Reviewing Madass's new single disc.

A new arrival in my shed, an 850 Commando, had a leaking master cylinder and that gave me a perfect opportunity to put my hand up for one of the first single disc kits put together by Don Pender in the Philippines (known to us here as Madass). An exchange of emails and a quick transfer of some dollars, was followed within a few days by a visit from the FedEx man (with whom I'm on first name terms). With no delay I unpacked the box and inspected each component. The disc itself is 100% in terms of fit, finish, quality etc. The polished caliper is simply gorgeous – it's one of those components that you'd like to put on a shelf and just look at (if you're a bit of a loon like me). The new cast slider is a perfect copy of a Norton one, except for the spacing and placement of the caliper mounting points and the large boss for the rear mudguard stay. The machining of the slider looks very professional. The new master cylinder is a posh looking bit of kit, with a pre-fitted adaptor that allows it to screw straight on to the original Lucas switch block. The kit also comes with the necessary screws to do so, as well as a shortened allen key to fit into the tight space between the screw and the master cylinder body. The new rear guard stay was a dead ringer for a Norton one, except for the kink on the RHS. The new line support bracket (the one that mounts on the mudguard mounting point on the slider) is nicely chromed and looks just like the Norton in terms of it's style and construction. The new stainless brake line looks perfect with high quality fittings at both ends. The new brake pipe that goes from the caliper to the union is nicely chromed and looks very well made. All of the supplied bolts, washers and fittings were of first class quality. I hope the attached pictures do all the components justice.
Fitting the kit was very straightforward. All up it probably took me about two hours. The noteworthy thing about the whole fitting process is how smoothly it went. Everything I needed was supplied in the kit and everything simply fitted together perfectly. There was no torturing of pieces to get them to fit, no filing holes to make them larger or longer to get things to line up – it all just went together like it was made/meant to. The new slider in particular was a lovely fit over the stanchion and bushes. Over the last forty years I've fitted lots of original and aftermarket parts to numerous British, Japanese and American bikes and I can honestly say no kit of bits has ever gone together with less drama than this one did. No blood was lost, and the neighbour didn't have to hurry their little children inside to avoid hearing my swearing, it was all very calm.
Most importantly, how well does it work? In short it's absolutely first class. The brake feels just like a modern one, i.e. it's smooth, very progressive, and has what feels to be an enormous reserve of stopping power. I have no doubt that someone so inclined could pull a "stoppie". That said it's in no way savage, it's simply allows you to dial in the stopping power you want/need. Very light lever pressure is all that's required and it has a nice feel to it. A complete transformation from the wooden standard disc.
In terms of the conversion's other important pulling power – drawing positive comments from mates – it's also an absolute winner. A bunch of blokes came round before our club run and everyone thought it looked fabulous, with comments like "it looks factory", "it's the best looking brake conversion for a Commando I've ever seen" and "you bastard, making your bike look posher than mine".
So there you go, I'm a very happy camper and I'd suggest forming an orderly queue at Don's door.

Be careful with that anchor, I reckon you could pull off a stoppie if you pull up really hard. Nice report and hats off to you and Don for creating such nice stuff!
Cheers Richard

Enthusiast-built parts are the best!, I have many bits from Don and they are all gorgeous!!

Vince

Ah poo, 'retired' Maddass waited too long to produce this beautiful stopper or I'd snagged one instead of creating my own.
May feel like it could stoppie a Commmando but brake power ain't the issue there > its small tire traction and low long Commando stance that prevents much aire space under rear - before pitching over bars or swapping ends. This is a good thing though as my Combat just jerks up short as expected on pavement but my SV650 with dual discs and fat front tips up too easy I can't pull up that sharp on it compared so must be more alert and weary. Have ya tried to over heat front brake till point of fade or not?

Steve, I'm sure you can appreciate that my 320mm x 6 piston caliper is gonna take less effort to pull you up compared to your stock 2 puck and 10" disc even with the famed hot nail mod. I think u know what I'm sayin

maddass why are you being a damn jerk, I'm praising your work and you slap me back with my hot nail mod, not fair and degrades my opinion of you as a rational man. Prior to hot hail its hard to get tire to lock up, afterwards need more skill not too over power traction too easy.

As you started this insult I've got news for you, my hot nail can indeed stop as good as your single or double brake as it can over power good new soft heated tire grip at nearly the ton, above that only squeals loudly. Its only tire grip that determines stopping distance, with enough skill not to just lock up. You brake will be rather more dangerous to control in life/death panic slowing than Trixie's factory one with its rubber eye poked out and can prove it any time on any surface and will some day with video and measures, factory Combat vs Peel vs the world.

