Show us your TransAlp modifications!

[mas335]

A quart every 200 miles! That wasn't a engine, more like a oil pump. Glad you got the problem solved.

[Backonthebike]

Mas, people that rode behind me asked whether it was a two-stroke. 95% there; will pay a man to attend to the jetting.
Cheers
Tim

[Ladder106]

as a retired police Sergeant and practicing Attorney

You've gone to over to the dark side



Let us know how the jetting turns out. Having the numbers (pilot, main, throttle slide or needle changes) etc will be most helpful to anyone doing this mod in the future.......maybe me.

[ravelv]

Did with this conversation last summer ~1000km's (see back somewhere is my posts about this).
Initialy I was concerned will stock single rotor TA's master cylinder be capable to "deal" with a bit bigger caliper (one piston is 32mm, bigger than TA has) and was thinking about getting one from dual rotor model TA's.
After real riding I can say- works perfect! Now I can operate brakes easy with one-two fingers! There is no need to upgrade brake pipes to braided-steel ones, stock rubber ones are completely enough. Still, brakes are not too sharp, easy to feel what is going on and not lock wheel.

Caliper's bracket also sits perfect via washers to fork brackets and is not coming loose.


This is best and simplest upgrade I've done on my TA.

[Ladder106]

Can you give us specifics?

What rotor and caliper did you use? Part numbers?

Looks great

[ravelv]

Ray, don't say you forgot? :) I was writing here some time ago about how to use bigger rotor and some other caliper without making any adapters (adapters are NOT allowed in my country regardless any sertifications anywhere else).
Maybe too long back, but all my mods now are very sloooow, not much time for bikes anymore...

Rotor, any 296mm honda rotor with 6 "standard" Honda pattern. Beware dual setup rotors, they are thinner!
Caliper- SLR650/FX650 hondas. And 2x2mm thick washers with absolutely parallel surfaces, those from regular hardware stores are NOT suitable!!!

This mod is not applicable to US bikes, caliper bracket bolt distance is less than 117mm. This mod works from 1991, when brakes was updated.

My guess then was that on US bikes should work VT500 caliper, but nobody tested that, I also could not get this caliper to verify on some older TA around here... Maybe somebody can this verify finally? :)

Originally Posted by Ladder106

Can you give us specifics?

What rotor and caliper did you use? Part numbers?

Looks great

[Ladder106]

I remember it in general but thanks for the reminder of specific. I knew I was looking for VT500 parts for a reason.


apologies....working with old RAM

[Backonthebike]

Originally Posted by Ladder106

You've gone to over to the dark side

Not really; I work in Divorce Law. Couldn't go on to defend the indefensible, and 26 years of policing made me tired of fighting the bad guys with one arm tied behind my back.

Let us know how the jetting turns out. Having the numbers (pilot, main, throttle slide or needle changes) etc will be most helpful to anyone doing this mod in the future.......maybe me.

If my tuning shop is able to supply these, I will certainly pass them on.

Cheers
Tim

[mas335]

Having owned a 1991 TA I can say there was a noticeable differance in how the front brakes felt from pre '91 US TA's. You can find info on line stateing that the brakes were improved in '91 but I don't think it was in the caliper.

For what I can tell it is the indentical caliper as a NX650 which has smaller brake pads than a TA but does share the same 30mm dual caliper pistons.

I think Honda went to this set up solely to save cost since the NX650 "Dominator" were produced at the same time and nothing else shares the Transalp caliper.

I mixed and matched calipers, standard 276mm rotors and master cylinders on TA's to find just what was making the differance and it was none of the above, it was the brake line. The '91 TA has a one piece rubber brake hose, no fittings with cross over tubes, just one continous line and it was larger in diameter or than the 89/90 hose. I think the heavier line expanded less and that is what produced the firmer feel on the brakes. It wasn't as drastic as the large rotor mod but much improved over the standard 89/90 brake feel.

RAVELV: I have no idea what Honda uses a 296mm rotor but I am glad it worked for you. Seeing your Brembo caliper made me go measure the one that I have, it has two 28mm pistons and came off a KTM.

[ravelv]

Originally Posted by mas335

Having owned a 1991 TA I can say there was a noticeable differance in how the front brakes felt from pre '91 US TA's. You can find info on line stateing that the brakes were improved in '91 but I don't think it was in the caliper.

From 91 calipers are also different, you can see this even in pictures- also visually different.

I mixed and matched calipers, standard 276mm rotors and master cylinders on TA's to find just what was making the differance and it was none of the above, it was the brake line. The '91 TA has a one piece rubber brake hose, no fittings with cross over tubes, just one continous line and it was larger in diameter or than the 89/90 hose. I think the heavier line expanded less and that is what produced the firmer feel on the brakes. It wasn't as drastic as the large rotor mod but much improved over the standard 89/90 brake feel.

My 94 TA have 3 piece brake line- in the middle there is steel pipe along triple clamps. Though, I don't know anything about diameters.

RAVELV: I have no idea what Honda uses a 296mm rotor but I am glad it worked for you. Seeing your Brembo caliper made me go measure the one that I have, it has two 28mm pistons and came off a KTM.

It is easy to find out by looking in German Ebay for Honda bremscheibe, many sellers are posting crossreference tables with all dimensions. I think, I wrote about some particular models in first posts about this mod. But quite a lot of models use these 296mm rotors.

Brembo caliper I have, has 30 and 32mm pistons. Overall this caliper is much better built than Nissin one my TA had. Also replacing pads are simpler now.

All this might seem unnecessary troubles for US guys as you have quite loose regulations about mods, but here in Europe rules are sometimes very drastic.

[vasilispix]

[dfc]

Originally Posted by vasilispix

Nice first post, I say somewhere in Germany, who else is up for "Wheres vasilispix?"

[mas335]

Greece?

[mas335]

Originally Posted by ravelv

From 91 calipers are also different, you can see this even in pictures- also visually different.

My 94 TA have 3 piece brake line- in the middle there is steel pipe along triple clamps. Though, I don't know anything about diameters.

It is easy to find out by looking in German Ebay for Honda bremscheibe, many sellers are posting crossreference tables with all dimensions. I think, I wrote about some particular models in first posts about this mod. But quite a lot of models use these 296mm rotors.

Brembo caliper I have, has 30 and 32mm pistons. Overall this caliper is much better built than Nissin one my TA had. Also replacing pads are simpler now.

All this might seem unnecessary troubles for US guys as you have quite loose regulations about mods, but here in Europe rules are sometimes very drastic.

Correct, the 91 caliper does look entirely different than the 89/90 but identical to what it looks like on what we refer to as a 88-89 NX650 (dominator) which used a much smaller and thinner 4 bolt rotor.

[FolcoNitro 2KF]

This is my old Biondi windshield, 56 cm high.




While this one is my new MRA Touren.
Even if it's less high than the other one, the MRA protects better at cruising speed (i'm 1.98cm long)