[TopJimmy]

2013 Ninja 300 SE (non-ABS)
Bought new in US, about 10,000 miles now. Use it for commuting year-round

Mods:
K&N stock airbox filter
Evans NPG+ waterless coolant
Roaring Toyz 1” handle bar risers
Tapered steering bearings
Galfer stainless steel-braided brake lines
WPS lithium battery YTX9-BS
Ohlins fork cartridges NIX 22mm
Ohlins fork springs 7.5 N/mm
Fork oil 19 weight at 100mm
Ohlins rear shock 36HRCL
Brembo front master cylinder RCS15
Galfer front carbon brake pads
Michelin Pilot street tires (stock size)
Spools for rear stand (Driven D-Axis 10mm)
Relocated front reflectors to lower mount to accommodate front stand
Givi luggage:

3D600 Easylock saddlebags​

TE4108 Easylock saddlebag mount​

4108FZ Topcase sidearms​

M5 Monokey plate​

V56 Topcase w/E159 luggage rack​

S410 Monokey Trolley base​

BF14 tank lock ring​

ST605 tank bag​

National Cycle Touring windscreen (Vstream Tall)
USB power port (I used the left pilot light lead to power this)
Techgripper for iPhone with mount to left unused mirror hole
DID X-ring chain (520VX3) (original chain’s o-rings failed at 8 years)
Vortex steel sprockets (stock sizes)
Dowco Guardian WeatherAll Plus XL cover
Cruise control (throttle lock)
Outlet wired direct to battery for electric vest/gloves
Daylong saddle from Russel Cycle
Removed feelers on bottom of foot pegs
Stuff under the seat:

Jumpstart cables​

CO2 cartridges (for slow-leak rescue only)​

Various allens, wrenches, drivers​

 

[TopJimmy]

Thx. The suspension upgrade transformed the bike from one that I couldn’t trust into a confident cornering machine. Before I had to manhandle it to keep it from diving in when leaned over. Now I can be relaxed. Had to remove the feelers from the pegs due to distracting scraping. Once even scraped the muffler.
So yeah probably the 2 most essential things to make the Ninja safely handle:
1. Steering bearings
2. Suspension
I was also disappointed with the brakes, and thought the new master cylinder, brake lines & pads would help. They helped with feel and tractability, but not force. My current project is replacing the stock caliper with a better one from an SV1000.

 

[TopJimmy]

Got the Tokico caliper from an SV1000 installed. Rebuilt it with new seals. Did the initial bed-in for the Galfer HH pads. Not sure what to think, and can’t really see a huge difference yet. Maybe in a few hundred miles when the pads are fully seated. Probably won’t be riding much til Mar or Apr, so we’ll see sometime next year.
I was surprised to see that the pads on the original caliper were almost worn out. 6000 miles on Galfer carbon, so I did this mod right on time.

 

[TopJimmy]

I’ll try switching the Brembo RCS15 MC to the “20” setting and see if that decreases lever effort.

 

[TopJimmy]

I got some stainless steel caliper joint bolts on the way. Maybe one of these days I’ll paint the caliper. Guessing I’ll do it next time I change the pads, so 3-4 yrs? I put about 2k mi/yr on it.

 

[TopJimmy]

Switched the RCS15 MC from 18 to 20. Much improved! Two finger massive stopping power—almost effortless.

 

[TopJimmy]

Yes, no problems with anything, really.

 

[TopJimmy]

Came with 2 pins. The large pistons were pretty tough to get in. I used a vise (appropriately padding the caliper) while it was still apart.

 

[TopJimmy]

I won’t be home until the new year, so can’t help until then.

 

[TopJimmy]

I actually got the risers well before I did the fork surgery because I wanted a more upright position. It made a small, but noticeable difference, and I remarked to myself that I should have done it sooner. The side-benefit was that later on I didn't have interference issues with the upgraded fork caps.

 

[TopJimmy]

Hey Jimmy, any chance you might be able to check the part numbers on your spare seals to see if mine are the same? I emailed All Balls and they never responded. If my seals are correct I don't mind using my old brake pad pin but if the entire kit is wrong I want them to send me the right kit so I can use the correct seals. Like I said before the seals on the larger pistons were super tight. I've never had such a hard time pushing the pistons back in after a rebuild...

I’ll check when I get home in a few days.

 

[TopJimmy]

The large pistons were difficult to get out (I had to pump them out hydraulically), and were difficult to put back in with the new seals (I used a vise with aluminum bar as padding on the piston and wood as padding for the caliper body). Nature of the design, I suppose.
These are the part numbers All Balls delivered to me in their kit 18-3126:
13-3032 pin
17-2002 hydraulic line washers
13-2005 bleed valve cap
13-1005 piston seal
13-1004 piston seal
13-1010 piston seal
13-1018 piston seal
13-1043 caliper joint seal

 

[TopJimmy]

Installed the new stainless steel caliper bolts. Ordered from Ebay seller powerhouse-uk. Item ID: 161993492408, titled "Suzuki SV 1000 2003-2007 Stainless joint bolt set Tokico front brake calipers"

 

[TopJimmy]

Just never had such a time getting pistons back in.

Since the clearance is obviously extremely tight, what helped me:
1. Generous use of brake fluid on the seals, in the seal grooves, and on the pistons.
2. There was glazing from baked-on old brake fluid in the aluminum caliper body. I used a steel pick to remove it (like a dentist removing calculus).
3. The steel pistons had a fair amount of corrosion, so I used fine sandpaper on them until I could feel no more surface differences. In particular, there was a ridge of corrosion around the circumference which would have made it tougher to insert than it already was.

 

[TopJimmy]

Wow, crazy how just new bolts and the entire caliper looks fresh now! Have you had a chance to ride much with the new setup? Not sure where in the US you love but here today it is -14 and feels like -40 with windchill…

No, unfortunately, I only rode it a couple times. Once to bed in the pads, and then once after I switched the RCS to the better setting. I need to re-route my brake line so I'll do that soon and give it another go. This will also give me another chance to bleed it. I'm thinking there's a bubble trapped in the caliper, so may need to remove it and try different orientations and maybe leave the system open overnight at the master cylinder. I'm in KY and this next week is a warming trend, so might take it for a spin. I generally ride to work Apr-Nov.