Is it a drop-in replacement for the stock 2-piston one?

 

In my case yes. The problem that most will face is clearance between the caliper and the wheel. The body of the caliper is about 3.5 inches wide meaning you need about 1.75 inches of clearance from wheel to rotor at a minimum.

The next issue is rotor size. The later 48's have a 300mm rotor (11.8 in).

Fortunately, the earlier 48s (like mine) came with 11.5 inch rotors.

The caliper is from the XR models. It was a common upgrade to do on the Iron and early 48s from what I understand.

 

The XR caliper fits quite a few 'other' applications as well.
I love this caliper so much used it on my Slim...





T.

 

Got the parts in today and the install done too.


caliper comparison


brake line comparison


brake fitting comparison


Installed

 

I replaced the rear pads as well. Turns out they were a little burned up.

 

If you've got enough 'slack' in your brake line & nothings leaking,
then thats great, but usually, the banjo goes 'up' the other way - see
your stock photo. That 'nub' on the caliper is a 'stop' so the banjo
won't rotate when you're tightening the bolt down.

hth,

T.

 

Yea. I noticed that when putting it together. When facing it up, it was too close to my bleeder valve and the stainless cable was way too close to the tire for comfort so I turned it around.

Went out for a test ride just now and wow. The brake feels so great as it only takes minimal effort and travel for it to engage and bring the bike to a halt.

 

Any brake set up will lock up a wheel. The difference between good and bad is how easy it is to modulate the braking force. You want to be able to easily apply a strong braking force without risking accidental lockup. That's where things like metal or braided lines come in (they don't expand under pressure), quality metallic brake pads (they don't fade and have consistent bite), multi cylinder brake calipers (they produce more linear pad pressure), more rotor swept area, etc. come it. All these things give you better feel at the lever and more consistent braking force with lever pressure. Initial bite is not a sign of good brakes, just grabby pads, what is a good sign of a good braking system is an absence of mushyness and linear feel between lever pressure and bite. Many dealer and home mechanics also remove most but not all of the air from the brakes when bleeding them which hinders braking performance. You need to use a collector bottle and look for the micro bubbles coming out. Removing all the air from a braking system takes time and recycling a lot of fluid through the reservoir, just using a vacuum gun will not remove all the air.

 

That is exactly what I feel now.

 

desh gooood, desh reeeer gooood!