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Q1. I'd like to adjust the rear brake lever a bit lower. The back part of the brake lever ends with a bronze colored piece of metal sandwiched between two bronze colored screws that hold the lever to a screw which houses the cable. I suppose if I raise those two screws (upper and lower) it will angle down the lever a bit, but I only have about 3/8 inch before it will hit the bolt of the brake cable housing. Is this the only place or even the correct place to lower the rear brake pedal? Thanks.
A1. The rear brake pedal was too high for me too. I had to take my foot all the way off the peg to reach it. There are three nuts. The bottom nut is held captive by the bronze colored "U" linkage and you don't turn it. The nut on top of the "U" linkage is the lock nut, which you loosen with a 12mm open end wrench. There was not much room so I used my Craftsman shorty wrenches. The top nut (10mm) is just below the rubber gasket of the brake piston and you turn this 10mm nut to adjust the pedal height. Because of the leverage, I only had to turn it 2 complete turns to lower the pedal. Retighten the 12mm lock nut. Your brake light switch will then need adjustment (if you lowered the pedal, the brake light will probably not turn off). If you look deep to the bracket you will see a vertical wire with a spring in the middle that leads up to the switch. To adjust the switch, finger turn the big plastic nut located on top of the stainless steel plate and below the switch (no tool needed). Turn on the ignition (no need to run the engine) to test the proper operation of the rear brake light switch.
Q2. I've got a tiny leak of blue fluid coming from the rather large bolt placed about 5 inches above the black rubber part of the gear shift lever. I can't even figure out what the hell is behind that part of the housing besides the chain. What is this and is it important?
A2. That large bolt is the swing arm pivot bolt. The blue residue is a factory QA mark to signify that this bolt has been properly torqued. You should never have to loosen this bolt. Just wipe the blue off (rubbing alcohol may help). Where a real blue fluid leak can occur is at the bottom of the water pump which is located in front of the gear shift on the bottom right of the engine.
Q3. If I want to change my break-in oil to fresh break-in oil, what should I use?
A3. You don't have to second guess Triumph. Just follow the owners manual which says Mobil 1 4T after break in. There is no need to change the oil before 500 miles. Just make sure to vary the engine speed and don't baby it too much. When it says to go up to 7,000 rpm, go ahead and go up to 7,000 rpm.
Q4. Lastly, how long does it take for brake pads to wear in so I can practice quick stops?
A4. I found some black oily residue seeping (centrifugal force)from the floating disc fasteners to the disc surface which can't bee good for the brakes. I wiped this off with a rag and rubbing alcohol (inside surfaces too). My pads felt good from the get go and broke in pretty fast. Instead of practicing panic stops, I would recommend practicing: problem anticipation (look far ahead), escape manuvers (point the bike at gaps), counter steering (swerve to avoid), and controlled braking (the rear is better for slow speeds, gravel, and settling the bike before turns). Panic stopping is the very last resort when it comes to accident avoidance. Beginners over use the front brake and seek the greasy center of the lane in a panic situation. That means losing the front and skidding or crashing.
P.S. in my post "Speed Four: Problem List" I describe how to move the clutch lever and front brake lever housings closer to the grips. This really improved the effective reach to the clutch lever. I also lowered the gear shift foot lever for easier upshifts. The stock ergos were way off but easily fixed. I can go into more detail if you need it.
[ This message was edited by: WildRice on 2004-07-14 19:53 ]
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