Hitchcocks Forum

turns out its play in the front brake plate stop ie the the stop the front brake plate slides into on the left hand fork slider is there any chance of this breaking away as its alloy or can you get away with the old dodge of shoving some old feeler guagees between the sop and the brake plate thanks for all the advice on head races im sure it will be useful in the future bike is 2000 350 indian bulllet

hi steve,i knocked a small panel pin inbetween the back plate & the slider it works a treat ,just remember when you take the wheel out to put it back in on replacement.

excuse my ignorance whats a panel pin

It's a small nail; panel pin refers to the exact type, like there are round or oval head nails etc. Hard to describe exactly; have a look in local hardware sshop or B and Q. -Chris

work out something better than a panel pin , better bodger than me is he

Panel pin???? No. Either assemble the 2 parts and carefully measure the clearance between the slot and the spigot, or measure the actual sizes, subtract one from the other and establish the total clearance. Then get a suitable piece on aluminium strip and bond it into the fork leg (use an epoxy or silicone. Offer the 2 together and if they are too tight lightly file off the surplus from the aluminium strip to achieve the clearance you require. However if you have enough slack between the two components to allow the brake plate to move under braking I would initially question whether the wheel and brake are fitted correctly. I have yet to see a bike with these two parts assembled as a tight fitting assembly......perhaps Enfields are different. HTH.

nowt wrong with the panel pin adaption ,i could have been clever and used a piece of shim steel although the panel pin works for me ,i might even patent it ,trying not to cry ....atb paul.

Have to 100% agree with Mike, under no circumstances use a panel pin on such a safty critical item, do the job properly. This concerns me that someday bikes with bodges like this get sold on to unsuspecting buyers.
JT

Not sure what all the fuss is about, backing plate isn't going anywhere, only time it can move rearwards in the slot is putting the brake on when pushing the bike backwards.As long as it can float a little it allows the shoes to centre up properly

Meh a panel pin would be fine. I might go for a brass one for the sake of appearances (rust) but all you are trying to do is take the slack out. Interestingly I had huge issues with my. Front brake plate loosening itself off every time I applied the front brake because I'd set up the brake arm to operate from the front of the wheel rather than the back. Changed it back around to pull from behind and no further issues.