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2000 ZX9R Nissin front brake calipers on 1996 ZX6R

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29K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  Luis5249  
1
#1 ·
I've got a 1996 ZX6R with stock front calipers that need rebuilding, and after finding out how much it will cost for new parts, I've decided to look around for a set of calipers from a newer model that will swap in easily.

I've come across some gold 4 pot Nissin calipers from a 2000 ZX9R and I'm wondering if they will fit the 1996 ZX6R?

Here's a photo of them

Image


Does anybody know if they will bolt straight on?

Will I need to replace my brake lines and master as well?

Any help is appreciated.
 
#2 ·
kawi uses the same bolt spacing for many many years...same as many GSXR's actually. Should go right on.

But the size of the master cylinder might not match up...so they might be grabby or weak....or just right....hopefully someone else has that answer. I saw a 2000 zx7 with gold nissin's on but don't know if he changed the master on his either.

Brake lines should fit.

the zx9r had rave reviews when they switched to that system....let us know how they work out if you go with them.
 
1
#3 ·
Well, the calipers arrived in the mail today, all the way from Pasadena!

The good news is, I'm pretty sure they will work perfectly on my bike.

The mounting bolt holes line up perfectly, the only problem is that the diameter of the bolt holes on the ZX-9R calipers is 6/7mm, and the mounting bolts from my ZX-6R are 8/9mm.

The 9R calipers didn't come with mounting bolts so I'll either have to go and buy some smaller threaded bolts with a collar to take up the extra space in the mounting holes, or enlarge the thread in the new calipers to fit my larger bolts.

I think I'll try and get new bolts first.

I'll post some pics and a ride report in a day or two.
 
1
#4 ·
**** UPDATE ****

Ok, sorry its taken so long, but I've had a busy couple of weeks since getting the calipers.

So far I've gotten the calipers mounted, but not without a couple of hitches along the way.

Although the mounting bolt holes line up, the thread on the 2002 calipers is only 8mm, not 10mm like on the '96 calipers, and after having no success trying to find a bolt with a 10mm shank and an 8mm thread, I decided to re-tap the '02 thread out to 10mm.

Then, because of the different shape of the '02 caliper compared with '96 caliper, I had to grind a little bit of alloy off both the '02 caliper and the '96 front fork mount in order to get the top bolt-holes to line up.

Success! '02 calipers mounted perfectly to '96 front forks!

Of course, it couldn't go smoothly from then on, could it?

NO!!!!

After draining my front brake fluid to avoid making a mess, I now cannot get any pressure in my front brake system at all.

To Clarify -

I removed my old calipers and then drained all the fluid out of the lines and master cylinder.

I then connected my new calipers and filled the master cylinder with fluid.

I then pumped the brake lever a couple of hundred times to bleed the air out of the system, but am not able to get the lever to go hard.

Any ideas?

I've successfully bled my old brakes before without any problems.

I've tried searching to forums for info on brake bleeding woes and have checked to make sure calipers are full of fluid.

I'm out of ideas and really need some help to finish this off.

Is it just that the lines are full of air and so the system can't build up the pressure?
 
1
#5 ·
finished!

I've been really busy lately and haven't had the time to work on the bike, but I finally got it done.

Here's the old calipers



And the new ones mounted on my bike



Here's a closer shot



And a closer one showing where I had to grind off a bit of the caliper casing to get it to fit.



And, just for good measure, here's the other side!



I've test ridden it and they work, but are still a bit spongy, so I'll try bleeding them again and see if that fixes it, and if not, I'll try a 2002 ZX-9R master cylinder.

If you have any questions then feel free to ask.
 
T
#6 ·
Try bleeding the master, pump it up and hold it and loosen the master cylinder banjo bolt, sometimes air gets trapped there and will not come out when doing normal bleeding. Also your master cylinder should be good for those as they are also 4 piston.
Ben
 
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#7 ·
I've bled the air from the master cylinder banjo bolt, and also re-bled at the caliper end and the lever is now very, very firm, but I'm still not get real bite from the brakes. I'm wondering if the pistons in the new calipers are slightly larger than the old ones, and therefore my master cylinder may not have enough grunt for the new calipers, despite both being 4-piston units.

Does anyone know if there are any other models that use the same master cylinder as the 02/03 ZX-9R? There doesn't seem to be too many 02 9R masters on ebay.
 
T
#8 ·
You could use a newer 636 master as well which should give you plenty of bite. The radial newer ones give awesome feel, and also the r6 has a Brembo OEM master on it. Just look for pretty much any newer bike master and you should be good. You could also use a 98-02 ZX6R master which was meant for 6 piston and it gave a very rock hard feel to the OEM 03+ 636 4 piston calipers.
Ben
 
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#9 ·
So, its ok to use a more powerful master, just not less powerful - is that what your saying?

I wasn't sure if master cylinders were specifically designed to fit with particular calipers/hoses/etc.

One of my mates has an '01 CBR929RR which has these same Nissin calipers, so I guess I could use a master off one of those too.
 
I
#10 ·
ADDED to the sticky, thanks.

BTW, masters are usually dependent on piston surface area. Therefore if the number of pistons and diameters are identical between the 9R and 6R calipers, there shouldn't be a need for a brake master swap. Although I doubt this is the case.
 
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#13 ·
just to bring this up from the dead, are the 96 calipers the same as the 98s? im asking because i want to upgrade my 98 zx6r with a newer set of 4 pots to match up to my brembo and then get some ss lines for it. but i want something that wont require me to drill and tap anything. also gsxr 750/1000 calipers do not fit the kawis. ive got a set of 4 pot gixxer 750 calipers on my honda and the spacing is like 30 mm different between them and my kawi
 
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