1982 XJ650 Seca rear disc brake conversion?

Hey guys, I'm wondering if it's possible to convert my rear drum brakes to rear disc brakes on a 1982 XJ650 Seca. I tried searching around and haven't found much information. Any help would be nice.

Thanks!!!

 

Not easily (mainly due to rarity of the necessary parts). A better (and easier IMO) upgrade is to swap the forks for the dual disc setup from a Seca 750, or the whole front end from an R6.

 

+1.

Gary H.

 

I believe he asked about rear disc, 650 seca already has dual front

 

Yes he asked about the rear brake (and I answered). Yes the Seca 650 has dual brake fronts (I glossed over the fact that he has a Seca). In any case the R6 transplant is the better upgrade choice. He'll gain an entire two generations of brake development, and parts are easily (and cheaply) sourced. The only "easy" way to swap in a rear disc is to use the rear wheel and brake from an XJ900 (Venture Royale "might" work, but the wheel is wider), which aren't as easy to find.

 

I also believe this question was asked before a few months ago...
One of the well known members, ( I can't remember who)
Was planning to look at xs 750 parts (swing arm, u joint etc. ) to see if it was feasible.
Hog fiddles? Perhaps?
Alan

 

Appreciate the help guys. I am gravitating towards the R6 front end at this point. I knew there was a reason why there wasn't much info on a rear drum conversion.

 

A member of my facebook group said they swapped an xj900 rear wheel from a 1983 bike and the tire/rim fit perfectly and it had a disc brake.

I looked into this more and I can’t even find a xj900 from 83.

 

They exist, but are rare in the U.S. The XJ900 was only offered here for a short time.
Honestly any U.S. XJ900 parts should be reserved for keeping an XJ900 on the road.

I forgot to mention that the swingarm would need to be modified in order to mount the XJ900 caliper.

IMO, at this point in time the best way to get a bike with a rear disc brake is to buy a bike with a rear disc brake. A drum that is in good condition, and set up properly, is perfercetly serviceable in modern traffic, especially if one remembers to shift down and use engine braking.

 

I agree, even bike mags at the time rated the drum brake on the XJ's superior in feel to some of their disc braked competition.

 

That's a contradiction if there ever was one...
Someone better tell the major manufacturers how they could improve their bikes then.

 

I'mnot sure what your point is, but I made no claim about a 40 year old machine being better than what is made now, or about a drum being better than a disc.

Are you commenting about using engine braking to suppliment the braking from the rear drum? That would be what one does in a situation when one is needing to brake hard repeatedly, since drum brakes tend to fade quickly. I'll stand by my statement that a well set-up rear drum is perfctly servicable in modern traffic since I ride in an urban environment on a regular basis (almost exclusively now ).

 

I can agree to this. My xj650rj rear brake is really great along with engine braking for stopping.