I just had to do it.

[Waterbuffalo]

That is, change out the front brake master and clutch perch for something with more comfortable levers, and that will actually work. The best thing I've found to use is the complete assemblies from a pre 2007 DL 650 Vstrom. These were used/abused pieces I got from Ebay for a literal pittance and restored for use on the Buffalo, the dog leg levers came from Motion Pro and of course a new cylinder kit went in the nicely restored master along with a new level eye.
You can use both the DL 1000 or DL 650 master cylinder as they are the same just make sure its pre 2007, as after that then they went from a proper 5/8 bore to a smaller 14mm bore.
The DL 650 clutch perch is almost identical to the GTs, which retains the look somewhat, but the pivot body is slightly wider as the lever has more material inside the perch which makes it more precise when being actuated.
Next is to dump the big useless splitter behind the horn and route a new custom brake hose to a neater splitter I will be using, mounted just under the front area of the triple tree. So far the new master cylinder has improved the braking feel already and with dogleg levers and and an adjustable reach brake lever its worlds away from the horrible stock items.
Here are a few photos of how things are progressing with regard to mounting the upgraded controls.

[Alan H]

And very nice they look too Allan. They actually look as near 'proper' as originals, so win win buddy.

[PaulD738]

Now that’s a nice looking mod, practical without going overboard and spoiling the GT look. I’ve not ridden a disc braked kettle since I had my Dunstall in the 80’s and even then I remember them feeling very wooden. I must admit I prefer good old drum brakes on my classics

[Alan H]

Drilled discs, bandit 1200 master cylinder and gs1000 calipers are a good option like those on the Hippo.

[Waterbuffalo]

I'm not quite finished yet Mr H and Paul there's still quite a bit more to do. FYI later model Bandit 1200/1250 front master cylinders after 06 are identical to the DL ones, earlier Bandit ones are crappy parts bin specials. I swapped mine out on my 98 Bandits for the later ones as the levers are better and the later ones are symmetrical mirror images of the left and right cylinder housings.
I've hunted around for some of these and have been able to find quite a few on Ebay at under $30.00 each which makes it worth buying them up.
I already have my discs sorted which are not something you can't buy as an off the shelf unit.

[swarrans]

Do you think the later 14mm diameter DL650 parts would work Ian? In the UK there is a lot more choice of parts in better condition for the later bikes and on the honda cbx the mod that's done actually recommends reducing the bore from 5/8" to 14mm for increased pressure. If the donor bike had ABS I assume the master cylinders would be the same but I guess I'd better check..

Simon

[canaletto5]

Yes, I have heard a bigger bore can lead to a sloppy feel.

[Alan H]

Oi! It's MY job to bring the conversation down to that level.

[Waterbuffalo]

Whos Ian??? anyways, I'll leave you to sort him out. The Bandits all had 5/8s bore master cylinders as did the Vstroms originally, some time around 2007/8 they reduced the size to 14mm. I'm not sure why but it happened, maybe to metricate the cylinder sizing away from the older imperial sizes. Its the ABS bikes using 14mm bore master cylinders so is that some food for thought, remember the fluid from the master cylinder pushes on the modulator and not directly to the calipers.
Either way its what you perceive to work for you, I used 5/8s as I found it works well on the plain version Bandits and Vstroms so the results should be similar on the GT test subject with non ABS. I also have a later year 14mm cylinder I bought which I plan to restore and might try eventually to test the difference to gain some insight into if theres a difference you can feel. Bear in mind the Vstrom clutch cylinder is 14mm for the 1000 model, so the size has been on the opposite side of the handlebar from the models inception.
The judgement is still out on whether a smaller bore will push more fluid at higher pressure than a slightly larger one. Theres too many variables for such a small sizing difference, in theory it seems plausible but real world testing may show varied results.

[swarrans]

Really sorry "Waterbuffalo" I thought your real name was Ian for some reason!

I guess with all the unknowns it might be better to stick with 5/8" but all things being equal a smaller diameter should push less fluid for a given displacement at higher pressure. Obviously as there is less fluid being moved if you still have large bore flexible pipes there is a risk of running out of lever throw, so for that reason if I do it it'll be with the MC you have already validated.

Simon