Galfer Rear Brake Upgrade

Galfer Rear Brake Upgrade

Member Since 1999

When used correctly the rear brake on a motorcycle is not used nearly as much as the front, unless you carry a hefty load (my fat ass falls into this category) or you ride a bit more spiritedly than the casual biker. There are times when you wish for a bit more performance out of your metal steed and as luck would have it the people at Galfer must've heard you screaming.

Not content to sit back and merely produce a set of quality brake pads they have also designed a braided stainless steel brake line to replace the prone to swelling rubber one your bike came with.

Sit back relax and enjoy as we go to work installing an upgraded braking system on the rear of our KLR 6-Fitty.

This is where it all begins, at the rear booster.

And here is the rear caliper, as you can see the line runs directly under the caliper. Before you start tearing everything apart make sure you can open the bleeder (the black nipple on top of the caliper) I can't even begin to describe how bad life will suck if this is the last thing you try to do and the bleeder is frozen.

Ok, loosen the 12mm bolt that runs through the end (banjo) of the line. The new line from Galfer come with new banjo bolts and crush washers. Reuse Nothing!

The Galfer lines come in clear plastic boxes, not surprisingly Galfer is proud enough to display their wares on retail shelves. Smart move.

Got Lines? Soon.

The two Allen head bolts that hold the caliper on are easily removed by using the opposite end of a large crescent wrench to gain a bit of leverage.

Only loosen the Allen's, you need the caliper mounted to break the banjo bolts loose.

Aaahhh, Stainless Steel. Position the upper and lower crush washer and carefully as not to cross thread the bolt tighten by hand until snug. The new Banjo bolt must be tightened to 12-15 foot pounds!

The new Galfer line has to be run through the bracket on the passenger peg and the plastic holder on the swing arm. It fits with no cursing.

This was a bit tricky, the new bolt is a bit difficult to line up because the new steel line is not as flexible as its rubber counterpart. A bit of coaxing and muttering under your breath helps. The new Banjo bolt must be tightened to 12-15 foot pounds!

Here is the difference between stock and Galfer on the left. The new Galfer bolt requires a 14mm vs., the stocker which is a 12mm.

Lest ye forget, the rear master cylinder must be exposed so that ye may bleedeth.

While we were at it an executive decision was made to install the Galfer green pads.

This is a gratuitous use of the Galfer name for advertising purposes, shameful aren't we?

The floating pin that holds the brake pad in place, you can see in this pic the outside pad has already slipped out and I am holding in place with my thumb.

Remember the bleedething part I told you about?

Well go forth and bleed. I have to admit this is a lot easier than bleeding brakes on a car.

The finished product!

I can say without reserve the new pads and lines make a huge difference, they do however take a bit to break in and I strongly suggest you drive slowly around the neighborhood testing the new feel before venturing out into traffic without a clue as to how the new pads and lines will react.

Send mail to finishlinewestinc@hotmail.com with questions or comments about this web site.

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