This is pretty disturbing to me, using back brake
by itself is pathetic compared with every bike
I've ever owned.
I even have fuse #2 pulled out, and the yellow
abs light stays on so I believe it is disable
totally, zero pulsing, but so weak.
---
I didn't pay attention to it's performance level
until this am, I tried 'hard' to get it to skid on
pavement and it would NOT.
We all know the dangers of that back
wheel sliding out to the side, but when I'm in
the mood, I love to slide that back tire and
keep a bike in a straight line, where there
is no chance of a high-side so long as
balance is perfect and we don't let OFF the
brake if it does kick out, being sure to
keep it locked up until coming to a complete
dead stop. (I actually don't need 'complete' ,
just saying that for anyone new, cause they
should definitely be doing so until mastering
that kind of stunt, its not an advance stunt,
but still a stunt none the less, noobs should be
trying or learning first, with dirt-bikes first).

I haven't tried using just the rear brake on my 2024. It has Brembos all around and SS brake lines but so far I haven't noticed a big difference from my 08's Nissan brakes. The 14 has a sucky history of rear brake strength. It might save riders from over-braking in a panic situation. You can get an aftermarket rear brake master cylinder that should help. I was looking at the Berringer floating rear brake MC which would require special installation but it looks like the Gen1 has boltholes inside the frame that would suffice. You might need to fab up some spacers and stuff too. ...or you could probably just find an aftermarket MC that bolts on the foot rest assembly like the OEM one does. I can't remember anything about bore stroke ratios for MCs but that's the key. The 14's rear MC ratio creates extremely progressive pressure that isn't very high. For powerful brakes you can feel at a touch, you want the opposite.

---

It's so strange, if I had to stop quickly
and for some reason the front brake was unavailable
I'd be done for, this situation is far worse imv
than 'sucky' this thing is flat out pathetic, I've
never had a car or Bike that couldn't just instantly
lock that thing up. And lock it up or not, this brake
slows me down and will eventually stop , but wow,
definitely not in time if I really needed it 'now'.
Front brake is good, and the back brake is super
smooth in slow speed stuff which is cool, so
at least there's that...
So a master cylinder upgrade may be the best solution
then (?) , that seems logical

Back brake is poor on my 2017. I feel your pain, but the front spanks so it's no big deal. My ST1100 with gear drive really stops well. But I sort of think it's the gear drive helping it.

I'd stay stock because I rely on the front more. Hardly use the rear and I know it's a bad habit not to use both all the time. Do a lot of engine braking instead. Rip it, coast it, tap the fronts, I'm stopped already.

---

I'd stay stock because I rely on the front more. Hardly use the rear and I know it's a bad habit not to use both all the time. Do a lot of engine braking instead. Rip it, coast it, tap the fronts, I'm stopped already.

Yeah,I guess so, but one thing I love to do, is skid
the back wheel on my bikes, while keeping balanced, it
won't lock up, and to me that is just nuts that it
isn't strong enough to do that, I'm sure there are
plenty that will say that's 'nuts' to lock up the
back wheel, but if done right it's a gas.
---
I do most of my braking with front too, definitely,
I guess I can live with it but it's likely to
nag at me.
My gold wing will stop the bike easily with rear brake,
clutch in, so did the Harley, Mean-Streak, and all
my dirt bikes, anytime, anywhere.
---
I'll post a picture of my footbrake position at rest,
something comes to mind, having not had a 'real' sport bike
before, I wonder if it is 'sitting' too far
down in the stroke?
When I've looked at photos of other ZX14R's and they seem
to be sitting pretty low like mine, but I wonder if
there might be something 'there' that I need to adjust....

I feel the same way about my 2016 ZX14R. It seems like the rear ABS is very weak. I came off a couple of Honda XXs and really liked, and miss, the linked braking system. After 36k miles on my ZX14, I've gotten used to it, but would prefer the Honda LBS. However, the ZX14 is everything the the XX was, AND effin fast.

