Hitchcocks Forum

Hi all,
I have a 2005 sixty5 and am contemplating buying our hosts longer rear brake arm as standard on EFI models. It's an attempt to improve rear braking, anyone fitted this and enjoyed having a back brake?

Thanks

Craig

Don't know if I'm just lucky, but the back brake on my 05 bullet is great. In five years/10,000miles all I do is adjust it from time to time. Perhaps something is amiss inside your drum?

Yes,Broke Lad, My 2011 EFI Electra came with the short arm and I fitted the longer lever from our hosts. It certainly gave more leverage and hence improvement.
However like others on this site a far better improvement occurred when I freed off the floating plate that carries the operating spindle. It's held to the back plate with two small nuts and bolts and I don't think the assemblers in India realise it must be allowed to float. They seem to just tighten it up anywhere and cover the whole lot with black paint.
I suppose the best way is to leave the nuts loose, fit the brake plate assembly into the brake drum temporarily, apply the brake hard and then tighten up the two small screws. In this way the two shoes can auto centralise against the drum so that they both hit the drum together.

The improvement was dramatic in my case.

Maybe you've done this though.

Clive,
Agreed floating spindle is the way to go, but the bush carrier is also threaded so the outside nuts are only lock nuts and do not loosen the bush carrier. To loosen the bush carrier the bolts on the inside (which you can't get at with dismantling the wheel) need to be slackened. Or have I misunderstood?

Im guessing this is what your ferrying to Clive?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHRm_t_8DYE

To save everyone going over everything again.

http://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/fo ... post_88742

Without going though that again - mechanical advantage, if you fit a longer lever you have to move the pedal further but a grown man should be able to apply over twice his body weight trough one foot (when lifting) i.e. about 500-lb, or putting the bike on its centre stand every time.

If the brakes aren't working efficiently, the longer lever won't help.


On my 2015 C5 the leverage is probably too long. With the restricted movement in my ankles I'm in danger of running out of pedal travel, the pedal will go down as far as you like but I can't: I've had to raise the pedal. I may have to look at the rear shoes alignment.


The rear brake is never going to stop the bike. It can only apply 20% at most, it's for feathering to balance the bike up.

Be aware that internationally there has been more than just a few cases of sheared rear brake torque stay bolts with the longer lever brake arm...

I wonder is fitting a longer brake arm merely treating symptoms rather than curing the cause?

Indeed...