04 kl650a front brake Caliper
 

Hello there!
I am new to this , I have a k650a and I am very happy with it with the axeption of the front brake
Does anybody know of a more efficient Caliper that I could fit on it without having to change the forks ? I am prepared to get a new disc if necessary.
I have already changed to a new braided line (it made no difference whatsoever)
Please help,Ilove the bike but I am tired of risking my life because of ineffective brakes.Iuse the bike every day for commuting to and from work
Thank you
Diego

The brakes on the 08 KLR that I ride from time to time are not brilliant but perfectly good enough that they don't give me any issues - except when the calipers seize up over the winter.

Have you tried the usual service stuff like new pads, rebuild the calipers etc? For not much more than the cost of seals and pistons for one caliper you can buy two new repro ones from Thailand (?) and replace both the front and rear ones.

If you do change pads and /or discs don't forget they'll need bedding in. To start with you'll wonder if the brakes work at all and it'll take a few miles to get them to wear together. The two cars I've done recently took about 20 miles before the brakes were working well and one of the bikes took around double that.

Good advice above.
Could also be you've got water in your brake fluid, and both your Master cylinder and Caliper need rebuilding.

Try these guys for KLR parts. Good fast shipping, but not the cheapest but BEST service and can help if you have questions.
https://procycle.us/bikepages/klr650.html#brakes

Another possibility is buy a LARGER brake rotor for improved stopping power.
But, IMO, Backof Beyond's opinion is accurate. KLR brakes are not bad ... IF set up correctly with GOOD pads, fresh fluid and freshly rebuilt Caliper and Master cylinder.

!Buena Suerte! bier

Aiming too hight?

The bike will never stop as fast as a sports bike. The front tire will limit traction and the bikes geometry will limit weight transfer before doing a 'stopie'.

Placing a more powerful brake on the bike may simply lead to the front tire sliding on dirt/wet surfaces. On hard surfaces the tire can still lock if there is not enough weight on it, or the bike pivoting over the tire. There is a balance between the choices between what surfaces the bike is used on, the less powerful brake is an assistance on those surfaces with less traction. Chose wisely.

You probably have a caliper with 2 pistons, going to a 4 piston caliper may be what you are after. You may well need an adaptor between the caliper and forks - bit of machined aluminium. An alternative is a larger diameter disk using the same caliper - again you may need adaptors - calliper to forks and/or disk to wheel.

As an engineer, my thoughts are, bleed brake carefully, especially if you have ABS, use a suitable brake fluid too. It takes a surprisingly small amount of air to make for spongy brakes. If there is water in the fluid it can boil (the brakes get very hot under repetitive use, and this heat is then transferred via the pads and piston to the fluid behind it. The steam produced in microbubbles is like air in the system.

If that is not enough, you might also look for a break leaver with a slightly (-1mM) smaller piston in it as the braking force applied is the force you squeeze with multiplied by the ratio of the areas of the two sets of pistons. The downside to this is that there will be a bit more travel in your break leaver.