I feel the same way about my 2016 ZX14R. It seems like the rear ABS is very weak. I came off a couple of Honda XXs and really liked, and miss, the linked braking system. After 36k miles on my ZX14, I've gotten used to it, but would prefer the Honda LBS. However, the ZX14 is everything the the XX was, AND effin fast.

That is a nice looking bike (CBRXX1100)I'm not at all familiar with them,
but just now looked them up, very nice, I'll have to check out the specs.
--
I've got linked brakes on my gold wing, quite complex and a task
to blead, and I didn't like the idea at first, but that
system grew on me a bit, and I could see it saving some
new riders that might just stomp on the back brake and
basically crash, not knowing what to do with a sliding
back wheel.
--
I pulled fuse #2 on my abs, so it's disabled completely
I think.
When I had it activated, I'd say it works well, it would
allow me to skid just a little bit in gravel which I liked
but much more fun to just lock it up, either way,
it basically won't stop the damn bike.
Plus I like to do occasional controlled skids, hence turning off
the abs, but then, to no avail.
----
I agree though, this is a brilliant bike overall, I'm
liking it more with each mile, still not as stable
in corners as I'd like, especially vs my gold wing,
but part of that is also my skill level, hopefully I'll
overcome that stability issue with more seat time.

The Hayabusa's brakes are a lot worse and that includes fronts. It's possible to lock the front but you have to just about pull the lever all the way to the grip. Who wants that? You want any brake to grab hard at a sight touch so you can feel when it will lock immediately. Our rear brake doesn't do that. I've never actually tried it but I can tell you'd just about have to press it full travel to get it to lock. It will slow the bike down in a non emergency situation though and that might be all that's required. I've been on the brakes hard at speed and the rear wheel skims the road. I heard the drive chain lashing, that rear end is up off the ground. The rear brake's not doing much at higher speed anyway. Here's what I've been told, the front suspension is going to dive even if you only use the rear brake. The rear wheel has very little stopping power if you're moving fast. Don't count on it, it's there for backup if you ever loose front brakes. Even so, it would be nice to have a powerful rear brake so you can learn it like you do the fronts. I'll let you now how the Gen3 busa's brakes are. I expect they have to be better than the previous Gens.

---

You want any brake to grab hard at a sight touch so you can feel when it will lock immediately.

Good point, I hadn't considered that,
it's important to know what we have
to work with, and I think this is and
example of what Michael Neeves calls;
'wooden brakes'.
Neeves also says that he uses back brake
a lot to settle the back end and as you
say it DOES bring the front down also,
then we go really hard on the front brake.
I've been trying this the last few mornings
in my 'quick' parking lot drills, where
I'm doing ovals at between about 22 to 30mph,
parking lot is not big enough (for me at my level)
to be going faster, but it's fast enough
to get my reactions down 'wrote' .
It holds my interest as well, I could do it
all day but I'm sure customers wouldn't
be quite so entertained. lol
Out of the corners I accelerate, get up to
about 30, hit the back brake lightly,
drag it and then start hitting the front brake
to get back to around 22/24mph, rinse, repeat...
-----------
The pavement was still pretty wet this am from
last nights rain, I found that I could slide
the ass end around pretty good, but if the
asphalt was dry, but if the tarmack/asphalt
was dry, no, Im sure it still wont lock up
and slide like I'd want it too.
---
What about my brake pedal, when looking at it
from the side of the bike,
should the foot pad be at about 4:30 + - ?
...or should it be closer to 3:00 O'clock?

The pavement was still pretty wet this am from
last nights rain, I found that I could slide
the ass end around pretty good, but if the
asphalt was dry, but if the tarmack/asphalt
was dry, no, Im sure it still wont lock up
and slide like I'd want it too.

It's your bike and your body but this sounds like you're asking for a high side. I did donut skids on my Bicycle as a kid for a while. One time, the rear tire caught traction and I flipped real hard. That's when I gave up donut skids.

