Brake Modulators

[blimpman]

I know it has been discussed a little bit in other posts but I have a question.

On my Lifan GY20-5 I have a brake modulator on each caliper. Has anyone removed these and hooked the lines up directly? If so, was there any negative effect? These modulators are so delicate I am afraid that a rock will jump up and snap them off one day while I was innocently riding around. I've never seen them on any other bike.

http://www.chinariders.net/gallery2/...avId=x174afba5

http://www.chinariders.net/gallery2/...avId=x174afba5

[FMYStreetRacer]

i wouldn't think that it'd hurst any thing. mine are direct.

if you take them off and want to sell them i call first dibs. i want to see what the hell they do and why they're on there.

[Jet_Tech]

I have a 06 GY-5 and it only has one dampner on the front. Do not hook your brakes direct they will lock up when you apply pressure. They act as an ABS system reducing hydraulic pressure to the caliper thus avoiding lock up. American Lifan went to a different rear brakes on the 06, these have a built in dampner, but the front still uses one. Trust me it will take a severe amount of force to snap this off. If you do snap this off than you will have other problems to deal with other than a broken brake dampner...like broken bones. If your nailing things with your forks that close to your axle than you dont need to be riding in that area.

[FMYStreetRacer]

man i live in the city and i'm constantly riding weak ass trails where my forks are getting nailed by broekn tree limbs. you should see how bent my front rim is already from hitting them all.

i personally wouldn't care and i'd run them till one broke off them worry about fixing it.

[ambassador]

I had the same concern about these but they are pretty strong, I think you would have to hit it pretty hard to shear it off...

[ob1]

None of my bikes have a "modulator". I dont see the sense in making a disc brake system feel like drums.

You just learn how to apply your brakes properly. You base braking pressure on the grip of your tires and the surface you are riding on.

I dont think I would ever want anything but 100% brake capability. It is too easy to learn how to modulate the brake yourself. In an emergency on the street, being able to lock the brakes, especially the rear, is a must when you decide to lay it down, disc or drum.

Road rash is nothing compared to broken bones, or your life.

[VFRFLYER]

I agree you need all the control available when its crunch time sorta speak. You could try it direct but I would not discard them in case it affects function to adversely

[ambassador]

Modulation – Usually incorrectly referred to as a characteristic of a brake system. Modulation actually refers to the process of a rider accurately controlling the amount of brake power required without locking the wheel.

[blimpman]

Originally Posted by ambassador

Modulation – Usually incorrectly referred to as a characteristic of a brake system. Modulation actually refers to the process of a rider accurately controlling the amount of brake power required without locking the wheel.

Moderator?

I understand that it just prevents you from grabbing the brake real quick and locking up the wheel. I am gonna try removing it just to satisfy my curiosity.. I'll stay close to home and carry tools on the test ride.

[Jet_Tech]

You guys have to remember that these bikes had to make certain modifications to be DOT approved in the states, one of these is the brakes. Depending on where you live some states require that your bike brakes at a certain distance at a certain speed to meet the states highway approval besides DOT. If our bikes were set up in standard drum front and rear or disk front rear drum, they would not meet the certification standards like the name brand bikes out there, face it...they have better technology and parts. So in 06 American Lifan switched to a different rear caliper to do away with the dampner. The rear caliper on my GY-5 is stamped "Product of Japan" so I know that they are starting to use better components. The inferior front caliper still uses the "puck" brake pads which are ancient technology which is the reason why they still use the dampner. These brakes were used from the start of 2 wheeled technology up until the late 80's. The pucks tends to heat up faster and lock up quicker due to their small surface area. Heres a question...Have you ever seen a name brand bike with puck pads? My rear pads are attainable at any bike shop around here, almost a standard pad, but the fronts are a lot harder to come by. I still havent been able to find a bike shop here which can order them, they all say the same thing "wow where did you find these" when I show them a picture of what they came off of they freak, wondering why the usage of the old pads, my conclusion is surplus military parts and cheaper manufacturing cost. Why invest in improved technology when old technology is already there to use at a cheaper cost. Bultaco, Enfield and Hodaka were known to use puck pads when disk technology first came out so a lot of these pads are still floating out there in large quantity, Im sure they found their way into the chinese market.

[ambassador]

Thanks Jet, could not have said it better, didn't realize they were puck pads until I was installing the front wheel and one fell out into my hand, I guess they put that temporary spacer there for a reason.... Not a whole lot of surface area on those pads, I'll take all the help I can get... It still functions like a normal disc brake, the front tire will lock if you pull the lever hard, only difference is appearance...I paid $1200 for my bike and it don't feel any different than my old XR200, I guess it's just a matter style vs. performance...

[ejcycles]

To All This Concerns

Jet_Tech, First of all, Almost All Honda's, Kawasaki's, Suzuki's & Yamaha's in the late 60's, 70's and into the 80's had a round "puck" pad on their front disc brakes. Honda made the first Japanese motorcycle with Disc brakes in 1969 {The CB750}. Bultaco or Hodaka didn't ever use disc brakes. None of them ever use a dampener on any of their brakes at all and still do not. I'm not sure what age you are, but I Specialise in Vintage Bikes along with the New Chinese Bikes. It just so happens that I still carry the round pads in stock for many of these older bikes. I still have Cycle, Cycle World, Cycle Power & CBR Magazines showing a lot of the new bikes from this era. I also have a {Honda Bible} as I call it, that shows every bike that Honda brought into this country {USA} from 1959 till 1998. I'm not trying to degrade you, just trying to give you some better information than what you have received from the shops you have been to. I also carry the front & rear brake pads in stock for the American Lifan G20-5 {LF200GY-5}.

Blimpman...Yes you can remove the dampener from both of your calipers. They then will be just like regular disc brakes and they will lock like regular disc brakes on any motorcycle.

The Dampeners as you call them are Anti-Lock controllers. They where put on these bikes {200cc} and a lot of the Chinese scooters for Safety Reasons only, it had nothing to do with the DOT, Federal or by any State. The Chinese looked at it as the car manufactures do...if the car/bike doesn't skid you are less likely to hit another vehicle or go out of control. On wet roads you won't slide like you would with standard Non Anti-lock brakes.
I hope that this helps.

Bruce

[Jet_Tech]

Thanks Bruce for the correct information, I'll be sure to pass this on to the part houses I frequently visit and sorry to all the readers that I gave the wrong information to.

[Ferrit]

Bruce--I gotta get up and visit your shop. I'm sure that you'll have a bunch of bikes that will bring back some fond memories.

As I reading above I was thinking of the Urals, Royal Enfields, and Ching Yiangs that are imported with drum brakes front and rear but still EPA/Federally compliant.

[ejcycles]

Hi Jet_Tech
No need to apologize...If I'm on this Earth for anything important the only thing I can figure is to pass on information about bikes & atv's. I will try and help anyone I can, as long as they are decent with me. I Love Bikes, ATV's, The Sport, The Fun etc. etc. God gave me a purpose and I guess this is it, all I can say is Thanks, I Love It!!!!! Ferrit, you are welcome any time to stop by...except in this 0 degree weather...I'm hiding when I can. Vintage Bikes yea got a few in my basement, and other places. 8O

Bruce