Why do you not try just removing one caliper and one disk without changing anything else (i.e, the fork tube -just leave it on) that way the only proper mod would be the brake leads and if you do not like it you can put it back on easily. The weight saving would then be very close to a full conversion and would give you some idea of the benefits without breaking the bank.
I have to say the front brake on the R takes a lot of work to use when compared to the Z but the disks and calipers appear to be the same.

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We are now retired....so....... lots of this and this and no more of this or this

I have considered doing that OGR; at some point I plan to unbolt one of the calipers, wedge some timber between the pads and hook the removed calliper out of the way. By doing this I should be able to judge whether the one remaining caliper is powerful enough on it's own, without having to break into the standard hydraulic system

Well the cheapest way is to get the spanners out, and just get a single brake hose...?!

The more expensive way will be a new hub/wheel - the 300mm disc will be more than enough I would imagine...

The really expensive way will be a new wheel, new forks, caliper adapter to run the Brembo on a 270mm wave disc...

Hmmmmmm... can ya guess which way I'm going?!

xxx

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"Where we're going, we don't need roads..."

JennyDakar.com

One of the reasons I went from an 'R' to a 'Z' was for the twin disc brakes.
I found the single disc on the 'R' could have been better especially as I usually ride 'two-up'!

Barry.

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Good idea, but do not use wood, it will compress and give you very soggy braking. On top of that, the way that the seal works in the caliper brings the piston back onto its bore very slightly when pressure is released from the brakes (else they would wear out too quick and not release sufficiently). However the resistance (or braking force) should be the same once the slack is taken up but the lever will be further back.

What I am saying is you will need to blank off the redundant caliper completely to get a proper feel.

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We are now retired....so....... lots of this and this and no more of this or this

It would be an interesting experiment from a technical point of view perhaps, but it's not really going to have much effect on the overall weight of the bike?

I imagine the reason Yamaha fitted dual discs to the Tenere is they envisage much more two-up and/or with-luggage riding? - and it would seem a bit silly to compromise that for everyday riding?

The only reason I'm changing mine is to fit lighter wheels and stronger (hopefully a little lighter too) suspension as part of a serious upgrade... just taking one disc and caliper off a stock bike seems a bit pointless to me?!

xxx

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"Where we're going, we don't need roads..."

JennyDakar.com

I agree, JMo. I think there's a good reason Yamaha designed the braking system the way they did. I'm sure they didn't go to the expense of a twin-disc system for the hell of it.

While it's true that a twin-disc setup is going to affect suspension control in heavy corrugations, imo a fork oil change to a grade heavier will help at least a little.

Again imo, there are few bikes with cost-effective (ie basic, even adjustable) suspension that are happy in those conditions. If the corrugations are serious and prolonged over many kilometres, only quality suspension will cope without complaint. Mucking about with disc limitation and so on suggests that the wrong bike has been bought. Much better to spend money improving the standard suspension than to change the configuration of the bike. The latter is only masking the real issue.

That's my 2 cents worth