What about my brake pedal, when looking at it
from the side of the bike,
should the foot pad be at about 4:30 + - ?
...or should it be closer to 3:00 O'clock?

The brake pedal height is adjustable. It's up to your preference what height it's at. I keep mine at about 3:30.

---

It's your bike and your body but this sounds like you're asking for a high side. I did donut skids on my Bicycle as a kid for a while. One time, the rear tire caught traction and I flipped real hard. That's when I gave up donut skids.

High side, me, nah, I've been doing that sort of thing
since a kid, it takes balance and knowledge of what
causes a high-side.
I've had high side close calls but not from doing
mild stunts on purpose.

The brake pedal height is adjustable. It's up to your preference what height it's at. I keep mine at about 3:30.

I just searched the pdf, for brake travel adjust and
looked through everything there on brake pedal,
found nothing about travel adjust. I blew out a
master cylinder on a dirt bike doing it wrong,
so I probably shouldn't mess with it, don't
want to screw this thing up, but I think I'd
prefer the pedal adjusted closer to your 3:30,
apparently there is just 10mm / .4'' of actual
travel.

If the pdf is the service manual, it's Brakes, chapter 12, p 14. 12-14, Brake Pedal Position Adjustment.

---

Thanks, found it, the PDF has 11 to 22 hits depending
on how the search is worded, I couldn't find it
in there.
I have after marked pegs on, the speck looks
close but I'm 1/2 guessing since they are thinner,
I'll have to put the right one back on to be sure,
I sure hate to put the pedal where I'd like it
to be and blow out a seal.

My Zx14r does not have ABS.
I, too, thought something was wrong with the rear brake pads. It must be rock hard, no bite. I ordered EBC HH pads.

No difference in performance. I've come to believe that Kawasaki wants us to use the front brakes for stopping and the back brake for holding the Bike on a hill at a stop sign/light.
I remember in 1988 I was riding my 1985 700cc Honda Nighthawk with a drum rear brake. I was in city traffic. A car pulled out (without looking) in front of me. I slammed on my brakes. The back tire locked and my bike turned sideways. I thought I was going to crash. From that day forward, I used the front brakes to stop.

Then I traded the Nighthawk for a 1989 Zx10r, what an upgrade!

I bought a new OEM rear caliper from that guy in Canada. Since I am supposed to rebuild my stock rear caliper every 4 yrs, I would install this one. Even has new pads. This part with pads is about $390 from Kawasaki. I paid $60. This caliber is the same part number as my 2012 Bike.

Now that I think about where the restriction is, it is in the rear brake master cylinder. For me, maybe a 2008 Concours 14, non-ABS master cylinder might yield more bite. But I do not have ABS to save my butt, so I will leave it stock.

* Last updated by: doubleD on 11/22/2025 @ 10:40 AM *

Now that I think about where the restriction is, it is in the rear brake master cylinder. For me, maybe a 2008 Concours 14, non-ABS master cylinder might yield more bite. But I do not have ABS to save my butt, so I will leave it stock.

So the weak link is the master cylinder ya think.
I believe that is what Rook was figuring as well.
--
I pulled the fuse on my rear brake, no one uses
abs on track, I don't hate mine, it works well,
but I want to be able to lock up my back wheel
at any time if I choose. My actual stopping is
done with both brakes and front brake first,
and primary, the back brake mainly for added
stability and a little help in quick stops.
-------

Then I traded the Nighthawk for a 1989 Zx10r, what an upgrade!

I go back as far as my friend's Honda 175 lol, then another buddy
years later had a Honda 750 my gawd (!) that was the bike man.
I'm sure that nighhawk you had was the Big Dog for it's time,
now that ZX10 WOW, I'd love to be able to get ahold of
one of those, such a beautiful bike.
----
Based on how you load your bikes, I'll bet you've considered
a gold wing now and again.

