Galfer Front Brake Upgrade

Galfer Front Brake Upgrade

Member Since 1999

The day always comes when you ask yourself or someone else who knows more: is this the best there is? If the question pertains to the anemic braking system of the KLR 650 you already know the answer.

The KLR has good brakes, anyone who has ever ridden a bike or driven a car knows good sometimes isn't good enough. There are those of you out there that insist on packing your bike like there is some apocalyptic catastrophe that may befall the world during your ride therefore making everything you have with you the only possessions you will ever need in your quest for other "Mad Max" riders like yourselves.

Should you just be on the lookout for a better set of binders because you want to stop more assuredly whether or not you are carrying enough crap to make a Hobo jealous then read on and enjoy.

The installation of new front pads and lines is a rather easy one, there are a few tricks that will make your life a bit easier and I have highlighted them here. You may view the rear brake upgrade elsewhere on this site.

Galfer can be reached by visiting them on the web at www.galferusa.com or at the address below.

Please be sure to tell them you saw this article. Thanks.

Galfer USA-Division Giocar America

Address: 57 W. Mc. Farlane Av. Ventura, CA 93001

Ph. 805-653-5012 | Tech support 800-685-6633

Ready? The stock caliper awaits you. You might want to loosen the caliper bolts which are 6mm allen heads but dont remove them yet. It's a good idea to check the caliper bleeder (10mm) to ensure you can bleed the system. It would really suck if you got all the way through this only to realize the bleeder is frozen.

The red arrow pointing to the reflector is a heads up, there is a nut behind there that holds the brake line from flopping around. You must first remove the reflector then loosen and remove the nut that holds the mount together.

The view of the master cylinder from the front of the bike. Another word of caution, check to see whether you can remove the two Phillips head screws from the reservoir be very careful as sometimes the heads can be stripped easily.

This is a birds eye view of the second clamp which holds the brake line to the fork. It is a tight fit in here so be patient and be careful.

Here is the view from above the reflector, you can see the two nuts clearly in this pic.

After removing the reflector clamp the mount to the bike with a Vise-Grip so you can loosen this bolt. Believe it or not this thing was so tight it made the rest of the job seem easy.

Ok, once you get that apart you should have these parts either in your hand or scattered on the floor in close proximity of the bike, either way you are making progress.

Take a good hard look at this. This is part of the stock brake line. You need to scavenge this part from the stock line by cutting it from the line very carefully.

Now that all the line clamps have been removed, this is what you should be looking at.

This is one of the oversized rubber pieces you must remove from the stock line in order for the new stainless line to be clamped into position.

Here is a closeup of the rubber part you need to remove.

Now it's time to remove the brake line from the caliper. Make sure you have something to drain the brake fluid into so you don't make a mess on the garage floor. The new Banjo bolt must be tightened to 12-15 foot pounds!

Directly under the Tach is a loop that you need to run the new line through.

And up and across the handlebars to the master cylinder. The new line from Galfer comes with crush washers and bolts, use them. Remember that cleanliness is next to Godliness and I can guarantee that the big guy doesn't have dirt in his lines. The Banjo bolt must be tightened to 12-15 foot pounds!

The arrow in this pic points to the bolt that holds the brake pads in place. Even though it has an 8mm head on it, it has no threads, look between the pad and the caliper you will see a small hairpin clip, remove this with a pair of needlenose pliers and hold it in your teeth if that ensures you won't lose it.

Slide the pin out and voila! The pads come right out. Because there is little of no brake fluid in the lines you can squeeze the piston in by hand. Install the new Galfer pads in reverse order and reinstall the caliper on the bike.

I predominately ride two up, both my wife and I are over 6'. The pads (after 1600 miles) told the tale. They looked pretty bad, not so much wear but excess heat buildup. The pads were slightly glazed, good for ham, not for brake pads.

That's the little bugger I warned you about. Don't lose it!

Pop the caliper back on...

Tighten the Allen bolts.

Remember when I told you about the rubber oversized part of the brake line? Here is one of the places where you have to use it. The other is above the fender inside the fairing. Clamp everything back together and bleed the system.

Well, I was fortunate enough to have some decent weather the day after I installed the new brakes and lines.

Once you are sure the system is completely devoid of air feel free to hop on and go for a spin.

As with any brake job before heading out onto any major road make sure the new brakes work. I rode up and down my street gently applying the brakes to give a good wear pattern before hitting the road and having to use them in a possible panic situation before the new brakes have a chance to wear in properly. I also rode a bit around my neighborhood with the brakes on (alternating between front and rear) I wanted to make sure they set properly, this is a very important part of installing a high performance braking system.

You want the lowdown on how the new brake system performs right? Ok, I like them. There is more metal in these pads than stock so don't be concerned when they squeal a little, this usually only happens during the first few minutes of riding when slowing or stopping, this is mainly caused by cold pads and a cold rotor.

Do they work as advertised? Uh Yeah, as a matter of fact you really have to adjust your riding and stopping style now as the new Galfer's really haul the bike down from speed in a hurry. Galfer should offer a window scraper with these brakes so you can clean yourself the windscreen after a sudden controlled panic stop. As you fellow KLR riders know the bikes handling capability are stuff that legends are made of, wait until you take the next rider who is tailgating you into a hot corner...the Galfer's will shave off plenty of speed before laying over and hitting the apex WOT!

Thanks Galfer!

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