'27 JD Cut Down Project - SWAN

[exeric]

I've thought about fitting a BMX disk brake to one of my old bikes for safety in traffic. I don't know if that is practical, or if it has the requisite performance, but for $40 it might be worth a look. These are made for mountain bikers and I have to imagine they can put high demands on their brakes. I've made quite a few hubs out of aluminum, and steel and I think that would have to be done to use any single, or dual front brake. These brakes may be junk, but I would like to have one in my hands to see.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bicycle-Fro...SIV:rk:38:pf:0

[TechNoir]

i can only imagine Rickman Zundapp front brakes are rare as hen's teeth.

There are two rear brakes/hubs in the USA on ebay now. The guy says he is parting a complete bike, might be worth dropping him a note.

John

[Steve Swan]

Thanks Robbie, for the fantastic picture! Indeed, i AM going with new anodized black SUN alloy rims from Buchanan's. i can only imagine Rickman Zundapp front brakes are rare as hen's teeth. interesting you mention Kaw dirt bike brakes; i have been surfing ebay looking at different front brakes from late 70's through early 80's and what i found i like the best so far is a 1980-81 KX250 unit. the backing plate is magnesium, i think the brake diameter is 5.5 inches, the hub is a nice looking conical unit and it has a user friendly way to make what appear minor modifications to hold the backing plate stationary with the fork. i think the axle diameter is 15 mm, so it is about 1/8" larger diameter than the JD axle. attached are pics of the Kaw brake.

[Rubone]

Bantam and Cub are as wimpy as the OEM J brakes.. I am putting Rickman Zundapp wheels on my Trials Cub, cool conical brakes. Why not lace up alloy rims while you are at it? Somewhere in my stuff I have a Kawasaki dirtbike wheel in 21" with a small brake. I'll have to look at it. Some of the cool chopper kids are running such brakes.

Here is a boardtracker with a trussed fork.

[Steve Swan]

Two lightweight dirtbike discs to distribute the load to both sides and eliminate twist. And truss the legs like a hillclimber!

Robbie, if you have a picture handy that you would download of how hill climber legs are trussed, i would appreciate it. your comment about running 2 discs to eliminate twist makes sense.

running a drum front brake would minimize the twist, however there would still be some twist..... i suppose those links the Brough front brake has are to help minimize the twist.... in the past, i have considered the front brake a Hummer, Bantam or Tiger Cub, but did not pursue because i do not know the stopping ability of these brakes which i suspect is not great but probably up to the job at hand. the other option could be a small drum brake off something like a early 70's Honda XL250 or XL350. i have a beautiful twin leading shoe front brake off a 1965 Yamaha Catalina, but it is too heavy and the diameter is so large as to be immodest.

[Rubone]

Two lightweight dirtbike discs to distribute the load to both sides and eliminate twist. And truss the legs like a hillclimber!

[Steve Swan]

Thanks John, i appreciate it!

[TechNoir]

Found another







John

[TechNoir]

Steve, I am home now and able to access some pictures on my laptop. Here is a 1925 Brough in Sammy Millers museum and a close up of the front brake. The forks are a copy and modification of the HD item. I will email the full resolution picture to you so you can see a bit more detail.








John

[Steve Swan]

Steve, these are examples of the reinforcement H-D did on the lightweight forks as used on the B/C series singles when they attached brakes. The early one was sweated on the rear while the later on was sweated but had fingers wrapped around the leg.

Hi Robbie, thanks for those up close pictures. the factory was doing their best to keep that reinforcement from letting loose. the more we discuss this and the more i think about it, i am prone to go with 25-27 type forks, and make up a clamp that goes around the rigid leg, preferably, i am thinking at least at this point, of attaching whatever caliper directly to this clamp and the rigid leg. i am also not done with the idea of a rear disc brake only, but i like the idea of a light weight front brake and running the original rear band brake. having worked off and on in a couple of our local dealerships, owning a couple modern dirt bikes and different types of street bikes, i've seen and worked on all sorts of ways caliper are attached to a fork leg. one thing i know for sure, the front brake system will be the only space age chassis ancillary.

i realize this thread is sort of all over the place, but i hope it may be helpful to anyone else entertaining anything similar to or related to anything i am trying to accomplish and i want the thread to be entertaining and fun.

[Steve Swan]

Hi Steve,

There are not too many pictures online but if you look on the Brough owners club website there are quite a few of reasonable quality that don't show up on google searches.

Also, if you go to Jay Leno's Garage on YouTube and search his site for Brough Superior there are a couple of good videos showing lots of close ups of his Broughs. Later bikes used different forks but the earlier ones used the HD knock-off's.

If you wanted a set then Jake Robbins makes them. If you dropped him an email then he might be able to supply detailed pictures.

John

Thanks for the links to reproduction Castle forks. i'll check them out to learn more.

[Rubone]

Steve, these are examples of the reinforcement H-D did on the lightweight forks as used on the B/C series singles when they attached brakes. The early one was sweated on the rear while the later on was sweated but had fingers wrapped around the leg.

[T. Cotten]

Tommo, you are always amazing !!! i love how you, as a youngster, cut out that ad and saved it for your time and the benefit of others. the "only" mod is see on the Castle fork appears the dampers "on top" and part of the fork and not below and as an add on like the dampers seen on early machines and such as Comp.D makes available:

It would be lost forever, if not for one individual's insight and dedication.

I always appreciate, and save many of Tommo's contributions!


...Cotten

[Steve Swan]

I cut this ad out of some magazine and put it in a scrapbook back when I was a youngster about 60 years ago.
Other than the ad no other details were recorded by me.
There's no evidence of a front brake anchor that I can see.

Tommo, you are always amazing !!! i love how you, as a youngster, cut out that ad and saved it for your time and the benefit of others. the "only" mod is see on the Castle fork appears the dampers "on top" and part of the fork and not below and as an add on like the dampers seen on early machines and such as Comp.D makes available:

DSC00892-960x638.JPG

[Tommo]

I cut this ad out of some magazine and put it in a scrapbook back when I was a youngster about 60 years ago.
Other than the ad no other details were recorded by me.
There's no evidence of a front brake anchor that I can see.