I've got a 2004, but I'm a pack rat, and with all that
storage available I pretty much had it well stocked
with junk most of the time.

* Last updated by: Stratovarious on 11/22/2025 @ 1:16 PM *

I ordered EBC HH pads.

No difference in performance.

I agree. Some people think they're the best thing since sliced bread but I could tell no difference in braking power front or back with EBC HH sintered pads. They work good and they never squealed at low speed like the OEM pads did but they were no better than OEM.

I remember there was something called carbon lorraine brake pads that were said to improve bite. I wouldn't bet the ranch on it but they're worth a try.

https://www.sportbiketrackgear.com/cl-kawasaki-zx-14-06-16-c59-front-brake-pads/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22987243409&gbraid=0AAAAAD6CWPtgkJavMapvdj4qCzb_PyEm2&gclid=CjwKCAiA24XJBhBXEiwAXElO3-jk2S-M-NxlD9lQJSGbRBavCQKTmc9ORDVPL3I48XTpRdj_gGujVhoCc0sQAvD_BwE

https://www.sportbiketrackgear.com/cl-kawasaki-zx-14-06-16-rx3-rear-brake-pads/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22987243409&gbraid=0AAAAAD6CWPtgkJavMapvdj4qCzb_PyEm2&gclid=CjwKCAiA24XJBhBXEiwAXElO34-JxyxJHKF_L2PfEXWKnehGVGVo81TaL2N4ODuv8i5M13j5MR_yMhoC6uUQAvD_BwE

Now that I think about where the restriction is, it is in the rear brake master cylinder.

Yes. My Gen1 has numbers molded into the body of the rear MC. That could be the bore and stroke of the MC. It's been a while since I researched MC bore and stroke but that is the key to powerful, instant brakes and weaker, more progressive brakes. The friction between the pads and the rotors should make a difference but I think your basic steel rotor and composition pads are going to be about as good as it gets. Calipers are a hydrolic cylinder too so I'm sure there are bore and stroke options there too. IMO, steel braided lines make no difference from stock rubber either. ...maybe if you are track riding and your brakes get really hot, they do. Braided SS lines look cool. I recomend kevlar because it's a weight reduction over the stockers.

---

The Hayabusa's brakes are a lot worse and that includes fronts. It's possible to lock the front but you have to just about pull the lever all the way to the grip. Who wants that? You want any brake to grab hard at a sight touch so you can feel when it will lock immediately. Our rear brake doesn't do that. I've never actually tried it but I can tell you'd just about have to press it full travel to get it to lock. It will slow the bike down in a non emergency situation though and that might be all that's required. I've been on the brakes hard at speed and the rear wheel skims the road. I heard the drive chain lashing, that rear end is up off the ground. The rear brake's not doing much at higher speed anyway. Here's what I've been told, the front suspension is going to dive even if you only use the rear brake. The rear wheel has very little stopping power if you're moving fast. Don't count on it, it's there for backup if you ever loose front brakes. Even so, it would be nice to have a powerful rear brake so you can learn it like you do the fronts. I'll let you now how the Gen3 busa's brakes are. I expect they have to be better than the previous Gens.

Two issues I noticed yesterday when r n r-ing my rear wheel
with new tire;
1. I think I read somewhere that we need to pump the
rear brake when replacing putting wheel back on,
to get back brake working properly again, something
I've noticed myself, however once all was back together
the rear brake felt like the pads were already up agianst
the rotor , and pumping didn't change the feel of the brake,
yet I felt like I had almost zero braking power, much
worse than what I've been talking about, I was a bit
leery of even taking the bike out on the hwy.
Then, I eventually did go out, and when I road for a while
the back brake seemed a lot better, but of course
still nowhere near the strength I'm hoping to eventually
get with it.
2. When I reinstalled the rear caliper, and torqued down
the two bolts I noticed slope when pushing the caliper
assembly forward and backward, very noticeable,
I located the source of the slope, it is in the
approx 1/2'' by 3'' rectangular block that is
welded to the inside of the swingarm where the
caliper assembly gets anchored.
Is that slop necessary for some engineering reason?

