Forum

[jawa-enfield]

The last years i had a lot of trouble to get the '94 bullet front brake working normally.
Yes i know how to adjust the thing, ended up replacing the front drum, tried 6 pair of shoes with different linings, 3 sets of different cams, and today the brake went from working okay(new hub, original linings and cams) to 'virtually nothing'again.
The brake comes back to rest position and the drum was not hot when i came home.
The new drum is - for India level;- quite round.

I don't know the cause, nothing has run hot,
Is there an other brarke plate and drum which is morte stable(so non-enfield)that i can build in?

Also the 'new and improved'brake plate has far too much play in all 3 holes to expect normally functioning..

[Adrian]

At Sammy Miller's RE Ride-In last year there was an Indian Bullet/Series 2 Interceptor bitsa with what looked like a BSA 8" half-width front hub and hydraulic TLS conversion fitted into the RE forks.



A.

[mauri]

check that the drum itself is round, as long this is not the case.

whatever adjustment or upgrade you do it will never work correctly.



the drum can be easily un round and askew by 2 tenths of millimeter.

this will not show itself on the drum, it will look like its touching everywhere.

but you’ll hit the high spot(s) the most and the low just barely.



when someone complains about there drum brake

i always start by checking the state of the drum.

if thats ok, i move on to the state of the cable, adjusting mechanism,……….



it very rare that a standard drum doesn’t need a pass on the lathe.

but you’ll need to find a place where they can take the complete wheel in the lathe.

with the drum under equal tension of the spokes.

[jawa-enfield]

Well, the previous drum was not totally round, itwas put on the lathe by 3 'specialists'3 times i got it back more oval and empty wallet.

This drum is fairly round so i will not do that again..
but why won't it brake like a drum brake this size should??
EVERYTHING whathas to do with braking is been replaced at least one time,

[another Allan]

When you say that you have tried several sets of shoes, where did they come from?


Hitchcock's supply shoes with linings applied in the UK and they are far better than Indian originals. Better compound, I assume.


Also, what about the cable? Indian cables are quite thin and therefore stretchy. Again, Hitchcock's sell UK-made cables (Venhill, I believe) which are thicker and stronger.


I would add that, in my experience, front shoes need a considerable amount of bedding-in before they work nicely.

[hagis]

The question arises here is how much of the brake lining touches the drum when applying the brake, on a car drum brake there general is two adjusters to set the clearance between the shoes and the drum and both ends of the shoes can be adjusted close to the drum. On a single action brake as fitted to m/cycles you will find only the leading edge of the brake linings touching the drum, This does get better with use as the linings wear down on the leading edge and more of the lining comes into contact with the drum and you get a better brake. you can check this by chalking the brake linings and while spinning the wheel apply brake gently and then checking to see how much chalk has been removed, you will find it will only be the leading edge of the linings and most of the shoe will not be touching the drum. and your problem is to much clearance between the shoe and drum, this can be rectified by putting a spacer on the non cam end of the shoes, but this is not always easy.

[jawa-enfield]

I am confused, am i the only one who wants his enfield to brake or is mine the only one which brakes only temporarily?

i have tried linings from India, From England (Hitchcocks), Germany(the last 2 seem exactly the same) and several from my own country (Holland)
I was hoping the new hub/drum and 3rd brake plate was the solution but again the same problem
With less wide braking cams strange enough lesser brake power, it does not make sense.
Cable runs free, axles in plate run free.
i adjust the brake, spin the wheel freely, brake, and wheel dragts very much with the braking levers in exact same resting position(made markings)
And i think none of the linings are in correct diameter of the drum.. it shows on the pads.

The 'best'results i had with the original linings. The ones from our host did virtually nothing. not in the previuous drum, not in this one.

I can pull the brake tight and accelerate in 3rd gear.
Front cable is quite new and non-Indian..

The bedding in.. how long should you drive without a front brake then??

The original brake cams are not straight/crooked and push the brake shoes under an angle to the drum. i have german made ones who are straight,

i love the bike but now seriuous thinking of leaving it.

[Norm]

Set up properly they are an adequate brake for an Enfield

[Adrian]

"...And i think none of the linings are in correct diameter of the drum."



There are brake specialists who will fit oversize (too thick) linings to the shoes and then mount them on the backplate (wedged in the "on" position) and skim them down in a lathe to match the exact internal diameter of your drum. See if you can find someone in the Netherlands who can do this. Or convert to disk front brake!



A.

[vince]

Hi, how is your cable routed? tight bends through the casquette can cause problems as it should have a free run.Alternatively fit a new one.