Comparing apples to foot balls by comparing factory issue with your high end creation, I still admire, just not your ignorant opinion of its real worth. Ms Peel's brake is lighter and cheaper than yours from the bars to the caliper and with her other unique mods should be able to out stop the ABS wonders on fat tires as they sit too dam tall so too dam stoppie prone. If Peel can't out do 0-100+-0 than GP bikes then she is a flat failure, so put that in your pipe dreams to smolder on. I know I'm alienating a big bunch of Nortoneers with my claims on what you'all are missing out on but I've got bigger game in my sights to embarrass.

Hobot is on my ignore list for a reason, sometimes I look at one of his posts to remind me why

actually he is on my ignore list also, but sometimes... and I'm not sure why I do...

As I said I know I'm alienating a good bunch of emotional guided Nortooneers that don't yet know what they are missing out on so good on you making a public record kommando. To see who is off the wall - Re read the bannter that started with maddass. Maddass's brake is better looking to me than factory and I even think its prettier than Peel's, but once ya got more leverage than tire grip its spun mass and the feathering control and bike/pilot CoG that matters. Fact is I like maddass's creations and stated I'd of jumped on his if it had been available, then maddass jumps me for finding a cheap effective up grade on factory kit that makes tire the factor not the brake gizmo. I am not degrading massass's creations just his reflex reactions like yours.

I've about been hit and spit on by emotional sports bike manics dicing with Ms Peel, staying down and in control while either end of theirs is sticking up like a sore thumb. I scare myself at my riding faults all the dam time, so what I'm always and only ever pointing out is how dam good a Commando can be it makes others seem like corner and braking and accelerating cripples to me. I still don't know if we will ever see a Commando stoppie but I'm sure going to try, how about you?

'If Peel can't out do 0-100+-0 than GP bikes then she is a flat failure'

Looks like Peel is going to be a failure then!

lardygitTVR said:

'If Peel can't out do 0-100+-0 than GP bikes then she is a flat failure'

Looks like Peel is going to be a failure then!

Click to expand...

Wait, listen, I hear it! MacArthur Park.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WHx0B90FUc

"Cause it took so long to bake it And I'll never have that recipe again, oh noooooooooooooooo!"

Poor hobot. I just wiped a tear from my eye. :lol:

Hobot said:

You brake will be rather more dangerous to control in life/death panic slowing than Trixie's factory one with its rubber eye poked out and can prove it any time on any surface and will some day with video and measures, factory Combat vs Peel vs the world.

Click to expand...

yeah Madass, your brake will be more "dangerous" than Mrs. Trixies's factory one

yeah, right Steve

keep making up more ridiculous stuff, after all if YOU believe it, then it just must be true

I am SO damn tired of glancing at your posts, seemingly every one including Mrs. Peel or Aunt Trixie, and how it's all you, you, you....how you just know better, .every new post by someone is followed quickly by your bleating a response, as if your job is to quickly reply to every post, and then multiple times

got any idea why it is that more and more people are finding ways to put you on ignore?

Loosen up fellas. You are responsible for your own experience...

Nice brake Don.

I think the point of hobots thinking is that anyone can produce stopping power, in the front anyways. The real issue is producing a tried, true, contolled braking environment to compliment the equipment (tires, wheels, weight, etc) of a choosen setup.

Then again, he might be saying something else. My best guess.

If someone hand a "true" calling to help us all out, he/she would develope rear brake add ons, at least to help balance the front and rear rather then making an endo prone environment.

LOL, yoose guys are so easy to lead on. Let me repeat to get on with his tests reports.
1. maddass brake are as beautiful as they get
2. I'm a bit miffed I missed out one d/t the late arrival
3. maddass's brake will be more powerful tire stoppers than factory brake with or w/o its eye poked out,
4. so will be more dangerous to control in a panic, too often occuring on non-ideal condition, so not dangerous in sense its not enough power but rather more than enough.
5. All compliments that flew over everyone's head it seems.
6. once power enough to stop tire at will other things come into play and slowing down is only one of them.

