AUTO
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Chapter IVb: Rear Master Cylinder 02/05/03Rear master cylinder rebuild kits are no longer available from Yamaha for the RD400. Used rear master cylinders and NOS rebuild kits sell on eBay for ungodly amounts (over $100US). These things are getting rare and are in high demand. PGM Motorcycle Spares has rebuild kits for European RD400s with the 5/8" bore, but not the North American ones with the 14mm bore (designated by the big "14" on the side of these units). If you have a European RD, the PGM part number is "MK128 rear master cylinder piston and seal kit", 40£ including worldwide shipping, as of May 3, 2002. Jonny at PGM says they are trying to get 14mm kits, so you may want to check with them as they might have them by now.
The price of this unit brand new is not much more than what the rebuild kit for the stock RD400 master cylinder is (55£ vs. 40£), and you end up with a new unit that has rebuild kits currently available for it. Not a bad deal...
Also, the mounting bosses on the stock Daytona M/C are quite thick, which offsets the M/C towards the centreline of the bike. The FZR M/C's mounting bosses are narrow, so PGM provides two spacers and extra long mounting bolts to offset the FZR M/C properly (shown in the photo above right). If the model you are working with has the brake light switch in the master cylinder, you will need a pull switch, available from PGM for 5£. In my case, there is already an external pull switch, so this part was not necessary (I had ordered it just in case).
Special thanks to Jonny at PGM for all his help resolving the rear master cylinder issue. PGM has a huge selection of hard to get RD parts, be sure to check them out for your RD needs: http://www.pgm1.freeserve.co.uk/
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Luckily, PGM also carries, or can get, Japanese market FZR400 rear master cylinders brand new, which work on RD400s with a simple mounting modification and an extension on the end of the push rod. Mounting hardware, directions, and the extension are all included from PGM (shown in photo right).
I have not had a chance to mount the unit yet, but I will have full photo documentation and directions here for those interested. Basically, the stock M/C mounting holes are angled with respect to the centreline of the cylinder, while the FZR400 mounting holes are inline, as shown in the left photo. The upper mounting hole lines up almost perfect, but the lower mounting hole on the FZR M/C ends up being about 10-15mm to the right when the M/C is in it's proper position. An extra hole has to be drilled in the mounting tab on the frame to accept the FZR400 M/C.