HONDAs' Abandonment of the dual piston caliper??

[Dirtcrasher]

I've always been a fan of the 85/86 250R calipers - especially the front with it's composite or plastic dual pistons.

Since then, they have made heavier racing machines and went back to a single piston caliper. Although it is larger in diameter, it doesn't seem THAT much larger enough to replace the dual setup.

Although the front caliper on the 350X and 250R is a dual piston, the 200X outdated single caliper seems just as effective? And it's near identical to the newer CR and CRF lineup calipers. It sure seems to lock up fairly easily and if you ride a newer dirtbike (although much lighter) that front tire locks up like a SOB.

I have some 250R calipers I planned on powder coating, rebuilding and installing on the 200X and 350X that I currently beat the snot out of but now I question whether it's any advantage.

I can buy a brand new 450R single piston caliper ready to bolt on for under 100$ all day long and I may just auction off all the 250R calipers I have. The parts will be available for 20 years and I won't have to buy all the special pins etc etc....

Any thoughts??

[brapp]

i have been makign a few plates to use the 450r rear master for the 350x's so u can run the entire brake set up off the 450r.

[Dammit!]

i have been makign a few plates to use the 450r rear master for the 350x's so u can run the entire brake set up off the 450r.

Well when it's done send me a pm. :D

[sgp56]

Keep the original dual pistons on there. They might become "rare" one day.Keep it classic.

[84honda200s]

personally i like and think the dual piston calipers work better. i replaced my single piston caliper with a dual caliper piston on my 200x and think it actually is better. but again we are talking about the rear caliper on the 200x thats not all that best to begin with.


my opinion is dual is better depending on what age of caliper you are comparing it too. now a new single piston may be better that a dual piston caliper ?










ooo by the way happy b-day

[Dirtcrasher]

They wouldn't be original anyhow.

honestly could care less about "OEM", "original" etc etc. I never sell my stuff anyhow....I just want stuff to work that I can rebuild and get parts for for years to come until I can't ride anymore. I'm speaking about the rear brakes anyhow where they aren't stock on a 200X or 350X so I'd have to build brackets anyhow be it a 250R or (newer 450R) swap....

I just don't think the dual piston setup has any advantage but has a disadvantage in being rare and harder to find in good shape or getting parts for it.

If thats the case, I'll PC and rebuild the ones I have, auction them off and run the 450R stuff. Les than 100$, how the F can ya beat it?? :TrikesOwn

I do DIG those 250R plastic pistons on the front caliper though :naughty:

Guys that "RIDE" aren't so worried about year/item correct. We wabt stuff that works and can be rebuilt without weeks of searching for used EBAY garbage :beer

[84honda200s]

T
Guys that "RIDE" aren't so worried about year/item correct. We want stuff that works and can be rebuilt without weeks of searching for used EBAY garbage :beer




:beer :w00t: aaaaaaaaamen to that !!!!

[The Goat]

i have been makign a few plates to use the 450r rear master for the 350x's so u can run the entire brake set up off the 450r.

chalk me up for one of those as well as the headlight guard brappy

[SWIGIN]

kinda like this plate?

its simple and works great

[brapp]

yep prett ymuch my prototypes are made from steel but i need to find soem nice aluminum 1/4 inch plate so i can polish them and a little easier to work with also.

[NINJA]

I had to ressurect this thread. IMO the dual piston calipers were/are better than single piston calipers. They exert more force because of the combined piston area. It also allowed the caliper to be shorter in height than a single piston caliper of comparable strength. When it comes to locking up the tires, that doesn't really mean much. Drum brakes will lock up a tire. But they're more prone to brake fade as are single piston calipers. You have to ride them longer to get the same effect as a dual piston caliper. We're talking about gradual braking here. It's pressing on the pad which in turn is pressing on the rotor from 2 points rather than one. There's a reason why all your new dirtbikes are running dual piston calipers now instead of single. Dual piston calipers are doubly as prone to failure and doubly expensive, that's why Honda abandoned them on their ATVs. ATVs are designed to be trouble free longer than MX bikes and cheaper to build. It's not cost effective for them to have brakes like that on an ATV. Bottom line.

[Erics350x]

The smaller pads that fit in the single piston caliper suck! The only advantage to a single piston set-up is cost and size- as far as space goes.

[Derrick Adams]

I noticed this same thing when I built my 450, so we went with the twin piston caliper (only because its a 3 wheeler) If I was building a quad I would never use a twin piston caliper. Added weight and friction are simply not necessary to slow down a quad, especially when you have front brakes that can stop you easily and never fade.

[Dirtcrasher]

Good stuff guys :beer:

Thanks for bringing it back Ninja :D

[350Kris]

Ok..great points made above. So what options do we have? Are there any systems (like from a 450R, 300EX, etc.) that bolt on to a 350X, 250R, or 200X without mods? If not, then what are the easiest systems to retrofit.

I have a NOS 350X caliper waiting to go on my project 350X....should I sell it?....and use the money to convert to a "new" system from a current model? What about the front?

By the way, I'm a rider. :)

[bigpimpin]

ok so a 250r dual piston caliper will work on a 200x?

[Dirtcrasher]

Yep, but you have to MAKE it work......

Most of these caliper mods take a bit of filing, drilling or fabrication but it's worth your efforts.....

[Erics350x]

I remember a couple yaers ago reading a post about someone using something like CBR brakes with very little mod.

[Blown 331]

I did not read this whole thread but here is my OPINION. I don't think Honda would have switched to something inferior. I'm sure the pistons on the new single piston set ups are capable of applying more pressure on the pads than the old system or they would not have changed. To me this is kinda like wondering why they switched to inverted forks and debating which style forks is better when clearing the newer evolved set up is the way to go.

[NINJA]

Yes, but the new mx bikes are using twin piston calipers these days, race cars or high end automobiles are using multiple piston calipers these days. They cost more but are more effective, Honda did step backward in a way.