What is this front brake?

I went today to get my Norton wheels stripped, blasted, cleaned, polished, new bearings, spokes and alloy rims. When I showed him the front brake he said “what’s this off?”

I’ve no idea it was in the bike, he’s knowledgeable about Nortons, so can anyone advise me?

Similar, but not exactly the same, as my John Tickle brake

Hi Flatspot I will find mine & photograph it. I was told its Enfield.

Thanks Chris, I’ve asked elsewhere and a possible is maybe it’s an Eddie Dow? For now curiosity only as it’s complete and just needs a strip and polish.

Eddie Dow 1969 catalogue page.

That’s the beauty. Bugger, it means I’ll need to ramp up the polishing on mine.

They look good, but when I use a front brake I like to know what it is going to do.

If I had a wheel, I could stick a disc on it as I have a full Commando front end I could use. But this will also be quite a lightweight so maybe it will prove good enough. I won’t be racing, no need to, I’ve fulfilled all my speed needs.

@Flatspot

Take a look at this thread, perhaps there is some more information that you might glean.


Slick

A thing which always gives me nightmares, is coming down from high speed at the end of a long straight. If you don't know what the front brake is going to do, you always need to ride slower. Drum brakes heat up when they are used, and the behaviour of the linings changes. Sometimes, the bike can become unstoppable, and when the brake is held on, the linings heat up and suddenly grab. The last time it happened to me I had done a few laps in a winding circuit, and as I braked at the end of a straight, the bike over-braked in front of another rider. The guy is supposed to be mate, but he decided to play 'tit-for-tat'. The idiot got in front of me and got inside my braking distance. It was the only incident in which I seriously believe I could have been killed. It was the reason I sold the bike back to the guy who had originally built most of it.
Drum brakes and pudding basin helmets should never be used on a fast bike on a racetrack or on public roads.

Actually that guy who crashed me should have been banned from racing. There were witnesses to what he did. And he knew it was wrong. If it ever happened again, I would just bounce off the idiot who did it. But it happened at about 70 MPH.

That looks like the Fahron TLS brake that I had on a Commando cafe racer a number of years ago.