Bent Brake Pedal

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Saber

Saber

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The foot pad on my brake pedal is tilted in toward the primary. I will blame it on PO. It works ok but is not appealing to the eye. Any advice on best way to return it to flat without wrecking the chrome? 74 commando.
Thanks in advance.
 
If you have a strong vice with soft jaws, and you can tightly hold the bent part under the under the foot pad, it's pretty easy to bend them back. If the chrome is OK now, it should still be OK after straightening.
 
Kind of depends how bent it is. Ideally, remove the pedal from the bike and bolt it to something solid. Then put a large pipe over the end and pull it straight. I have also used large adjustable wrenches to make the pad on the end parallel with the ground. Chrome is very hard and doesn't like this kind of motion, so you will probably end up with some hairline cracks in the chrome, which will not be very noticeable. Eventually, if you store it out in the rain often enough, the chrome might lift along the split lines. I would not use heat if you want to keep the chrome intact. The material is relatively ductile, and shouldn't require heat unless it is badly bent out of shape.

Stephen Hill
 
I straightened both rider footpegs and the brake pedal on my 74 Mk2 by bolting the pieces to my work bench and using a 12 inch adjustable wrench, and a 30" piece of 1-1/2" pipe as an extension. took it slow and didn't damage the chrome. got the idea from "motor oil and beer" youtube videos on Norton commando restoration. mine were not bent much, but noticeable.
 
I agree that you should see what the outcome of bending results in. If it is too far gone, the chrome heads for parts unbecoming or something breaks off PM me I have 2 that I won't be needing.

Best.
 
Back when I got mine the pedal was bent pretty badly and I put the heat to it. Have been living with the blackened spot since, but okay with it because there is some rust everyplace but there on the pedal.
 
jbruney said:
Back when I got mine the pedal was bent pretty badly and I put the heat to it. Have been living with the blackened spot since, but okay with it because there is some rust everyplace but there on the pedal.
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Slightly off topic, but mine was bent and rusty. After straightening, got all the loose chrome off, acid washed, and powder coated it black. Actually looks quit good mixed in with the chrome foot rest.
 
Thanks for the advice and comments. Here's a picture. I'll give it a go with some careful cold bending on the bench. Good to know if it doesn't end up very well Mr. Scholar has an extra. Or alternatively black is an interesting concept.
Bent Brake Pedal
 
here's the video where I got the idea to straighten my foot pegs and brake pedal. did mine a bit different - bolted mine down to my work bench (top, 2-inch hardwood) - at first used lag screws, but pulled those things out without much effort. ended up bolting them down using oversized washers (for maximum contact area, bottom side of the bench). anyway, a 12 inch adjustable and a 30 inch extension, and took it slow. you'll get the idea....

 
Ok, so I took off the brake arm and got to thinking - is the arm twisted or could it be the mounting pin/bracket that got out of whack? Is there some (relatively easy) way to determine which part is causing the tilt of the brake foot pad?
 
Saber said:
Ok, so I took off the brake arm and got to thinking - is the arm twisted or could it be the mounting pin/bracket that got out of whack? Is there some (relatively easy) way to determine which part is causing the tilt of the brake foot pad?
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no expert, but i'm thinking the mounting surface - pin/bracket mount should align with the pad part of the brake lever - that is the vertical part of the brake lever mount should be perpendicular to the horizontal part of the brake foot pad - or 90°. you should be able to eyeball that. I would think the thinnest part of the brake lever would be the first to bend or twist. as I remember, on my brake lever, I clamped my lever in my bench vise (protected both surfaces so I wouldn't screw up the chrome), and used a 12 inch adjustable and a 30 inch pipe for leverage. on my foot pegs, bolted them down to my work bench.

Bent Brake Pedal


looking at your picture, I would say the foot pad is definitely bent, and might be bent inward a little. your footpeg mount may also be bent inward a bit. i'm thinking it (an imagery line) should be somewhat parallel to the primary outer case. hard to tell from the photo. anyway. (IMO) should be relatively easy to straighten. just take it slow.
 
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jbruney said:
Back when I got mine the pedal was bent pretty badly and I put the heat to it. Have been living with the blackened spot since, but okay with it because there is some rust everyplace but there on the pedal.
Click to expand...
Should have dipped it in "Silver Dip" or similar , would have removed the worse of it Unless you made it cherry red!!!!
 
Looks to be only the pedal is tweaked.

Perhaps one day may look for one with less rust or new chrome.... maybe nickel plate…. Or something other.
Saber that is a minor twist and should come out easily enough.
 
joe czech said:
here's the video where I got the idea to straighten my foot pegs and brake pedal. did mine a bit different - bolted mine down to my work bench (top, 2-inch hardwood) - at first used lag screws, but pulled those things out without much effort. ended up bolting them down using oversized washers (for maximum contact area, bottom side of the bench). anyway, a 12 inch adjustable and a 30 inch extension, and took it slow. you'll get the idea....

Click to expand...

I have watched all of Bruce's restoration videos (more than 4 years in the making now) and found him quite helpful responding to questions.
 
Curious as to what scenario the pedal was exposed to to bend it upwards. There are no forces acting in that direction. Even falling down, the foot peg takes the beating not the brake pedal.
 
I have a 74 mk2a I’ve recently purchased. It too has a bent brake pedal, also the foot peg rubber is broken at the lower edge. There’s no apparent damage elsewhere, so I am assuming it went down on the left side at zero mph, just enough to cause this. I’m not leaning the bike down to prove this theory though.
 
Low speed loss of balance whilst turning right due to rock or small pothole.. Happened to me 40+ years ago, but broke footpeg off also. Stuff happens in a world of endless possibilities when you've both feet in the air on a 420# beast. Just a possible scenario..... especially when you're attempting to ensure your legs are clear as things progress at lightspeed.
 
Same here, the foot peg broke off so the brake pedal took a hit. I took the foot peg arm off and it looks like that is all ok. So I'll just massage the brake pedal back.
 
Looks like you should end up with the foot pedal 90 degrees to the mounting plate and that 90 degrees to the pivot.

Bent Brake Pedal
 
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