Kawi2strokes.com Forum

Bought my first triple in 1976. Have owned nearly thirty total, although my last one was about ten years ago.
Back then, original was the way to go. These days, H2 prices are way out of my range, and H1s are likewise.

I recently bought a package deal--two S3 basket cases.

The front brakes on both are probably beyond economical restoration. After disassembly, one master cylinder has minor corrosion in the bore. Haven't gotten the other one apart yet. First caliper has somewhat more corrosion in it...second has a snapped-off bleeder.

I have been searching and reading, and am ready to go with EX250/500 brakes. Looks like a do-able solution..at least for the master and caliper. Now, is there a bolt-on upgrade to change out the rotor for something lighter and more modern? Or something that one could use the carrier from one disc and add a different rotor using readily available hardware?

One day, if I live long enough and earn enough, I'd like to put semi-modern forks, brakes, wheels, single shock and swingarm on a braced S3 frame. That will be a while. I've seen some of the things that some members here can do, and I am inspired...but I am also aware of my limitations.

For now, I'd like to be able to incrementally upgrade the front brake.

Any recommendations are welcomed.

Best regards, Rich

Edited to add...which year has brake light switch in the master so I can discard the original pressure switch and just use a one-piece stainless braided line?

Havent got your answers Rich, but would you please add your location to your profile?

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Bad decisions make the best stories.

I think most, if not all, EX masters have brake switch in master. They do not have mirror mount.

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Answers are here: http://kawatriple.com/

A yamahammer XS650 master cylinder will have a mirror mount allbeit left hand threaded, but also has the internal brake light switch. I'm running a 5/8" equivalent XS650 MC/EX caliper with HH pads on my H2 and am satisfied with this setup's performance.

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"... don't drink the foam." Sonny B.

Thank you. Profile updated.

Thank you for the input on the mirror mount--never thought about that, but it makes sense. Sport bikes with full fairings mount the mirrors to the fairings..so I may look for a different master; something from a "standard" or naked bike...just can't think of too many bikes that use a single front disc these days.

Now, are all EX 250 front brakes interchangeable (mounting-point wise)? That is to say, can I buy any EX front brake and use the same home-made bracket shown in another thread?

Final question: Can I swap the rotor over to the right hand side, swap forks side-for-side and mount the rotor behind the right rotor, while maintaining the front wheel/tire (and speedo drive) in it's current location/rotation?

There is a list of EX caliper on the Resource site. There may be more since the last update.
They are all the same but there is a LH & RH. The small piston should be on the leading edge of the rotor.

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Answers are here: http://kawatriple.com/

Post deleted due to faulty speed reading.

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If it surges, that's normal, upshift.

It's a 400 Jim........

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Twist the throttle, tilt the horizon, and have a great time. What triples are all about...........

Nuts... and I even went back to double check and saw the reference to H1. Damn that Evelyn Wood course!

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If it surges, that's normal, upshift.

You must have taken the Evelin Woodhead Sped Reddin Course.

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Bad decisions make the best stories.