Disc brake upgrade for 850

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lawman

lawman

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I am not entirely happy with the stopping power of my '73 850 Roadster.

I believe it has the standard front disc and caliper and basically I was hoping to leave them as is.

Is there any way to upgrade the brakes while keeping them as standard as possible. Is there anything that can be done to the Master cylinder to help with braking power?

Thanks

Frank
 
You can have the Master Cylinder re-sleeved, which improves the braking efficiency, and does not alter the external look of the setup, do a search on forum for re sleeve Master cylinder.
 
lawman said:
I am not entirely happy with the stopping power of my '73 850 Roadster.

I believe it has the standard front disc and caliper and basically I was hoping to leave them as is.

Is there any way to upgrade the brakes while keeping them as standard as possible. Is there anything that can be done to the Master cylinder to help with braking power?

Thanks

Frank
Click to expand...

To back up Old Bloke, RGM do a re-sleeve kit which requires access to some machining facilities for a DIY installation, but they also do them in-house;
E-mail info@rgmmotors.co.uk to get an idea of turnaround times, as they do them in batches.

The good thing is it keeps the whole setup looking original, and really transforms the brake - instead of the 'squeezing a plank' feel, you actually get brake-squealing stopping.
 
lawman said:
I am not entirely happy with the stopping power of my '73 850 Roadster.

I believe it has the standard front disc and caliper and basically I was hoping to leave them as is.
Click to expand...

You have made the error of assuming Norton made brakes. They are actually "decelerators". I have used the RGM sleeve for great improvement in feel and power. Did it myself, fairly simple. Will not give you modern bike brakes but I think the sleeve "halves" the effort.
 
my resleeve kit for Nortons, no machining required.
Disc brake upgrade for 850
 
Thanks for all the advice everyone.

I will email Andover Norton as I have bought parts from them previously and have found them to be very helpful.

Frank
 
Is this kit available through ebay, if so at what location. I would PM you (Madass) but I have AOL and apaparently it is not compatible with this site. :shock:
Lance
 
I have used both RGM and Madass kits, if you are good with tools both are easy to do in the home workshop.
The Madass one is easier as no tap required as per the RGM unit.
Regards Mike
 
Is this kit available through ebay, if so at what location. I would PM you (Madass) but I have AOL and apaparently it is not compatible with this site.
madass140@gmail.com
This kit and also my single and twin disc brake kits (all pre MK3) are supplied with hose, you need to tell me what kind
of handlebars you have fore me to supply the correct hose length.
 
I just installed the Andover Norton kit. Incredible difference! However, the supplied hose was waaay to short. According to the instructions, the hose is to fit straight into the caliper, omitting the bundy pipe, with UK bars. I'm guessing it was at least 4" too short. Wouldn't even fit with the bundy pipe assembly from what I could gather (I was using the Hyde hose which went straight into the caliper - my bundy pipe was hidden somewhere in the garage, only making an appearance after I had everything set up) No idea how far off the mark it would be with US bars... I ended up having a hose made locally to get going sooner rather than later.

But back to the brake itself. I had to watch myself on the first ride not to brake too aggressively, something that was never an issue with the original master cylinder!
 
I dont see the point in eliminating the fixed steel caliper pipe, it leaves an unsightly hose swinging in the breeze.
see the bulkhead fitting attached to the hose in my kit above, by simply adding this fitting to any of the brake kits,
it keeps things neat and standard length replacement hoses are used.
 
The rigid pipe was eliminated prior to my ownership with the once available Hyde SS hose - which was rather long and did stick out further than I would have liked. But I have found this pipe amongst various spares and could easily refit it. Would it be wise to re use it (seems to look OK) or should a new one be sourced? It would certainly tuck things out of the way more... But even with it, I don't think that the hose supplied by Andover Norton is long enough.
 
well it depends which handlebars you have, lower Euro style or US Western style or clipons, or Hi Rider or?????
 
Captain Mandrake said:
... But even with it, I don't think that the hose supplied by Andover Norton is long enough.
Click to expand...

It is long enough. I installed that kit with the European/UK low handlebars. It fits just fine.
 
I've got the Andover Norton kit and found the hose too short, even with UK bars. Refitting the bundy pipe sorted it. I've found the lever has lots of travel, although the brake can lock the front wheel, so I guess it 's pretty effective in improving the braking.
 
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