Hot Nasty Norton Brake

phil yates said:

I'm an untrained illiterate emotionless psychologist and offer everyone advice whether they want it or not.

Phil

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Untrained? Okay; your call.

Illiterate? Not based on your current rash of posts!

Emotionless? 'Not sure how you came by that notion. That'd be like saying Hobot is a man of few words (no offense intended, Steve)

Psychologist? Maybe "psycho", but I think we could all be classified thusly if "outsiders" were to go over most of our posts.

That's the way (uh-huh, uh-huh) I like it!

Nathan

Phil[/quote]

Yes, I understand...at some point it will cause overload because there are so many things you can do to improve the bike.

I was just following up on your question about fork flex. I have the same concern with upgraded brakes and that is why I am trying to figure out how to brace it. Not sure it will work and thought I would share that. Given that you want to keep the Lockheed caliper it's probably moot, but just in case you might change your mind.[/quote]

den
Yes, it will cost a lot of money and end up just another Japo Crapo.
So why not just buy a Japo Crapo? Seems everyone else in here has come to the same conclusion.
I wish I had of kept the postie bike. It was red too.

Why not just jam a big chunk of wood through the front wheel spokes?
Will stiffen the front end (dramatically) and make a good park brake.

Phil[/quote]

Not sure what you mean Phil. No Japo Crapo on the front of the Norton...just trying to improve it. Like I said a while back it should be about use and purpose. Just like you want to build up your second Norton...there is a reason and a purpose for you to do that. In my case I am looking for safety and reliability with my Norton. Not so concerned about performance. Improved brakes are a safety factor for me. On my new MKIII back in 1976, I remember the brake fade in the worst situations...and grabbing the brake in the rain and there was nothing there...that was a brand new Norton...just not safe IMO.[/quote]

den
I was referring to the costs of adding and adding mods, not just the brake. I was agreeing with you on the matter. Reference to Japo Crapo was a joke suggesting you could add so many mods that eventually you wouldn't know it was originally a Commando. I'd say my humour is an Aussie thing, but they don't understand it either. Only person that does is my Jenny. Guess that's partly why I love her so much. If she was in here, you guys would be left totally for dead, humour wise.

Just imagine if hobot was writing my posts, but in broken English???

I fully agree with you about the brake den. Mine is okay, not great. I'm still considering options. BTW, the BRG Fastback may have just died in the water. Baxter's have just advised they are not keen on the build with any performance mods at all. That's no use to me. Might be the opportunity to go all Australian (bar headwork by Jim Comstock, a really great and knowledgable guy) and build the bike totally here. Or dump the idea totally and upgrade my current red one. Save heaps and do I really need two bikes, double rego costs etc?

It's really interesting how these projects develop into something far different than when you started. But that's part of the interest and fascination. You might see me end up with a Japo Crapo yet, but I wouldn't hold your breath on that one. Unless you can hold it for another fifty years, when I may be dead. But don't count on that one either!!

Phil

Nater_Potater said:

phil yates said:

I'm an untrained illiterate emotionless psychologist and offer everyone advice whether they want it or not.

Phil

Click to expand...

Untrained? Okay; your call.

Illiterate? Not based on your current rash of posts!

Emotionless? 'Not sure how you came by that notion. That'd be like saying Hobot is a man of few words (no offense intended, Steve)

Psychologist? Maybe "psycho", but I think we could all be classified thusly if "outsiders" were to go over most of our posts.

That's the way (uh-huh, uh-huh) I like it!

Nathan

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hobit IS a man of few words!
Understandable words that is.
hobot once confessed to me he writes all his posts whilst riding his old Atlas!!
Very difficult to be concise doing that.

But I love him.
As everybody knows.
Even Jenny loves him.
And Sonia at my gym.
etc etc

Phil

It took me all of ten minutes to make my decision.
I've just advised Baxter's I'm pulling the pin on them building the BRG MkIII altogether.
No point in involving someone not interested in the project.
No ill feeling, just an evolving project and things happen for good reasons.
I'll go all Australian, and Jim Comstock's involvement will be invaluable. Never met a guy before who knows so much about Nortons.
And so helpful to boot.
I will save a lot of the $22000 (including import costs) to be spent elsewhere.
But don't tell Jenny, I won't see her for five years if she gets a hint of this, you can have a lot of overseas trips with $22000.
And I couldn't last five years without her!