I think I read somewhere that we need to pump the
rear brake when replacing putting wheel back on,
to get back brake working properly again, something
I've noticed myself, however once all was back together
the rear brake felt like the pads were already up agianst
the rotor , and pumping didn't change the feel of the brake,
yet I felt like I had almost zero braking power, much
worse than what I've been talking about, I was a bit
leery of even taking the bike out on the hwy.
Then, I eventually did go out, and when I road for a while
the back brake seemed a lot better, but of course
still nowhere near the strength I'm hoping to eventually
get with it.

You can pump if you want. If you had to spread the pads to get the caliper back on the rotor, a little pumping would be a fine idea if you're going to ride right away. If the brake system is working, I'd think just applying the brake once would close the pads back down to the rotor, you'd probably do that rolling out of your driveway. ...never a bad idea to test the brake after you removed it though.

It's normal for brake pads (front and rear) to skim the rotor surface. It's like when you take the caliper off, it probably will close down from the pressure in the brake system that's always there to some degree. There's been times I've had to stick a wooden shim or plastic tool between the pads to open them up before installation so the pads would fit around the rotor. Just hanging there off the rotor, the pads close down because there's no rotor there to stop them. SO, if you managed to get your caliper back on without spreading the pads, it probably was a pretty tight fit....or it became pretty tight if it sat further. Basically, brake pads do lightly touch the rotors if the bike has been sitting a short while. It's normal to hear the rotors scrape the pads as you roll the bike across the garage in the morning. When you ride it, the pads are pushed back out by the higher spots on the rotor and probably some flexion of the rotors too. Shut he bike off after a ride and there will be no scraping noise as you roll it in the garage. I wouldn't worry about it unless you detect the pads are dragging even after you have ridden the bike a short time.

I can't explain the zero braking power immediately after install but if it's back to normal, I wouldn't fret. Maybe you got some slippery substance on the rotor. I think Ive had the sensation the rear brake was not grabbing even as little as it normally does. It's probably a friction situation that rectifies with a tiny bit of use. Wheel cleaner will do it every time. I rinse the soap off as much as possible but its very strong soap. ...but it goes away in a short time.

2. When I reinstalled the rear caliper, and torqued down
the two bolts I noticed slope when pushing the caliper
assembly forward and backward, very noticeable,
I located the source of the slope, it is in the
approx 1/2'' by 3'' rectangular block that is
welded to the inside of the swingarm where the
caliper assembly gets anchored.
Is that slop necessary for some engineering reason?

The slop between the caliper mount slot on the swing arm and the rib on the caliper mount is necessary to pull the caliper mount out and also so the caliper bracket slides freely when adjusting the chain. It sounds like you removed the rear caliper from the mount. That's not a bad way to do it. My Gen1 had no ABS cables and it had an amply long aftermarket brake line. After the axle was removed, I sometimes just pulled the the wheel with the caliper bracket out with the rear brake caliper still bolted on. No caliper bolts to fuss about. I think it may be easier to just remove the caliper from the bracket but now you know another way you might try this.

There should be no slop in the caliper bracket after the axle nut is tightened. The caliper bracket acts as a spacer between the swing arm and the actual rear wheel spacer that fits in the hub on both sides. They should all pinch together tight when the axle nut is tightened.

* Last updated by: Rook on 11/25/2025 @ 4:24 PM *

---

The slop between the caliper mount slot on the swing arm and the rib on the caliper mount is necessary to pull the caliper mount out and also so the caliper bracket slides freely when adjusting the chain.

