Front Brake Improvement.
Black Lightning 998,
Have read with interest the various suggestions to your question, specifically, how to improve the standard setup rather than go to exotic brakes.My ownership of the same B Shadow covers 45 years of very long distance touring with heavily laden bike and from trial and error I now have completely non-spongy brake that performs well. Brake drums are skimmed and softer linings (I know they wear out quicker) hand lapped to drums to initially eliminate high spots, labourious but effective and necessary to actually get the new shoes into the drums. Twin pull lever and two long heavy duty cables made to exact length to fit after taking up the slack on the levers. Balance beam left as is. Adjusters can now be taken up to get the linings very close to drums, both exactly the same.(If you have made the inners wires too long they will have to be shortened now.) When all is finally in place some running in will finally bed in things at which time readjustment can be done. Very little lost motion with this set-up,and although you need a good hefty hand to operate, the brakes will be fully on after about 10mm. of movement at the lever (nipple end) and another 3-4 mm is as much movement as the mightiest hand will achieve. Lever end will never get near the bar as in original set-up. There will be plenty of doubters and nay sayers on all this but my very heavy bike has never run into the back of anything or careered off a mountain road. Not in the same class as modern twin discs but a huge improvement.
Black Lightning 998,
Have read with interest the various suggestions to your question, specifically, how to improve the standard setup rather than go to exotic brakes.My ownership of the same B Shadow covers 45 years of very long distance touring with heavily laden bike and from trial and error I now have completely non-spongy brake that performs well. Brake drums are skimmed and softer linings (I know they wear out quicker) hand lapped to drums to initially eliminate high spots, labourious but effective and necessary to actually get the new shoes into the drums. Twin pull lever and two long heavy duty cables made to exact length to fit after taking up the slack on the levers. Balance beam left as is. Adjusters can now be taken up to get the linings very close to drums, both exactly the same.(If you have made the inners wires too long they will have to be shortened now.) When all is finally in place some running in will finally bed in things at which time readjustment can be done. Very little lost motion with this set-up,and although you need a good hefty hand to operate, the brakes will be fully on after about 10mm. of movement at the lever (nipple end) and another 3-4 mm is as much movement as the mightiest hand will achieve. Lever end will never get near the bar as in original set-up. There will be plenty of doubters and nay sayers on all this but my very heavy bike has never run into the back of anything or careered off a mountain road. Not in the same class as modern twin discs but a huge improvement.