Phil

It took me all of ten minutes to make my decision.
Ten minutes of deep thought that is.

Phil

Glad to know its not very significant which way caliper mounted and really doubt there's much cooling shielding behind forks as I've seen all the air flow paths of a Commando + tucked pilot to know there is explosions of air blast being *sprayed* out violently by spokes spin which gets sideways directed off rim to fill in any low pressure zones of turbulence behind sliders. To rub raw my tri-linked Ms Peel in more her front would get so light to lifting in sharp turns wind eddies off forks could be felt as trembles in the bars and like flag flutter passing through frame, kind of like dog shaking water off starting at front to tail which did absolutely nothing to Peels secure line but did add and subtract to the ground effects of lift drop at 60' fling overs which changes lean angle which changes steering radius being set by the rear patch aim as front too light to have much effect but aerodynamics. At hi speed these flag flap like pressure waves through frame is enough to onset weave wobble even if road is perfect glass smooth so no suspension issues covering up another layer of danger zones.

I really think Norton put the restrictor in to mimic drum brake teeth gritting to avoid law suits getting tossed over the bars suprise. None the sleeve kits have any restrictors so tried just the red hot nail mod and nothing else on Trixie for distinct grip to squeal command even if it means more grip force than a modern that suits me and can go more on my emotional tension sense of slowing up in time w/o so much risk of lock up release re-grip loss of time-distance. Once man grip enough or extra hydraulic leverage to squeal in panic at hwy speed anything more is to ease pilot effort and spread the heat load to pull down many times from hi speed down hills safely.

One very vital point Nate points out is brake can be great one sharp pull down to next instant nothing no warning drama to survive. Its hard for me to picture someone nailing brakes on purpose to over heat or fade in a factory brake in heat of summer so my respects of awe and forewarned I may also run out of brake power some day but for sure not on a 100 front tire. Ugh. I always check brake fluid routinely to never have another master cylinder leak out blow away.

Sometimes when about to need brake harder than I like, I stab rear an instant ahead of front to help squat whole bike so fork dive has less toss over the bars influence. Stablizing the wiggly mass behind the forks may be more than enough to hold inertia of pilot/bike on hard brake w/o causing fork twisting. My experience of fork leg twists is it takes very hard fast opposite frame twisting snatches to steer to cause instants of rubber band-ness > bars to tire patch> very scary delay over reactions that magnifies pilot input beyond intended effect &can onset tank slapper - but braking loads oscillate slow low enough fork seem stiff enough w/o brace so I find its what's behind the forks that wiggles front tire patch upset, not the fork legs spring back. Essentially rear patch is pivoting through rear isolastic to slap the front isolastic gap one side to the other which is enough leverage length for a silly millimeter slack of fork swivel it may take squealing front into a single last chrip sound of lock up SMACK down. Brake power and skill tops my list of unpleasant things to learn on and off cycles.

No offense taken just a different view. :lol:

Fast Eddie said:

worntorn said:

Fast Eddie said:

Glen,
You need a longer ramp... your current one is too short... therefore too steep... and you're scraping the bottom of your bike as you load it onto the trailer...

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Eddie, those pictures belong to Concours, they were his response to my statement that if a Commando is ridden hard in the mountains, the stock brake is not adequate. I must have unintentionally offended, so my apologies.
I made the statement because I have had one very close call after losing the front brake , which was a stocker in proper order, good pads from Vintage brake.

I make all such grinding marks on the exhaust the easy safe way, with a rotary grinder :mrgreen:

Glen

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Oops, obviously your ramp is ok then... Concours: you need a longer ramp!

I kinda stole this joke from a mate who had a Fireblade, he was self confessed as not the quickest rider around, and one day he tells me he needs a race pipe for more clearance, he left a 'comic pause' until he could see the shock on my face then said "yeah, the lawn mower catches on the standard one when I put it in the shed" :lol:

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Like Evil Kneivel you say? :mrgreen: