Elfix
VIP MEMBER
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2020
- Messages
- 81
I felt the brake on my G15 was wholly inadequate for street riding, and rather than attempt to improve it by replacing the shoes and cable and tuning it up I elected to install a 2LS unit from a Commando.
Unfortunately as soon as I had made this decision I discovered that all the used examples I could find were missing pieces or beyond my price range. I then found RGM sold a “kit” form of the brake- all the bits and a semi-finished casting but not assembled. The price seemed fair, and I like to put things together, so I went for it.
This kit includes RGM’s high friction shoes, and the backing plate has additional ribbing to support the pivot cams so it doesn’t require the additional stiffener that was later added to the Norton part. All the external arms and fasteners are stainless and the fit of all of it was very good. Roger’s instructions are also very complete and well written.
Once assembled it was an easy fit up into the original wheel- an item shared with the commando and thus no great surprise. A new cable was needed and I found that the cable for the Highrider Commando was the right length for the G15’s longer forks and wide handlebars. I selected a cable that included the inline brake switch and wired that in as well.
So- was it worth the effort?
Absolutely! Brake power is substantially improved and one can squeal the front tire at highway speed. My only note is that the linings seem to get grippier with a bit of heat and there is a substantial increase in brake power as they are being used- it’s a very noticeable effect and I find on long stops from speed I need to reduce lever pressure to maintain a linear stop rate. Multiple stops in a row will have the brake heated and you will notice an increased initial bite and there will be less pressure required for a given rate of deceleration. I suspect this is a peculiarity of RGM’s high friction shoes… it’s not a bad thing but it is a bit surprising the first time it’s encountered.
I have not ridden the machine with this brake set up in heavy rain yet, so can’t speak to wet performance.
Compared to the aged original single leader brake the difference is night and day- I felt the bike was barely safe to ride with the stock brake. While this could have been improved with new shoes and etc the 2LS is clearly superior.
Unfortunately as soon as I had made this decision I discovered that all the used examples I could find were missing pieces or beyond my price range. I then found RGM sold a “kit” form of the brake- all the bits and a semi-finished casting but not assembled. The price seemed fair, and I like to put things together, so I went for it.
This kit includes RGM’s high friction shoes, and the backing plate has additional ribbing to support the pivot cams so it doesn’t require the additional stiffener that was later added to the Norton part. All the external arms and fasteners are stainless and the fit of all of it was very good. Roger’s instructions are also very complete and well written.
Once assembled it was an easy fit up into the original wheel- an item shared with the commando and thus no great surprise. A new cable was needed and I found that the cable for the Highrider Commando was the right length for the G15’s longer forks and wide handlebars. I selected a cable that included the inline brake switch and wired that in as well.
So- was it worth the effort?
Absolutely! Brake power is substantially improved and one can squeal the front tire at highway speed. My only note is that the linings seem to get grippier with a bit of heat and there is a substantial increase in brake power as they are being used- it’s a very noticeable effect and I find on long stops from speed I need to reduce lever pressure to maintain a linear stop rate. Multiple stops in a row will have the brake heated and you will notice an increased initial bite and there will be less pressure required for a given rate of deceleration. I suspect this is a peculiarity of RGM’s high friction shoes… it’s not a bad thing but it is a bit surprising the first time it’s encountered.
I have not ridden the machine with this brake set up in heavy rain yet, so can’t speak to wet performance.
Compared to the aged original single leader brake the difference is night and day- I felt the bike was barely safe to ride with the stock brake. While this could have been improved with new shoes and etc the 2LS is clearly superior.
