F: Frame Snapped Rear Mudguard Strut

[danno]

Sounds Like the BMW is the same as Vincents, You never stop doing Stuff .

Both BMs are low maintenance. It’s just that the R60 has 350k on the clock and the RS front discs were under min thickness.

 

[Speedtwin]

Every penny spent on steering,suspension and then brakes is money well spent.

Safety is a priority, brakes are dirty things but sometimes we need them a little more than we should.

Being fairly new to Vincent's I have learned over the last couple of years that with some simple modifications developed by dedicated knowledgeable folks who have been racing,riding these machines for countless years, we can completely transform the handling, stopping, comfort and usability of this bike.
Most of these guys/girls have forgotten more than we all collectively know.

Thanks to the dedication and engineering expertise of these folks, we can enjoy riding our bikes as they should be ridden.
I wish to thank all the aforementioned who freely share their vast knowledge, expertise and assistance on this forum and with me on trips away.
Who go to extraordinary lengths to have parts made and supply them to the great unwashed.

As for originality,the designers of the marque,being engineers would be very appreciative of these remarkable engineers.

Steering Stem upgrades, modern reactive suspension, a steering damper teamed with a brake upgrade.
Transformation complete.
Night and Day.

Agree with Erik before adding stopping power you must update the front end to prevent the inevitable.

Al

 

[Bill Thomas]

Both BMs are low maintenance. It’s just that the R60 has 350k on the clock and the RS front discs were under min thickness.

Wow that's a lot of miles,
I seem to remember, The early Bm's Should have the oil thrower Cleaned every 10 thou ? !,
A big job, Never thought it was reasonable to expect to have to do that.

 

[oexing]

I have never cleaned the oil throwers in the old BMWs, unless there was a major job on them. Only snag is you get any grit inside the conrod roller bearing when the oil thrower/centrifugal filter is filled to the rim. BUT you could do a mod of having a real paper oil filter in the sump. So with not much oil in circulation anyway on these no-plain-bearing types and your dedication about cleanliness you can use the new oil filter for ages. Yes, the filter is on the suction side of pump then, but the pump is a very tiny type with low flow really. That filter in sump has worked for ages in my R 69 S with 730 cc . With the current filter set I needed the deeper sump for finding the space.

Vic

 

[Bill Thomas]

Ha ha ,My memory is going back to 1966 ish,
When I worked on them for a short time,
Mostly the 3 wheelers, So long ago.

I would hope the oils are a bit better now.

 

[davidd]

It is possible to make these brakes work,
I remember Brother Ron Squealing the front tyre on an "A" Twin,
Same brakes as "C", Not sure I would pull that hard, For fear of pulling the nipple Off.

I think if your front tire is squealing it is telling you that your front brake is not working or your tire is too hard. Modern tires do not squeal unless you are already having an accident. I think the Vincent is one of the few bikes that you can break the front tire free at speed due to the fork seizing while braking, which causes the tire to start sliding. It is very rare to hear a Hyabusa or R1 front tire squeal under braking.

If you have increased the lever fulcrum and lengthened the brake arm you have modified the brake from a short throw/high force brake to something more like the Triumph, which is a long throw/low force system. This is much like changing the size of the master cylinder on a hydraulic system. Either system will work, but one will apply a lower force over a much longer distance. The stock system will apply a higher force over a much shorter distance.

The speculation is that those who use the twin-pull cable system have gone to the lower force over a longer distance and that the lower force has prevented the twisting force that is forcing the brake pins and shoes from providing proper contact of the lining with the drums.

If you examine your brake plate and shoes on a long throw/low force brake system that might be on another motorbike and they are as robust as the same parts on your Vincent, then your Vincent parts are woefully under-designed for a short throw/high force system.

Some of the Lads are talking about Green Gripper Woven Linings, Fitted by saftec ?.
Soft linings ?,

The feedback I have received on the Green Gripper Woven has not been good. It seems to have a problem with fading. It will brake fairly well but after a certain point, it seems to flat line.

I have some confidence in RD-4, which is much more like the AM4 lining. It has no fade, but it takes some heat before it performs best. Bernd uses a Bremskerl lining and it seems to perform the same way. It is good, but it needs a bit of warming.

All these new linings require bedding-in. Some linings don't work well until they have had 75 firm brake applications.

David

 

[Bill Thomas]

I am not interested in Fade,
I don't race anymore and Don't ride down the French Alps,
I just want to stop.

I had the same with a Norton Disc,
The Best for Me, The old round pads, Soft as hell and wore out quick, Super for me even Racing.

Then they stopped making the soft type pad.

I replaced with racing caliper and Disc , Nowhere near as good,
For me the pads are too hard.

 

[danno]

Wow that's a lot of miles,

Yes, flat twin design very durable. Ample cylinder cooling and valve gear never dry being horizontal.
Had 44k on the clock when purchased but turned out to be 144k. I ride it fairly regularly and fix it when needed.

 

[Speedtwin]

My 1987 R80 GS is coming up to 5900 miles,motor should last another few decades at this rate.

 

[Bill Thomas]

I would like one now,
But I think I have left it too late,
I did have a K100 for 10 years, Just for the shops and when it rained .
A very good bike.