Hitchcocks Forum

Rear brake jamming

I have had a 2001 500 Bullet since new. Every year, without fail, pre-MOT I have to straighten the rear brake back plate. After this, after about 6 months, on a wet day usually, the rear brake will snatch and twist the back plate twist-restraining pin. This often breaks a piece of brake shoe too. Though this year it didn't. The twisted shoe then beds in, until I straighten it again.

I once put this on the forum, to be told I had some issue with some part or another. After 20 years there is no original part there. At one time I welded extra plates on the back-plate to try and stop the twisting, but that just made it harder to bend back. Surely this is a common problem?

Hello Chris,
The same thing happened to my 250 Clipper and it broke away a piece of the swinging arm below the brake anchor slot and left a hundred yard tyre skidmark in the road! My friend was riding it at the time! I cured it by fitting an alloy brake plate from a Crusader that doesn't flex and have had no more trouble.
The same fault occurred more recently on my 350 Bullet, it just distorted the brake plate which i replaced, now a little apprehensive about using the rear brake hard. Although a 6" brake again, unfortunately i couldn't fit an alloy brake plate because it has a narrower width between the swinging arm to enable me to alter the spacers.
The steel plate is very flexible, i imagine this is the problem, sadly i have no answer for the 350 but the alloy plate cured the fault on the 250.

Hi, if the floating cam bush is not tightened after centralizing the brake can self servo and lock solid. The force can break backplate and shoes. Vince

Mine definately flexes in use and applies more powerfully than expected on occasion. That huge long brake lever produces a lot of leverage. I keep considering getting one profiled out of much thicker steel.

Seemingly the one bit of enfields the Indians don't make out of bronze...

stinkwheel wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 17, 2020 11:49 am

Mine definately flexes in use and applies more powerfully than expected on occasion. That huge long brake lever produces a lot of leverage. I keep considering getting one profiled out of much thicker steel.

Seemingly the one bit of enfields the Indians don't make out of bronze...

I had terrible trouble this this, on Slo Poke and, eventually, had a brake plate made in 6mm thick stainless steel, in an attempt to cure it.

In spite of this, I still managed to mangle it (on the wrong side of the Massif Centrale) and had to ride the remaining 600 miles on the front (half width-SLS) brake.

Finally, I decided to undo the popular trick of allowing the brake lever bushing to float and, presto-hey, no problems since.

Vince,

Thank you. What happens to me is that this pin is tilted and tightens the brakes by expanding the shoes as it tilts, inside the drum. I have tried welding in the pin, beefing it up with a welded washer to no avail. After about 6 months and wet weather, I can feel that the brake is a bit "snatchy". So I try and use it gently at low speed to try and overcome the snatch and ride on. However, without fail, every year since 2001, it with snatch and bend the pin holding the shoes. I try to loosen the brakes when I feel this coming on, so that, when it snatches, it doesn't lock the wheel, because there is too much adjustment.

Jochen Sommer in Germany sells an alloy brake plate for the Bullet rear brake.

A.

Hi, I had Two back plates distort this way. The manual I have states that the front brake should be allowed to float but the rear must be locked. They certainly go with a bang and lock the wheel until it is rotated in reverse. Vince

Count Johnny wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 17, 2020 12:05 pm

Finally, I decided to undo the popular trick of allowing the brake lever bushing to float and, presto-hey, no problems since.

So leaving the two nuts loose?? or just the one that doesn't have the return spring attached?

Neither; what Jonny means, I understand, is that he has now tightened them both up having previously left them loose as some advocated in the past.........