ABS conversion?

[R4V3N]

Hi all

Other than carbon pads i'm still running a completely standard braking system on my 2001 busa.

I've been looking at the brembo upgrade, braided lines, different rotors etc

Before i fork out for new bits does anyone know if you can upgrade to ABS - either a way of converting gen2 to fit gen1 or an aftermarket kit?

thanks & sorry if this has been asked/answered in another post ive searched the site and google but no joy

 

[Great White North EH]

My 01 has steel braided lines and Galfer brakes front and rear and it has great stopping power. I don't know if it is possible to retro fit an ABS system onto a Gen 1 or not but I would be interested to watch this thread and find out.

 

[fallenarch]

I'm gonna say no, the ABS can't be added to the Gen I. Basically the amount of stuff that would have to change would make it cheaper to just buy a 2014 and go from there. I kno wthe ABS parts i could find alone come to about $6000 if you buy them independantly. Maybe you could find a wrecked bike and salvage the system from it, but then why did it crash if it has maricle ABS?

I have an 09and was thinking the same thing you are. In the end I decided there are 2 kinds of good brakes:

1. Manual brakes with quality parts (ie pads, calipers, MC, and lines.).
2. Brakes that do the thinking for you (ABS).

#1 is easy to do, if expensive. #2 is tough to accomplish on a retrofit. The biggest issue is you can't be sure if even works until it's a life or death situation - which is the wrong time to find out. So here is my final decision of what to do with my bike:

If you want the best possible brakes on a pre-ABS busa go route 1 and upgrade the manual system and then invest in learning how to use them skillfully. If you want ABS buy a new bike.

 

[1busa]

I'm saying that it probably could be done seeing how damn near anything can be modded swapped or added to a busa

However like Fallen mentioned it won't be cheap and it would probably be easier 2 just buy a newer bike with it already installed.

 

[Quiksilver]

It would be really trick to have a gen 1 with abs if possible. I'm sure it would be expensive to add abs.

 

[Professor]

Buy a gen II with ABS. Retro the tail fairing stay and other body parts from a gen I. Cheaper and would be more likely to work.

 

[R4V3N]

Thanks for the advise - i think i'll upgrade the manual system on my gen 1 as im not yet a fan of gen2

Is the brembo upgrade the best way to go? - i was going to buy braided lines this year as a start but worried they might be a waste of money if upgrading to brembo system (do they use standard lines?)

Is there another system worth considering (other than brembo)?

i read somewhere that the standard 6pot calipers on gen 1 are pony? and should have 4 pot? ???

can anyone advise please lease:

 

[Professor]

I’m not sure what your goals are. I have braided lines along with Galfer rotors and pads on mine. I’m still using the stock master cylinder and calipers. They are consistent, I’ve never had problems with fading on the street or track. I can easily lift the rear wheel when practicing stops from 50-100+mph in a controlled environment even in repeated sessions. But, I can do the same with the stock rotors and HH pads. And likely with the stock lines or pads, but it has been 9 years since it was that way.

The Brembo’s seem to be a waste of money to me unless you are after the bling factor. I needed another set of rotors for my aftermarket wheels and went with the Galfers for appearance and maybe gained a touch of performance, but the cost/benefit was not there for performance alone.

The braided lines give a much better feel in my opinion. But the stock ones are still up to the task. The same with changing the master cylinder, the stock one works fine. Changing it only changes it to fit the operator’s desires. The bore and ratio will change the feel and stroke, but it is more of a preference than performance issue.