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PostPosted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 8:50 am 

Joined: Wed Mar 01, 2017 5:45 am
Posts: 50
Location: Watton Norfolk, UK
How much travel should an early front drum brake handlebar lever travel have? I've followed many how too's, of setting up both arms, then linking them up. I think my shoes are not as round as my drum. So should the lever go solid like a hydraulic brake or should it just firm up progressively and nearly pull into the handlebar.?


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 11:18 am 

Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:56 am
Posts: 71
set up the shoes first, then adjust so that there is just a bit, very little drag on the shoes, before engaging lever


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 11:24 am 
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Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 6:37 am
Posts: 10460
Location: Rio Rancho, New Mexico
A cable brake will never really feel solid.

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 1:33 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2012 3:07 pm
Posts: 1073
Location: Pollocksville, NC
To get the best braking and feel you should hand fit the shoes to get the most contact area with the drum.


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 9:26 pm 
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Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2016 4:32 am
Posts: 615
Location: Indianapolis, IN
When I had my H1A I had Am4 Ferodo material bonded to the stock shoes. I then assembled the brake plate and shoes and put thin shims under both brake cams, between the shoes and cams. I made a mandrel and mounted the assembly in the lathe and slowly machined the shoe material to the same diameter as the drum. Then remove the shims and fit the brake, the shims make it so there is a small amount of running clearance. That was the best front brake I had, it really was way too much for the puny H1A forks, and would keep stopping even when hot. The brake lever will come into the bar more when the drum expands, no real way around that, but at least it didn't fade like the stock linings did.

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 9:53 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:03 am
Posts: 4603
Location: Milang, South Australia
Good advice from DGA. I raced a H1 in stock-production in '70/'71 and we did all those things.... (plus about 100 other things too), to get the brake to work. Careful adjustment of the rear shoes with the linkage is important too, they need to come on almost before the front shoes, otherwise they are just along for the ride, if that makes sense. And using a cable without a brake-light switch in it also helps..... Don't know if there are original style cables around still..... :think:

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PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2017 3:09 am 

Joined: Wed Mar 01, 2017 5:45 am
Posts: 50
Location: Watton Norfolk, UK
Thanks all, will match my shoes to the drum. I used venhill to make up a cable without a switch it was around £30 I think, cheaper than buying one off the shelf. I'll set the rear up as well.


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PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2017 3:29 am 
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Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:03 am
Posts: 4603
Location: Milang, South Australia
I perhaps should have said the "trailing" shoes, rather than the rear shoes.... I am not talking about the rear brakes . The play in the linkage for the trailing shoes can have them coming on "after" the fronts, if the adjustment is not accurate. Just something to watch!

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