Hitchcocks Forum

Hi
Does anyone have any experience of fitting an Indian 2LS front brake to a pre '55 Redditch model which has the single sided useless 6" SLS? A trial fit looks like it's do-able. I would need to make a cover to replace the Indian speedo drive and I can mount a cable stop on the lower mudguard mount. It looks like I would also need to reshape the lug on the fork leg which fits the stop on the brake plate by grinding a bit off it. This is the bit that's irreversible and why I'm hesitating at the moment. Another nagging doubt is whether the lower mudguard mount is strong enough to take the brake load. So I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has done a similar conversion.

How about this?



Assuming your casquette/nacelle or alloy fork top casting takes the standard screw-in forks, an Indian Bullet front end should fit straight in, though you'd need a set of later fork shrouds too, as the post '88 forks have the wider fork seal housing as part of the fork slider casting. (Older Indian forks have the screw-on oil seal holder, Redditch-style. Keep this for normal use, knowing you have all the original parts tucked safely away in case you need to sell or exhibit the bike.



A.

Thanks for the suggestion Adrian. I had already thought of replacing the whole front end with the Indian version but I think I would have to change the fork crown as well. I haven't had the fork legs out yet but I can see they are not secured in the same way as the later versions so the expense is starting to get out of hand. I wonder if the Indian lower fork legs would fit on the Redditch stanchions.

You could always try this:-


.... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Girder-Fork-A ... 27ffc6887b

Thank you for the suggestion Papa but no thanks.

Not sure if the Indian fork lowers will go straight on, but they could do. The complete Indian forks do screw straight into the Redditch casquette, I have this set up on my 53 framed bike, the TLS is a really good stopper so worth doing.

Thanks Chris. Mine is a '52 which has an alloy top yoke instead of the casquette. I don't think it will be threaded but I think I need to find out for sure.

Now of course if it's not threaded one of the later AVL Thunderbird disc front ends will fit! ;D A.

That's very useful to know Adrian. Thanks. I don't want a disc on this bike though. It just wouldn't look right. I have now managed to trial fit a 2LS to the original forks now. I had a spare 2LS back plate and there is enough meat on it to grind out enough material for it to fit the earlier fork leg.

Oh yes of course, yours has the bolt in type forks rather than screw in so it won't be threaded.