Anyone here know of a way to improve front disc brake on '72 Commando and still be mostly stock ?

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I can do the RGM master cylinder installation for $40 plus shipping if you send me the kit and your master cylinder. It involves having a lathe, the drill bit and the tap. I have the lathe jig I made to do mine. My brakes are working great.
Dan.
 
Fullauto said:
If you want truly excellent brakes with no issues, buy yourself the Production Racer setup from AN. You have the new fork slider to suit the AP (Lockheed) caliper, the caliper, and the floating 11 1/2 inch cast iron disc. Not cheap, but looks great and works a treat. Strong and very linear in operation. Also looks a lot more integrated than the kits with caliper adapters etc. This predates the crappy Norton-Lockheed caliper by a year or two and is so superior I've often wondered why they didn't just use this on the road Nortons instead of developing a whole new inferior brake system where, if you let the pads get too worn, they can be spat out completely.
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I 100% agree Ken, although I have to say I do like the "Art Deco" style of the Norton-Lockheed caliper. Anyway, I digress. I blew all my 2018 budget on an Alton starter, but after running over a cat which ran out in front of me I decided that I had to ignore the idiotic / draconian / outdated / down rite effing stupid Swiss law that bans the upgrade of brakes unless they have T.U.V. approval - which costs a bomb for a supplier. ( I can feel myself digressing again) So anyway I set out to make a good brake on a wife friendly budget which would look factory to your average bobby. I really dislike the caliper adapters available, and in fact I believe one of the more popular versions to be unsafe. So you can see what I came up with here...

https://www.accessnorton.com/NortonCommando/rgm-12-disc-and-oem-caliper-2017.24022/page-2


Cheers,

cliffa.
 
Peter R said:
I wonder if anybody fitted the Lockheed racing brake lever as supplied by RGM, these brake levers have a better length to fulcrum ratio.
Did not try this myself, but it seems to be a simple mod that will probably improve front brake action.
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Yes I did, after about 6 miles the front brake locked. Had to wait about 20 minutes before it came free. Lucky not to come off, when I stopped couldn't actually move the bike. I should have been less gung ho, the lever has a different lobe shape which effected the ability of the pressure to bleed back into the reservoir (I think). It's now a spare for the Seeley, back with the original lever, braking is actually pretty good. Standard caliper, SS hoses and 13mm piston mod, I can get pretty close to locking the front wheel (and probably could but why would I), requires a good squeeze.
 
When I bought my Seeley rolling chassis, it came with a chromed Suzuki GS 1000 front disc and one Lockheed calliper with asbestos pads. It did not work. I replaced it with two high speed steel discs and an extra Lockheed calliper. with asbestos pads in both callipers. It is one finger operation and dead reliable. For racing it needs to be like that, and for road use - it is not much different.
If you have a brake which requires you to hold the lever very hard, it can suddenly start working as it heats up and launch you.
 
well I went the Magura 13mm massa cylinder//rocky point cycle SS braided hose/ caliper rebuilt with SS innards and/ ferodo pads and could not be happier
 
cliffa said:
I 100% agree Ken, although I have to say I do like the "Art Deco" style of the Norton-Lockheed caliper. Anyway, I digress. I blew all my 2018 budget on an Alton starter, but after running over a cat which ran out in front of me I decided that I had to ignore the idiotic / draconian / outdated / down rite effing stupid Swiss law that bans the upgrade of brakes unless they have T.U.V. approval - which costs a bomb for a supplier. ( I can feel myself digressing again) So anyway I set out to make a good brake on a wife friendly budget which would look factory to your average bobby. I really dislike the caliper adapters available, and in fact I believe one of the more popular versions to be unsafe. So you can see what I came up with here...

https://www.accessnorton.com/NortonCommando/rgm-12-disc-and-oem-caliper-2017.24022/page-2


Cheers,

cliffa.
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Soooooooo different here... probably stupid(er)... no one gives a rats ass if you have brakes, or what they look like. Only test is: does the stop light illuminate when you press the rear brake pedal? Squeeze the front lever? Yes? Pass state inspection (in those states that even have it).
 
I read somewhere where a guy would not start a race bike because it had no front brake. When I first got the 6 speed TTI box, it had the wrong selector drum in it. I started the bike at Winton Raceway and rode it around the pits, unaware that the gear change was the wrong way up. I would not have thought the 850 engine would pull top gear without stalling, so I rode the bike believing I had fitted the wrong sprockets. Of course it would not go above a bit more than walking speed. So as I returned to where my car was, I gave it a heap of revs and dropped the clutch. The bike took off like an absolute rocket and I just caught it with the front brake before I put it through the fence. Once you get that heavy flywheel spinning high, nothing will stop it.
 
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