Installing a Front Disc Brake on a Series ‘C’

ClassicBiker

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Carl,
I've been considering the same project for awhile myself, just haven't got around to it. Anyway, here are some pictures and articles I've collected on the subject. I believe I got them from www.thevincent.com some time ago. Don't know if you already have them or not hope they help. I would be interested in seeing what you come up with.
Steven
 

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Bazlerker

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I believe Norton made some cunning drum brakes for racing that had a disc hidden inside..John Bennet had one a few years ago..
 

roy the mechanic

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Carl, mine were done some while ago, the calipers, discs and master cylinder came from a kawasaki zephyr. This may not be very helpful as it has been obsolete for a while now. The result is confidence inspiring, as the bike now stops easily with very little effort. Thanks to my pal Dennis who did the work, so I only had to fit the ready made assemblies. Roy.
 

Bill Thomas

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Am I the only one to find Discs are a pain in the wet ?, I have to ride with one finger on the brake to keep them dry, Cheers Bill.
 

davidd

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Justin used the disc brake set up that I made as a pattern to make his own. He mounted the calipers below the fender stay because he was concerned about clearing the Prince Fender, although I believe the calipers would have fit. I used the Kawasaki parts for the first attempt. When Sam Manganaro wanted a set I suggested the Susuki TL 1000 brakes, which were becoming readily available at that time. It was a very easy build. I liked the TL discs because you could use a flat carrier which made the machining straight forward. The caliper mounts were based on my originals. The only change was to the shape of the mount where the calipers attached. They were changed only to accommodate the different caliper mounts. If I were building some today I would use something more modern that was plentiful. I would not use a single piston or anything too old because the performance goes way down.

Here is Sam's bike:

SamManganaro-Rapide2777cp.jpg


This PDF is a tracing of the caliper mounts. It is a tracing, so it can be scaled for a full size template. I used 4130, if I remember correctly. The lowest hole is for the axle. The hole directly above in a straight line is for the brake anchor, which is now a bolt instead of just a peg. The remaining two holes are for the caliper mount. I milled out a small amount of material on the inside of the mount around the axle. It was milled to the thickness of the the brake plate, so it takes no more room on the axle, except, the nuts are on the inside of the plate rather than the outside.

I think the plate was 1/4" or so. The flat side of the plate is bolted to the inside of the Girdraulic through the anchor hole and the axle. The milled portion on the inside of the plate just mimics the brake plate.

David
 

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  • DiscBrake.pdf
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CarlHungness

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Justin used the disc brake set up that I made as a pattern to make his own. He mounted the calipers below the fender stay because he was concerned about clearing the Prince Fender, although I believe the calipers would have fit. I used the Kawasaki parts for the first attempt. When Sam Manganaro wanted a set I suggested the Susuki TL 1000 brakes, which were becoming readily available at that time. It was a very easy build. I liked the TL discs because you could use a flat carrier which made the machining straight forward. The caliper mounts were based on my originals. The only change was to the shape of the mount where the calipers attached. They were changed only to accommodate the different caliper mounts. If I were building some today I would use something more modern that was plentiful. I would not use a single piston or anything too old because the performance goes way down.

Here is Sam's bike:

View attachment 12548

This PDF is a tracing of the caliper mounts. It is a tracing, so it can be scaled for a full size template. I used 4130, if I remember correctly. The lowest hole is for the axle. The hole directly above in a straight line is for the brake anchor, which is now a bolt instead of just a peg. The remaining two holes are for the caliper mount. I milled out a small amount of material on the inside of the mount around the axle. It was milled to the thickness of the the brake plate, so it takes no more room on the axle, except, the nuts are on the inside of the plate rather than the outside.

I think the plate was 1/4" or so. The flat side of the plate is bolted to the inside of the Girdraulic through the anchor hole and the axle. The milled portion on the inside of the plate just mimics the brake plate.

David
Hi: Many thanks, and probably just what I am looking for. I need to decide exactly which disc and caliper to get and am now researching master cylinders. I want a remote one I can hide behind the steady plate, and some of the chopper guys are making them, I just have to make sure it will match the caliper requirements.
 

BigEd

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Hi: Many thanks, and probably just what I am looking for. I need to decide exactly which disc and caliper to get and am now researching master cylinders. I want a remote one I can hide behind the steady plate, and some of the chopper guys are making them, I just have to make sure it will match the caliper requirements.
b'Knighted has already mentioned that BMW used a cable operated master cylinder. The BMW R75/6 I had in 1976 had a cable operated master cylinder that was mounted under the petrol tank. It worked well. Only a single disk was fitted and two disk was better especially two up with the panniers loaded. I think it is likely that most BMW models around this time used a the same system so they should be easy to find at a m/cycle breakers if you want something to experiment with.
 

Martyn Goodwin

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Appreciate the replies thus far, but am still seeking information on what disc and caliper to obtain.
Hi Carl,

Care to tell us the reason(s) why you are planning to replace the TLS brake you only recently installed? I only ask as I know a few folks are considering installing TLS and your experience with it would be of value to all.

regards

Martyn
 
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