disc brakes and mags on a 70, where to start?

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i would like to put twin disc's on the front, and mag wheels like the bike in the link below....other than money, what do i need? is it better to install a complete non norton front end or just forks? if so, what forks fit the 70 triple trees? if so, how do i apply the mag to the rear as I assume I must also run a disc brake on the rear....and since a 70 is a drum brake, how do i mount the rear brake and master cylinder? should I use a norton swingarm and modify accordingly...I know, so many questions, thanks. see link below



crankshaft-t2741.html?hilit=OFFSET%20CRANK
 
Did you make any headway into installing mag wheels on your bike? I have a set of Lester mags and need more info to tackle the job. Thanks in advance.
 
david7212 said:
i would like to put twin disc's on the front, and mag wheels like the bike in the link below....other than money, what do i need? is it better to install a complete non norton front end or just forks? if so, what forks fit the 70 triple trees? if so, how do i apply the mag to the rear as I assume I must also run a disc brake on the rear....and since a 70 is a drum brake, how do i mount the rear brake and master cylinder? should I use a norton swingarm and modify accordingly...I know, so many questions, thanks. see link below



crankshaft-t2741.html?hilit=OFFSET%20CRANK

Why?
 
RGM sells a dual disk norton front hub, reasonably priced. A calpier mount could be fabbed and welded to the non disk fork leg. that would take care of the front. as for the rear source a MKIII rear disk setup. I made a set of dunstall crossover rearsets for mine that worked very well. They are now for sale with the rear MC. This would be the closest to bolt on that you could find. You can then reuse your forks. You would need 3 norton calipers or equivalent, 3 disks, the front hub, rear hub and end to end hardware, MKIII swingarm and caliper mount. I had the MKIII rear conversion on mine, it worked well.
 
I would try to find a late Triumph dual disc cast wheel. Any other will do, as long as you have access to machine shop equipment; you can MAKE any adapters & spacers needed to fit it all up. It looks wierd, but I've seen some bikes with one caliper behind the fork leg and the opposite caliper in front of the fork (I wouldn't do that).

There are MANY bikes with disc brakes in front that have a drum in the rear, including early Conmmandos.

...wolfie, he's talking about CAST wheels, not spoked...
 
I think the XS650 mags might work well, and they are reasonably priced. I can measure up my axles and hub widths if needed.
 
bwolfie said:
Just Pm Jean and ask away. He is very knowlegable and helpful.

Am Not :!: :wink:

I would take a Japanese front end and graft it on the Norton neck like so many have done, the rear wheel would be adapted to the Norton swing arm. The cheapest way would be to buy a complete used bike with correctly sized wheels, take what you need and resell the rest. By correctly sized wheels, I mean not too wide, WM3 front and WM4 back maximum and 18" minimum or they would look goofy. Watch out for ofset on the back wheel too.

Jean
 
7 spoke Morris aluminum mags in WM3-19, WM3-18, for Harleys, can be had NOS for not too much on Ebay. I think I paid 150$ each.
 
I put RD400 Yamaha wheels on my 850 and have been very pleased with the result. Everyone likes the way it looks. I had them powder coated gold. I think painting might have been just as good really. I was given the wheels so the price was right. These wheels look a bit like the Peter Williams cast mags. I have 18" wheels front and rear. I think I would have been better with the 19" wheel from an SR500. It would have given more ground clearance. The handling is fine with the smaller wheels though.

I used the Norton Axles and the original forks. It took a bit of work to get the Yamaha speedo drive gear to fit between the forks. At least I don't have to relly on the old smiths gears on the rear wheel. The disks from the Yamaha are the same size as the Norton ones, they are lighter and look nicer especially after drilling a few holes.

The Yamaha rear sprocket Is only .040 out of alignement with the gearbox sprocket when the wheel is centered in the frame. I ofset the wheel .020 so that the sprocket and wheel are within .020 of perfect alignment
 
tricatcent said:
I put RD400 Yamaha wheels on my 850 and have been very pleased with the result. Everyone likes the way it looks. I had them powder coated gold. I think painting might have been just as good really. I was given the wheels so the price was right. These wheels look a bit like the Peter Williams cast mags. I have 18" wheels front and rear. I think I would have been better with the 19" wheel from an SR500. It would have given more ground clearance. The handling is fine with the smaller wheels though.

I used the Norton Axles and the original forks. It took a bit of work to get the Yamaha speedo drive gear to fit between the forks. At least I don't have to relly on the old smiths gears on the rear wheel. The disks from the Yamaha are the same size as the Norton ones, they are lighter and look nicer especially after drilling a few holes.

The Yamaha rear sprocket Is only .040 out of alignement with the gearbox sprocket when the wheel is centered in the frame. I ofset the wheel .020 so that the sprocket and wheel are within .020 of perfect alignment

Very good idea, I own an RD400 and never even thought of using a set of those. They do look good, I would most likely use the whole Yamaha front end since the forks are so supple and the bikes have very similar weights. Adapting the swing arm as well would be something to try.

Jean
 
Jeandr said:
Very good idea, I own an RD400 and never even thought of using a set of those. They do look good, I would most likely use the whole Yamaha front end since the forks are so supple and the bikes have very similar weights. Adapting the swing arm as well would be something to try.

Jean

Might as well just ride the RD… :roll:
 
swooshdave said:
Might as well just ride the RD… :roll:

I was just thinking that the RD's frame could hold a Norton engine and transmission, it is somewhat based on the Featherbed, there is even an oil tank :mrgreen:

Jean
 
Jeandr said:
swooshdave said:
Might as well just ride the RD… :roll:

I was just thinking that the RD's frame could hold a Norton engine and transmission, it is somewhat based on the Featherbed, there is even an oil tank :mrgreen:

Jean
The Yamaha unit is relatively short compared to the Norton engine + transmission. I thought about doing it with my RZ but I don`t have a big enough shoe horn :lol:
 
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