Will 6th Generation brake calipers fit on 5th Generation VFR800

Hi everyone, I’m considering De-Linking the brakes on my 5th Generation VFR800 (1998) and have been offered a pair of reconditioned 6th Generation non abs front calipers , the big question ! will they bolt straight on to my 5th gen .
Thanks for your time
Gerald

 

I'm a 5th Gen owner ('99) with a delinked system (SuperHawk forks 954 brakes with Ducati 848 rear wheel/hub/brake) and I think all 6th Gen front calipers are linked.
The easiest/cheapest way to delink is:
1) Super Hawk fork lowers
You can use 5th gen wheel, axle, spacers, triple, bars, fork uppers and depending on your weight a) spring from 5th gen or b) new springs. Recommended a revalve so your bike will feel more MotoGP and less PogoGP (tm) You'll need to build a bracket for the front fender.
2) selecting from an assortment of Honda front brake calipers including: Super Hawk, 954 and a few others
3) a front master cylinder to match the front calipers
4) a rear master cylinder to match the now delinked rear brake
5) you can run 2 lines to the rear brake caliper from the rear master or you can modify the rear caliper to use only one line

Before my rear Ducati conversion, I modified my rear brake caliper for one brake line, then I bought a bracket to fit a Brembo P34. I've done them all.

Many many options. It comes down to: 1) how much do you want to spend? and 2) how comfortable are you with playing legos with your suspension/brake?

 

Tirso is correct but with one minor discrepancy, the right front caliper on the 6 Gen is not affected by the rear brake system, only the front left is. Essentially the front brakes on the 6 Gen is 5 pistons activated by the front brake lever, the two outer pistons on the left caliper and all 3 pistons on the right caliper. When the rear brake pedal is pushed, it triggers the center piston of the front left caliper. The link to the rear comes from the SMC that is on the left caliper and although the front right can be independent, it doesn’t really help you much if you want to fully de-link the brakes. Tirso’s suggested de-link method is one of the more practical methods.

 

without any mods and just sticking to the stock 5th Generation fork setup will the 6th Generation brake calipers bolt straight on.
I’m grateful for all the technical info but I’m wanting to try this brake swap mod first.

Kind regards

 

5th gen and 6th gen callipers are designed to work with the same disc diameter and spacing so my GUESS is that yes they will bolt straight on. The 6th gen right calliper has all 3 pistons working together anyway, unlike the 5th where the centre piston is on a different circuit to the outers. The left 6th gen calliper is configured the same as the 5th gen left calliper.

There's some detail differences between 5th and 6th with master size (6G is bigger 14mm vs 12.7mm) and also calliper piston size (its complicated!).

Is the only reason to do this to get a reconditioned set of callipers?

 

Hi Terry ,
Thanks for your reply and yes I’ve the opportunity to get a reconditioned set of 6th gen front calipers and a matching de-link kit. If compatible it’ll make sense in terms of cost , time and looks ( compared to mine they’re like new)
The MC debate could be a factor here.

Kind regards
Gerald

 

The master cylinder thing is real and worth considering. Basically the area of the master and the slave pistons that it operates needs to be in an appropriate ratio to make the brakes "feel" normal.

If you use an oversized master, you get "wooden" feeling brakes where there's not much lever travel and not a great deal of bite. At the other end, an undersized master gives more lever travel, slightly squishier feeling, but more bite on the disc. Bearing in mind, these are relative terms, and Honda have used a range of ratios in different bikes at different times. You won't explode and die (probably) if you deviate a little from what Honda provided.

I did the maths on this some time ago. The stock 5G master:slave ratio for the front brake is 15.7. The stock 6G ratio is nearly the same at 15.8. If you use a 5G master with stock 6G callipers, the ratio will be 19.2, which is a big change. If all 6, 6G front pistons are being driven by the 5G master, the ratio is 23.2, which is worse. Not sure that that would be a good idea at that point; would be very grabby.

Personally I think there are two options with the 5G, either keep it stock and maintained well including the links, or go all the way as Tirso described (and which I have done on a previous bike: VTR1000F lowers, CBR954 callipers, CBR600RR front and rear master, stock wheel/axle/discs, rear hoses joined at the master). I'm finding the stock brakes, well-maintained with freely moving pistons and lubed slide pins and some decent HH compound pads, are pretty darned good. The link system does make for superior stability under hard stops.

 

fit bolt on