In my case 2013, I believe the 'rib' or mono block
is welded to the swingarm, and the caliper bracket
slides on to that.
I may not have explained my question well, that
interface allows the caliper assembly to be twisted
around the axle to the point you can hear it slap
when you move it. I wedged a .5 or 1mm ship in there
to keep it tight, should I be pulling that wedge
back out so the bracket can move freely 1+ - mm?
----
I took the caliper from its bracket,
cause I was just not sure
what needed to come off, I didn't realize that
the support block would be 'falling' off by
nature of pulling out the axle.
''Tight fit'' ? Yeah that was almost disturbing,
luckily I eventually was able to squeeze it all
together, luck, I think.
But I see what you mean, cause I was looking at
the abs pickup, it's very close to the rotor,
everything needs to be be close tolerance there.
----

Rear caliper designs are plenty between manufacturers. My ST1100 has a bolt with a stud at the end, and threaded near the back of the bolt that screws into the swingarm. The stud to hold has a gap so the caliper moves as the pads wear.

Owning 4 ZX's shows the same square length across the inside of the swingarm. The slop you noticed is made for the caliper housing to move without binding up when adjusting the chain. When you tighten the axle, that slop will find itself by landing on the top of the caliper stop if brake is hammered down.

But say just by the static weight the caliper will land on top of the caliper stop at the inside of the swingarm.

The slop is easier to assemble the caliper assembly back to its spot. Imagine if there was more an interference fit, you'd be there for days trying to center the block to its slot. Make sense the gap is for that reason?

No pad/disc is going to improve the braking strength of the rear brake. Being ABS the rear wheel will lock if hammered hard enough and be released thru the system.

Want a stronger feel, switch to racing parts that seem more sensitive to the touch, but have the ABS act most of the time when braking hard.

* Last updated by: Hub on 11/27/2025 @ 3:38 PM *

---

Owning 4 ZX's shows the same square length across the inside of the swingarm. The slop you noticed is made for the caliper housing to move without binding up when adjusting the chain. When you tighten the axle, that slop will find itself by landing on the top of the caliper stop if brake is hammered down.

Right, thanks...
I'll take the shim out before riding tomorrow.
You mention that the wide tolerance makes chain adjusting
easier, does it also benefit actual braking-action?
I have the new rear tire on and adjusted the pedal back
to spec (not sure why it was out) , the back brake does
feel better, if not great, but I'm glad for any improvement,
and one thing is clear, both brakes are ultra smooth,
something I can't say at all about my GL1800, I think
turning the rotors will fix that though.

No pad/disc is going to improve the braking strength of the rear brake. Being ABS the rear wheel will lock if hammered hard enough and be released thru the system.

What about a larger or 'better' MC?

No difference with or without a shim will be the same feel.

You can try a master if you can find one to install, no modifications like foot peg mount changing, etc.

---

Edit: double tapped.

* Last updated by: Hub on 11/28/2025 @ 2:43 PM *

---

No difference with or without a shim will be the same feel.

You can try a master if you can find one to install, no modifications like foot peg mount changing, etc.

Ahh..... got that caliper mount setup straight in my mind now, thanks...
--
I read a lengthy thread on MC upgrades, and thought I found something,
then realized the thread was about 4R's not 14r's.

Want a stronger feel, switch to racing parts that seem more sensitive to the touch, but have the ABS act most of the time when braking hard.

One of my favorite motorcycle topics. After people take their commuter car built for everyone out of the shop after a brake job, they complain the brakes are so strong now, they're going to fly through the windshield. That's actually exactly what you want, especially with hand controls. Humans have much better sensitivity in their hands and fingers than other animals, even other primates. Other than the brain processing power (which might be debatable) tactile sensitivity is probably the only thing that enabled us to survive. Even the worst can easily develop great feel for tiny changes in pressure through the hands. IMO, you might as well use that to your advantage when riding a bike. There's no need for wussy brakes if you never got used to using them. I don't think the feet are quite as sensitive but the brain connection is the same.

then realized the thread was about 4R's not 14r's.

I've done that a number of times myself. ...I actually wouldn't mind owning one of those little bikes.

---