The problems I have had over the years with the stock brake are not the problems generally discussed. Most of the cures or improvements involve turning the brake into a "two finger" brake, a brake that only needs light action to work. I'm all for that, but if the only problem with the stock brake was the need to squeeze it hard, I wouldn't mind. When your life flashes before you it is easy enough to squeeze the brake lever really hard with the whole hand in order to carry on living.
The problem I have had with the brake is thatvwhen ridden hard, due to the tiny pad area, it overheats to the point of becoming completely ineffective.
The first time this happened was on a hairpin turn in the Coast Mountains of BC. I very nearly bought it that time, narrowly avoided going off the road and over an embankment that is several hundred feet high.
The other problem is that the disc is very poor in the wet. None of my other bikes or vehicles have this problem, although I recall that early model disc braked cars did.
I always forget that once wet, the brake is ineffective until used a bit. This can really bite you on that first stop or, even worse on an emergency hard stop when you are counting on the normal soso braking and gef almost nothing front and rear for a couple of hundred feet. More than enough distance to put an end to your riding days.

Glen

Very nice brake sir. Might invest in one some day.
I agree the original brake isn't the best but I can squeeze mine hard enough to lock up the wheel. Maybe because I have done martial arts 40 odd years.
The chromed disc is slippery until the chrome gets scuzzed off by the pads. The chrome bits then get embedded into the pad material which seriously impairs their coefficient with the disc. Chrome on chrome don't work good I'm told. It's important to use the correct brake pad material on the factory set up to get it to bite. More important to follow the 'brake in' period for the pads as per the mythical factory instructions [that I have never seen but been told about by old bastards].
A rear brake/wheel/axle alternative would be cool.
How to contact Madass ?

The problem isn't in making the stock brake come on hard, anyone with a half decent grip can do that. The problem is in the fade out to nothing when hot . It takes a couple of big pulldowns in rapid succession to do it. If you ride gently it will likely never happen.
I have had the brake fade to the point that I was nearly snapping the lever off and still virtually no brake. The pad area on that brake isn't tiny, it's minute!

Glen

Wear&tear, with the Lockheed restrictor eye poked out there is definitely more right now direct one to one lever grip to tire effect, enough so its one of Trixie most pleasing features to me, no hesitation and no worry but for traction. I dp have to grip about as hard as I'm scared through, even two fingers, but more white knuckled that way so 3 fingers is better for me.
Trixie can not out stop my moderns d/t lack of traction and lack of frame stability to keep tires in line. Its not a lack of brake force, though nothing wrong with more than enough brake just like horsePower if you can control it and bike can handle it. Peel is a weirdo mystery to me, all others I've stoppied to point their seat lifted me till too scared to stay on it past 30-40' and have been almost vertical a couple times on SuVee on steep stops that the slap back with rear off to one side with it too steep on down side to catch it, Splat! Twice. I could not keep my rear in Peels seat no matter what i tired, and she had what Nortoneers sneer at as almost ape hanger 8" rise bars, so some damn good triangulated leverage to lock butt back hard down in seat rear, but still no "stoppie" I could feel, other than no resistance but me keepping rear in line, so maybe 1/2" off, yet insanely still able to pull down harder! but ya can't hold lever back past trunk being tossed over the bars so have to let go or get ripped off. The two reasons I put on the wave rotor was to lower mass and look cooler, but the single puck may not grip like maddass multi pucks in a row, but it don't have too I found. I report to jump from Ms Peel on a modern and go by the G sense stopping is damn dangerous I discovered. Peel will be throwing down the stopping distance gunlett someday with a magazine shoot out that should leave the editors laughing their asses off yet how could they resist putting the Norton Commando name back in the competition. I'm a G force addict, duh, yet I can't get no satisfaction on the new crop.

As too brake fade I have hard time believing anyone could heat a stock brake up to fade w/o dragging it at speed a long long ways. I can believe some air bubbles or moisture boiling off for brake fade, for a time, or even over night, but not otherwise as I have tired very hard to cause fade in Trixie and Peel, but could not well past any real life brake use I'd ever need. I want to see if I can be the 1st to get the factory disc to glow in the dark on Trixie Combat.

Maddass's brake should help fork action and stopping tire spin quicker d/t less mass alone. With all that surface area in caliper and chrome tube how in the world could anyone over heat DOT4 even racing? Take it out in the oil floating rain, wet grass, Gravel washboards and down long long slopes at high speed keeping the tire squealing - should work a sparkling treat.

"A rear brake/wheel/axle alternative would be cool."
Funny you should say that, I been putting some ideas together about that today, my idea would not be so much as getting a better brake but a better cush drive arraangement, full width hub, 4 bladed cush drive, standard size Norton brake drum, bolt on sprocket and still use the standard Norton brake plate.
of course people will be demanding a better brake but there is only so much room between hub spoke flange and swingarm. better cush drive, one piece axle, bolt on sprocket with choice of teeth number,same brake, quite a few months if ever for this to happen.