a better brake.
A companycalled Pretech, based in Reading, Berkshire in teh UK do custom made calipers for about £350. If anyonewants one of these for their bike, I live nearby and I could take my bike down to them for the to use as a pattern for your bike.

Keith
ps I have an R1 brake rotor fitted to my Baggi, it has the same dimensions as the standard disc, but with more bobbins.

[Garf]

Thanks Keith, good of you to offer your time. I havent really heard a great deal about Pretech although I have visited the website previously.