Ouch that hurt - 1st accident in 33 yrs of riding

Status
Not open for further replies.
A new boy here, but i have had the master cylinder sleeved down by a firm called RGM motors (in Cumbria England) and this did the trick, plus a new steel hose. Didn't do the hose first off and the brake was awful, non existant. With the new hose it is much better.
I have the standard disc but new pads, would like to know if it is worth getting a differnt disc (or rotor if you are on the other side of the pond). :)
 
Vern Fueston is one of the old school Norton guys with ties to C.R.Axtell and Nick Deligianis. I don't think you'll find any better.
 
I ended up ordering a new frame from OldBritts. I went back and forth on whether to repair the old frame or go with the new one.

The accident damage included bends in both the downtubes, as well as the large center tube under the tank. It would have (supposedly) cost $500 to straighten it at some specialty shop near where I live. And there was no guarantee that there wasn't a hairline crack or two lurking under the paint or in hard to see places, such as the steering head welds. In order to be absolutely sure, I would have had to blast off the old paint in order to do a thorough visual inspection. And even then.... Then I would have had to pay to repaint the frame (and do weld repairs if necessary).

After muddling through all that, I decided to plunk down the $1,200 for a new frame. I know that if I had kept the old frame, I would have had a nagging nervous feeling every time i rode the bike hard - for the next umpteen years.

So no regrets about going with the new frame instead of the repair. However, I had to argue with my insurance company about it. They ended up insisting they will take possession of the old frame (fine by me).

Hey, mcmarvelous, i have a re-sleeved front master cylinder on order, but not a steel hose. So it really does make a difference? I am now a big believer in maximum braking power, so will add steel hoses to my order.

Keith
 
You might want to install the pads that Vintage Brake supplies for the Commando. I put these in my all standard MK111 and got a big improvement in braking. The brakes are still only good for two big stops due to the tiny area of the Commando pads. I guess one big stop would have done the trick in this instance.
 
Vintage Brake sells 2 types of pads for Commandos - EBC and Ferodo. I assume you are referring to the Ferodo pads. I have them on order from OldBrits.

Appreciate the recommendation.

Keith
 
[, i have a re-sleeved front master cylinder on order, but not a steel hose. So it really does make a difference?

It may have been the original hoses were worn out, and the extra pressure just 'pushed the sides out'? But I decided to go for stainless as they have always done the trick in the past on other machines, and the price difference is hardly worth worrying about.
If you have recent brake hoses, try them first, if there old, get stainless.
A friend who is a professional motorbike mechanic did warn me that if I uprate the brakes too much, you'll just move the problem!
Which, having had the bike for 2 years i seem to be doing!
Keith[/quote]
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top