KH400 brake caliper upgrade
The KH400 original brake caliper is acceptable in most conditions. There’s a conversion possible, if you have access to a machinist or if you have this caliper adaptor.
I was lucky enough to buy it from a guy on the Kawasaki Triples forum who went by the username “Mouth.” He might have gotten out of the 2 stroke motorcycle hobby, I haven’t seen him active on the forum in many years.
The steps for conversion are:
1. Make the caliper adaptor or find someone who will do it- here's the information link at : kawatriple.com 2. Find an EX500 or EX250 or... (this caliper was fitted to many Kawasaki bikes). I have read that the small piston should be leading and I've also read that it doesn't matter. This setup has the small piston leading. 3. Remove the forks and switch them around (left goes to right, etc.) and turn them so that the brake caliper mounts are facing rearward. 4. Remove the dust cover from the right side of the wheel/hub. 5. Unbolt the brake disc and move it from the left side of the hub to the right side. 6. Loosely mount the caliper to the caliper adaptor. You will need two bolts, I believe the size is M10 x 1.25. 7. Bolt the adaptor to the caliper mounts on the fork stanchion. Tighten all four bolts, making sure they don't contact the disc and make sure the wheel turns freely without excessive pressure from the brake pads. 8. Install new brake lines. The top line is 13 inches, the bottom line is 12 inches total length. Note this set of handlebars is lower than stock. If you're using the stock or other bars that are higher than mine, you might need a longer top line. 9. Add brake fluid and bleed the system.
I used the stock master cylinder. The brakes work well, more progressive feel and stronger than stock.
Original setup - Before:
After:
The braking power and feel are significantly improved with the caliper adaptor and EX500 caliper. It's a nice upgrade.