Master Cylinder Sleeve Kits

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rvich

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I am curious to hear from anyone who has installed any of the manufactured sleeve kits. I find it interesting that there are not many threads with photos of the components or discussions about the installation. Thanks in advance.

Russ
 
Mine was from British Bike Connection - Jim Noll in Rochester NY. You could have them do it to your master cylinder and send it back or do an exchange with someone else's cylinder already done. I opted to get my own back. I think the work was actually done by Miles Brakes IIRC. The reason for no pictures may be that none are needed. The only tricky part is the bleeding and my kit came with a plastic syringe and instructions to bleed from the bottom up. I still had to tie back my lever overnight which magically worked. Been fine ever since. Nice powdercoat job too!

Russ
 
Russ,
I bought three DIY kits from Clubman Racing. I believe that these are the same as RGM. You need to invest in, or acquire:
18MM 1.5 pitch tap.
16.5 MM Twist drill. (41/64”) Imperial.
5 MM Allen Key.
Follow the directions carefully.
I strongly recommend using a Milling Machine to line bore or a machinist buddy to do the work. If you do not have these items at your disposal or are not mechanically inclined with a machinist background then I would recommend that you buy the trade-in kits as they are set to go and powder coated quite nicely. You just need to add brake fluid once it’s all bolted together. A syringe is good to introduce the brake fluid from the caliper end up to the M/C. This gets rid of the air sooner and with less fuss.
I have two completed kits and both are working very well. A third is still not on a bike yet ready to go.
Two finger stops.
This is very nice compared to the original 5/8 bore because you needed to be a silverback gorilla to make that brake arrangement work. Its like squeezing two pieces of wood together against your disk. Try doing that when your fingers are frozen and you are tired. It was Norton’s first attempt to introduce anti-lock braking. :shock:
Cheers,
Thomas
CNN
 
I have a RGM up grade kit in my well used Roadster, been in there 2 1/2 years, fitted it myself , no issues and great upgrade
I have one of madass140's kits in my race bike and no issues there, another great upgrade.
Either one is gtreat, less tools required for the madass140 item
Regards Mike
 
I took mine to a reputable brake specialist and had a stainless kit fitted that works like a charm (about $240)
It may have been a bit cheaper to send it to RGM in England (from Australia) but would have taken longer and I believe not all stainless components
When it comes to the front brake I would prefer to leave it to the experts especially since it requires specialised tools
 
From Walridge:

Master Cylinder Sleeve Kits
 
swooshdave said:
From Walridge:

Master Cylinder Sleeve Kits


Raber's set me up with a similar exchange, that, a stainless line, stainless piston caliper, and vented disk. With a good downshift the thing stops really well.... for a 42 year old scooter
 
Hi,

In case you don't want to keep exactly the original look of your Norton master cylinder, you can use a Brembo PS12 one which was fitted on Moto Guzzis V35 and Ducati Pantahs in the past.

The cylinder diameter is 12 mm.

The look is quite close to the Norton's one (cylindric fluid tank). Not too difficult to find (search for Brembo PS12 master cylinder on Ebay for instance). I got one in Germany re-conditionned with brake lever for 110 euros.

They are expoxied in glossy black as are the Norton ones.

Hope it helps

Laurent
 
I know this thread is over a year old but I just saw it and wanted to offer some personal experience.

I have the Old Britts 13mm re-sleeve on my 72 and 74 Commandos and they work very well. Much better feel, less effort, and better stopping. I can't quantify it with physics, I can only say that they stop MUCH better , and the workmanship, like everything Fred Eaton sells, is first class, including the powder coating and mechanical locking of the sleeve. I also spoke with the designer/manufacturer who does the work for Fred and his design is first class.

I took a different approach on my 73. I used the kit that Frank Cornwall at Clubman Racing sells that uses a new Grimeca 13mm master cylinder and an ingenious, nicely machined adaptor that lets you use the original Lucas switches and mirror. Most people can't tell the difference - only a Norton-o-phile who looked closely would know, and they all compliment its good looks and traditional appearance. And the performance is equal to, and in fact a bit better due to somewhat improved leverage in the design of the Grimeca. But it's not original, so that's the trade off.

On another note, I did have a related issue, but not with the master cylinder. I rebuilt the caliper with new o rings and stainless steel pistons, but the o rings were about .003" too wide (in cross section), for a total of .006" and it was enough to hold the pistons too tightly. As a result the pistons couldn't slide in the o ring and the elasticity of the o ring kept retracting the pistons into the caliper bore making it impossible to get a good, solid lever (too much fluid needed to make up the space between the piston/pad/rotor before good contact was made).

After numerous attempts to bleed, using every trick in the book, I made a tool out of bent wire that slipped into the inspection slot and confirmed the piston was retracting about 1/16" when I released the lever, so I rebuilt the caliper again and it bled and worked perfectly. I mention this as it was a vexing problem and it could save someone a day or two of frustration when they could have been riding!
 
I've installed 2 kits from Don Pender. Comes with everything required including the drills and Loctite. Pretty easy to fit and work well.
 
Original bore is 5/8". The link you provided identifies it as a 13mm bore, so yes, it would be sleeved.

Stephen Hill
 
Stephen Hill said:
Original bore is 5/8". The link you provided identifies it as a 13mm bore, so yes, it would be sleeved.

I believe that AN master cylinder is manufactured with the 13mm bore size rather than being 'sleeved' down from 5/8".
 
L.A.B. said:
Stephen Hill said:
Original bore is 5/8". The link you provided identifies it as a 13mm bore, so yes, it would be sleeved.

I believe that AN master cylinder is manufactured with the 13mm bore size rather than being 'sleeved' down from 5/8".

I think you are right L.A.B. There was a andover norton July newsletter stating that. They made a bunch.
Cheers
Thomas
 
Thank you for clarifying gentlemen. But probably to the main point of the last post, can we agree that this is the smaller bore (13mm vs 5/8") which results in a more powerful brake than the stock bore?

Too bad they don't sleeve them, and in stainless. Then they'd last forever.

Stephen Hill
 
Stephen Hill said:
Thank you for clarifying gentlemen. But probably to the main point of the last post, can we agree that this is the smaller bore (13mm vs 5/8") which results in a more powerful brake than the stock bore?

Too bad they don't sleeve them, and in stainless. Then they'd last forever.

Stephen Hill
I am looking for a unsleeved version, as the sleeves can cause problems IMHO. (Change fluid often) :shock: .
 
Done right, a sleeve is a non-issue. In my last mod I used a stainless sleeve, slight interference fit, loctited in place, and turned a bronze piston. It will never corrode again. There is a retro kit that relies on an o-ring to make a seal between the sleeve and mc body, and apparently these can leak between the two, if not installed correctly.

Stephen Hill
 
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