the owners manual states that the ABS vfr is also a linked system. well, 'states' isn't precise, the manual alludes to the system being linked as well as ABS. clarification, anyone?
The front and rear brakes are "linked" whether you have the ABS option or not. When you operate the brake lever, you work 2/3 of the front brake pistons, and 1/3 of the rear pistons. When you operate the brake pedal, you work 2/3 of the back pistons, 1/3 of the front. The brakes work this way regardless of the ABS. The ABS only comes into play if the sensors "read" a lockup situation.
On the VTEC VFR, the front brake lever operates 5/6 front pots and 1/3 of the rear through a seperate master cylinder (the harder you brake on the front, the harder it applies the rear). The rear pedal operates 2/3 of the rear and 1/6 of the front. The previous VFR800 linked both front calipers, the 02+ only links one of them, so it's better for people that prefer unlinked brakes. The part that I don't understand is this. Say you are running hard on the track with an ABS model and grab the front brake only to scrub speed for a hard turn. It's theoretically possible to lock up the rear wheel without using the rear pedal at all, and since the rear brakes aren't technically being applied, the rear wheel ABS can't prevent the lockup, can it? I'm not sure. I've got no probelm with the foot pedal activating front brakes, but I don't want the lever messing with the rear. This part of the system can be easily disabled by draining the fluid that connects the left-caliper-mounted master cylinder to the center piston of the rear caliper, again in theory. You could also remove the link that activates that secondary master cylinder. You would only have 2/3 pistons on the rear, but that's still more rear b raking power than you should ever need. The system can be totally unlinked by simply connecting all the pistons on the caliper together with short brake lines, and using double-banjo bolts where required. Again, all in theory. I don't have a VFR yet, nor have I seen a manual. I don't even know if the brakes use a 2-channel ABS system.
