Norvil Rear Brake Cable

swooshdave · Jun 1, 2010

This looks like the right routing but the cable sure isn't happy. Needs to be straighter or something.

Any ideas?

pelican · Jun 2, 2010

you could cut that bracket off and weld it so it's further down instead of straight up and the line would run straight, but it wouldn't look good???

ML · Jun 2, 2010

Swoosh,
Never done a Norvil Proddie before, but I think you need to look at it when the muffler mounts are on. The reason is that on the stock set up, the rear brake cable must be fitted over the upper part of the Z plate and then between the 2 rubber buffers and then to the cable stop on the swing arm.

If fitted below the Z plate, it can catch under the plate and pull the rear brake on violently when bouncing over a bump. There was a recent forum thread on this some time ago, and I think a factory service note as well. Yours hasn't got the Z plate, but bear in mind that the cable should be kept away from beneath the footpeg / muffler plate. Its a nice chunky looking cable so the lenght should not be an issue as long as it feels nice and permits full swing arm travel.

Mick

Rich_j · Jun 2, 2010

The cable run isn't helped by the switch in the middle, what did they use before the inline switches appeared on the market?

swooshdave · Jun 2, 2010

Cable is extremely stiff and in that configuration binds to the point of not moving. And no, the inline switch doesn't help. The electrically challenged part of me has no idea what triggers the switch either.

grandpaul · Jun 2, 2010

There's a spring-loaded pressure switch inside that lump on the cable that makes contact to complete the brake light circuit.

Ordinarily, Nortons use a horrendous lump of a switch that must be fiddled into the exact position by adjusting it's mounting on the ridiculous plate that hangs from the brake pedal. The worst attempt at a Rube Goldberg solution that I have ever seen.

swooshdave · Jun 2, 2010

grandpaul said:
There's a spring-loaded pressure switch inside that lump on the cable that makes contact to complete the brake light circuit.

Ordinarily, Nortons use a horrendous lump of a switch that must be fiddled into the exact position by adjusting it's mounting on the ridiculous plate that hangs from the brake pedal. The worst attempt at a Rube Goldberg solution that I have ever seen.

I know how it should work but from what I can tell there's no spring. I may have to post a video to explain. I've seen inline switches before (probably front brake cables...) and this doesn't act like that.

lcrken · Jun 2, 2010

The original PRs used the stock Commando brake light switch, but located it on the rear brake backing plate, and actuated it with an alloy lever that bolted on with the backing plate lever. It was located by a tight fit when the nut holding the lever was tightened. It was adjusted by loosening the lever nut and moving the alloy lever to the right position, then tightening the nut. Seemed to work just fine that way.

The cable was routed between the two rubber mounts for the silencer.

The cable on your setup looks a bit longer than the original PR cable. They might have had to do that to keep it flexible enough with the in-line switch added.

Ken

swooshdave · Jun 2, 2010

lcrken said:
The original PRs used the stock Commando brake light switch, but located it on the rear brake backing plate, and actuated it with an alloy lever that bolted on with the backing plate lever. It was located by a tight fit when the nut holding the lever was tightened. It was adjusted by loosening the lever nut and moving the alloy lever to the right position, then tightening the nut. Seemed to work just fine that way.

The cable was routed between the two rubber mounts for the silencer.

The cable on your setup looks a bit longer than the original PR cable. They might have had to do that to keep it flexible enough with the in-line switch added.

Ken

Except it's not flexible enough. I did send off an email to Phil at Fair Spares. Dunno if he ever checks them.

I also found this page on Old Britts (sometimes you have to search pretty hard to find stuff there):

http://www.oldbritts.com/15_060482.html

I need to go measure and see which one I have.

swooshdave · Jun 4, 2010

My cable matches the shortest one from Old Britts. But for the life of me I can't see how it will work unless it gets more flexible.

Ron L · Jun 4, 2010

Here's how the original production racer brake switch was done. It woud be fairly easy to weld a mounting tab to the rear brake plate stay and to fabricate the actuator from a scrap of steel or aluminum strap. Then I would shorten a stock cable to fit existing space.

gtsun · Jun 26, 2010

Swoosh, what did you end up doing? I've been thinking of going to one of the cables with the built in switch and I'm also using rearsets. I think the stock length would be better to reduce that tight bend. I also see from old posts that there seems to be mixed results with the in line switches. Yours looks smaller in the picture then the ones I have seen, are there more than one type?

swooshdave · Jun 26, 2010

gtsun said:
Swoosh, what did you end up doing? I've been thinking of going to one of the cables with the built in switch and I'm also using rearsets. I think the stock length would be better to reduce that tight bend. I also see from old posts that there seems to be mixed results with the in line switches. Yours looks smaller in the picture then the ones I have seen, are there more than one type?

I think it may mostly be a matter of a stiff new cable. Now that I have the rear brake on it's a little better. The rear brake works (I'm still missing the springs on the shoes) and the light switch works so it seems ok.

We'll see when I get the mufflers and get them mounted and how that affects the routing.

Jeandr · Jun 26, 2010

Why not invert the arm on the backing plate and use a rod instead of a cable? If you are not good at fabricating a switch bracket, you could use a Triumph rear brake switch which hooks to the rod and to a suitable place on the frame or plate.

Jean

swooshdave · Jun 26, 2010

Jeandr said:
Why not invert the arm on the backing plate and use a rod instead of a cable? If you are not good at fabricating a switch bracket, you could use a Triumph rear brake switch which hooks to the rod and to a suitable place on the frame or plate.

Jean

I think the cable will work just fine. I need to stop fiddling and just get it together. Plenty of time for additional customizations.

Norvil Rear Brake Cable

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