Hitchcocks Forum

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

The above link shows an interesting mod to the rear brake plate on the Bullet. I have carried out the mod myself and found it very effective.

------------ I did exactly that on my Bullet 65 a few years ago but replaced the plain nuts with NYLOC. On the 65 model a lot of effort is used up in the cross-frame bar twisting.

That doesn't look to me as if it is meant to slide. I don't think the guy in the video is right. There is no provision for lubrication. I would think you should assemble the brake plate with the nuts just pinched up and fit it in the bike and apply the brake to centralise the shoes and then fully tighten the nuts. If the nuts are not fully tight and star washers suggest they should be there is a risk they will come undone and interfear with the brake.

Hi EDWARD------ I can assure you that is exactly as I did mine a few years back except that I used NYLOC nuts, which stay put !! Lubrication is taken care of by applying a smear of BRAKE GREASE on the backplate. The "floating" shoe assembly ensures that both shoes have a proportional share of the load at all times as wear takes place. With the "Bolted-up" scenario the leading edge shoe will gradually be taking more of the load as wear happens thus decreasing the effectiveness of the assembly as a whole. It does work and very well at that. For the record he & I have never met and came to this modification by entirely separate routes. Honest Injun !!

Having an afternoon free I just did this mod. It works!!! I always wondered how my rear brake passed it's MOT but now I can lock the back wheel! (must try to remember that next time I have to pull up sharpish)

Jonesy, do you mind if I link this to our branch website?

Does this apply to all bullets?

I don't know about all Bullets but most cars have had a floating pivot on single leading shoe rear drum brakes for a very long time. Making sure it does float is a service item often forgotten.
With hydraulic brakes the slave cylinder is free to slide on the back plate.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Ii1ukGkfijY/SqeuD ... imgmax=800

Papasmurf your wrong,The rear brakes with sliding cylinders were girling brakes.The illustration shown looks like a lockheed set up -could be Austin/Rover mini-with twin piston cylinder.

Yorkie my Toyota Yaris has floating cylinders on the rear drum brakes, as has had every car I have owned since 1967.
There is some slide or float on either the cylinder mount or the pivot on most cars still fitted with drum rear brake.
I only posted the graphic for illustrative purposes.