Caliper ID - Gen 2

[Bombomlee]

Hi everyone,

I'm riding a 2016 vstrom dl1000 and am suffering from a case of spongy front brakes.

Attached are my calipers, they are off a Suzuki - I'm trying to find out exactly what bike.

From what I understand so far, GSXR 600/750/1000 and Hayabusa from ~2008 uses this style of calipers.

I'm headed to Japan in a few days and will be getting a full oem rebuild kit including pistons in a bid to solve my sponginess - I've tried many things to fix this but nothing helps.

Rebuilt the calipers with a caliper seal kit for my vstrom, just stays spongy after. Deduced that the vstrom OEM caliper piston might be smaller than a Hayabusa one and oil might be getting past the seals.

Tldr: is there a way to tell which bike this caliper belongs to? Checked out partzilla for the above bikes and there are 3 different part numbers for the piston rebuild kit for what looks like the exact same caliper..

 

[pcs]

this one looks like your caliper. soft brakes can also be caused by a bad master cylinder. when you rebuilt your calipers did you bleed the brakes?

 

[HayaWakened]

You can also reach out to the V-Strom/ADV sites; they might have input on this

StromTrooper

A forum community dedicated to all Suzuki Strom owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, troubleshooting, purchasing, reviews, accessories, maintenance, and more!

www.stromtrooper.com

Adventure Rider

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[EDIT] An inadequately bled ABS system will also go spongy FYI

 

[Bumblebee]

Might be worth it to get a set of brake lines too....when those rubber ones get hot or old they stretch and cause a weak brake feel...

Like was mentioned, take a look at your brake MC, maybe it is in need of a kit as well although this is more rare....

 

[Bombomlee]

Thanks everyone.

I've done the following to try fixing the sponge-

Rebuilt MC
Rebuilt Calipers
Bled entire system MANY times (with Suzuki agent, my own mechanic, myself)
Bled while having ABS pump cycled at the agent

My brake hoses are fine, no soft spots etc.

I have done the overnight brakes tied to handle thing, on first pump in the morning the lever goes straight to the handle.

If I pump it up it builds brake pressure just fine, usually on the 2nd or 3rd pump and then goes limp again.

After doing more research, I have confirmed that Hayabusa/gixxer600/750 share the same calipers as the pistons are the same size.

Only difference would be the gixxer 1000 having a larger trailing piston.
Will break out my vernier calipers tomorrow to measure them.

For anyone interested - busas pistons are 30/32mm leading/trailing and 30/34mm for the 1000.

Also, I just got my hands on a free used mt09 gen 1 axial MC that has a brembo stamp on the cap, will swap that out and see if it helps! 15mm piston vs our stock 14mm (same across gen2 busa/vstrom etc)

This is driving me nuts!

 

[Bumblebee]

Thanks everyone.

I've done the following to try fixing the sponge-

Rebuilt MC
Rebuilt Calipers
Bled entire system MANY times (with Suzuki agent, my own mechanic, myself)
Bled while having ABS pump cycled at the agent

My brake hoses are fine, no soft spots etc.

I have done the overnight brakes tied to handle thing, on first pump in the morning the lever goes straight to the handle.

If I pump it up it builds brake pressure just fine, usually on the 2nd or 3rd pump and then goes limp again.

After doing more research, I have confirmed that Hayabusa/gixxer600/750 share the same calipers as the pistons are the same size.

Only difference would be the gixxer 1000 having a larger trailing piston.
Will break out my vernier calipers tomorrow to measure them.

For anyone interested - busas pistons are 30/32mm leading/trailing and 30/34mm for the 1000.

Also, I just got my hands on a free used mt09 gen 1 axial MC that has a brembo stamp on the cap, will swap that out and see if it helps! 15mm piston vs our stock 14mm (same across gen2 busa/vstrom etc)

This is driving me nuts!

Even though you think those stock rubber lines are good, I'd be changing them out....this is one of the most common mods that many of us does.

You are in a hot country and once you get riding and generate heat, those lines will flex guaranteed....

 

[ROADTOAD1340]

Thanks everyone.

I've done the following to try fixing the sponge-

Rebuilt MC
Rebuilt Calipers
Bled entire system MANY times (with Suzuki agent, my own mechanic, myself)
Bled while having ABS pump cycled at the agent

My brake hoses are fine, no soft spots etc.

I have done the overnight brakes tied to handle thing, on first pump in the morning the lever goes straight to the handle.

If I pump it up it builds brake pressure just fine, usually on the 2nd or 3rd pump and then goes limp again.

After doing more research, I have confirmed that Hayabusa/gixxer600/750 share the same calipers as the pistons are the same size.

Only difference would be the gixxer 1000 having a larger trailing piston.
Will break out my vernier calipers tomorrow to measure them.

For anyone interested - busas pistons are 30/32mm leading/trailing and 30/34mm for the 1000.

Also, I just got my hands on a free used mt09 gen 1 axial MC that has a brembo stamp on the cap, will swap that out and see if it helps! 15mm piston vs our stock 14mm (same across gen2 busa/vstrom etc)

This is driving me nuts!

The Tokico are a pretty horrible caliper , that vague overall feel is what they are known for . The Gen 2 Busa was also given a lame master cylinder to match , so yes it would pull up , but feel to rider was minimal . The fitment for your caliper must be 108mm , if you are keeping the bike , I would look for a good set of M4 Brembo 108mm calipers , either new from Carpimoto IT , or rejuvenated set and braided lines or your stockers if banjo angle okay . Good upgrade to your bike for next owner in due time .

 

[michael parris heuberger]

The Tokico are a pretty horrible caliper , that vague overall feel is what they are known for . The Gen 2 Busa was also given a lame master cylinder to match , so yes it would pull up , but feel to rider was minimal . The fitment for your caliper must be 108mm , if you are keeping the bike , I would look for a good set of M4 Brembo 108mm calipers , either new from Carpimoto IT , or rejuvenated set and braided lines or your stockers if banjo angle okay . Good upgrade to your bike for next owner in due time .

Hi. ROADTOAD Look on my very slow build page it showa my exaust mock up.

 

[sixpack577]

FYI
Twice I have seen a factory hydraulic line fail, one was a brake line, the other was a clutch line...and neither leaked any fluid...ever.
They are usually 3 to 6 layers of various materials, and apparently can fail and leak air, but the holes are so small that the fluid never finds it's way out.
I found that hard to belive, until after having eliminated every other possibility, and changing what appeared to be a good line in desperation...only to have the problem never return.
It is an unlikely situation, but after what you have done, I would check all of the brake lines.
Also, are you sure that there is no air trapped between the exit lines at the ABS pump and the mc's?
You need to break loose the exit lines on the pump, and open/close them like they were the bleeder valve(as there aren't any).
Then bleed the mc' next.
I wrap a rag around the wrench and the line too, so not to spray fluid over the bike.