Buell XB12S Brakes

[DDTMOTO]

Hi All,

New member here and new Buell owner.

I bought a project Buell that has had a lot of restoration done but the previous owner ran out of time and money so I got it for a good deal.

I have already fixed most issues in a the few days I have had it.

But one of the big issues it is not ridable as the brakes don't work. The are basically mush (and the rear has pads down to the metal). So I don't know what the ZTL1 brake feel like. I read that the ZTL2 helps "a lot". I have to rebuild calipers on the ZTL1 and possibly master cylinder. The master cylinder may need attention, I will just a 16mm R6 radial master.

But the question is how does the braking with a ZTL1 caliper actually feel? Are they similar to braking power / feel of a typical dual 330mm rotor sport bike or are the closer to the single rotor cruiser type brake feel (i.e. not much braking on the front) ? Is the ZTL2 really worth the extra money? A ZTL2 would be about $350 more with a rebuild kit for the ZTL2 and the caliper off ebay. What do theZTL2 brakes feel like (high end sport bike, something else)?

TIA

 

[34nineteen]

For street riding, the ZTL is just fine. If you're going to ride it hard, track or race it... then the ZTL2 would be the better way to go.

Parts for the ZTL brake are cheap and plentiful. You should be able to remove the pistons from the caliper (without splitting it) clean, and reassemble and have the caliper function like new. The MC piston kit is relatively cheap, easy to find and super simple to rebuild. You should be able to get ZTL1 parts from St Paul.

Read the reviews from back around 2003-2007 and you'll see all kinds of stories. But until the XBRR debuted back in 2006-2007, EVERYONE on a Buell ran the ZTL1, regardless of whether they were on the street or race track. However, once the ZTL2 was available then all of the sudden, the ZTL1 "wasnt powerful enough". My advice is to just get the stock stuff working FIRST, then decide if you need the ZTL2. Most XB's we're ZTL1 and still are.

The other problem you may run into when swapping for the radial master cylinder off an R6, is that you will likely need a new brake hose as I believe that master cylinders outlet is on the bottom. The other issue is that the hose connecting at the bottom will interfere with the adjusters on the throttle cables (which are plastic and like to break easily). So, if you are still running the stock throttle control, be aware. If you are running a Motion Control or EBR throttle, it probably wont matter.

Dont forget to remove the rotor and clean/replace the floating disc hardware and springs. Most people never maintain them and complain that their rotor is "warped" when the hardware is just all gunked up with crud and the rotor is stuck instead of floating.

That is all.

 

[DDTMOTO]

Thanks for the reply.

Good advice. I think the best coarse of action from your post is just rebuild the stock 6 piston calipers and master cylinder.

Get the bike "back to stock" and running well.

Already did the rear brake the evening. I have never seen the rear brake pads on a motorcycle so worn that there was not pad material on of the pads and less than a millimeter on the other. It was metal to metal on the outside pad. I don't know how that happens. Well it is neglect, but I have never used rear brakes on motorcycles enough to wear out the pads.

I will probably probably replace the front break line also with stainless braded line.

The line that is on it now seems "tight" (no slack) compared to other bikes I have. Is there a length to works well to have a little more slack in the line and maybe even be able to accommodate a 1 inch bar riser and some extra pullback? Just make the bike a little more comfy for longer rides.

 

[Barrett]

there was not pad material on of the pads and less than a millimeter on the other. It was metal to metal on the outside pad. I don't know how that happens.

Abnormal pad wear is classified as one of the pads wearing substantially more than the other pad.....one or both of the pads NOT wearing flat and consistent across the entire length of the pad surface.

Causes:
severely warped rotor
one or more caliper pistons sticking in its bore
caliper hanging up on the mounting/slider pins