Triumphrat

Rhodie · 04-23-2008

A number of Scram pilots have written about their keenness to relocate the rear brake caliper above the disc; thereby making it less vulnerable to damage on rugged rides.

Following a few developments on my Scram, I believe progress is now being made on such a prototype bracket.

But I would appreciate some feed back about the ideal 'feelback' of the rear brake from other riders.

Are you happy with it?
Would you prefer a more gradual bite?

Many I have spoken to so far, agree that the OE rear brake has a rather wooden feel
and is either on or off, with little progressive feel or response.

As a result of this, AND the fact that the OE caliper is not ideal for relocating it without drilling & tapping the bleed valve;
we are now looking at finding another caliper altogether, with a less powerful bite and/or more gradual response.

I hope to have a working prototype model for test purposes soon & will keep you abreast of developments.

Your thoughts on this, in the meantime, would be appreciated.

Cheers
Rhodie

sweatmachine · 04-23-2008

these guys are in the US, so it's a little far for you, but they were very helpful with my custom cut rear rotor for my wheel swap:

http://www.pmfronline.com

btw, our rear rotor is 255mm or 10", which is a pretty standard size. Look through their rear brake products menu here:

http://www.pmfronline.com/rear_brake_components.htm

Goofy1 · 04-23-2008

I agree that the rear brake is a bit touchy. I would like a more progressive feel to it. At first I thought it was just me but after a few miles I realized I'm not that clumsy with the brakes.

CommandoRdster · 04-23-2008

I must be light on the rear brake.I never noticed it being particularly touchy, but I'll readily admit that my experience with modern brakes is pretty much limited to Harleys(If you can call that modern

).Plus,I'm pretty much front brake biased,using the rear as more of an adjunct to the front,or as a stabilizer,more than an actual stopper.Still,I don't recall locking it when I didn't mean to.

I agree that a different caliper is in order,given that the current one needs extensive modification to work.Provided that an existing one can be found,at least.Buying a purpose built one would probably be prohibitively expensive.
If a practical substitute can't be found,brake feel can be altered(but not necessarily improved) by reducing brake swept area,or changing pad compound.

Either way,I'm looking forward to seeing your solution.

Cheers!
Bruce

Old Scratcher · 04-24-2008

Mine is really hungry on brake pads, & I only average around 4000klms per set. My mechanic has been convinced that it's because of my riding style, & never really tried to fix it properly (IMO). But I've got over 7500klms on my Street Triple now, & it's rear pads have got plenty of meat left on them. So he's starting to accept there it might be something in my complaints. I've been hoping that the relocation would cure the problem, since I started investigating if it's possible.
Well done Rhodie. My mechanic tells me that the Melbourne mob are close to a working proto-type too. But it sounds like you might beat them to it.
Please keep me in the loop.

Rhodie · 04-26-2008

The use of the OE caliper cannot just be put atop the disc as bleeding
will not be easy with the valve on the underside.

If you take a gander at this interesting development of a truly dirt orientated Bonnie you will notice the rear caliper is a single pot non Triumph part.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...EF:MOTORS:1123
Note there is a good pic of the rear caliper & disc if you scroll down to the detailed pictures.

I believe this is the way to go.

CommandoRdster · 04-26-2008

Yes,bleeding with the nipple at the bottom would mean pressure bleeding from the bottom up.Not impossible,but not very convenient either.

His solution to caliper mounting is made much simpler than yours,due to the absence of the shock sitting right in the prime mounting area.

I notice the "buy it now" price on that machine has dropped a few thousand dollars since yesterday.I'll be interesting to see what it finally fetches.

Cheers!
Bruce

greyplague · 04-26-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goofy1

I agree that the rear brake is a bit touchy. I would like a more progressive feel to it. At first I thought it was just me but after a few miles I realized I'm not that clumsy with the brakes.

Goofy1,
in the "brake pads" thread (one page back) we were talking 'bout different brands of brake pads. I use Carbone Lorraine pads and especially the rear brake benefits by it. It's no longer a on-off affair. The rear OEM pads were gone at 5 K miles.
C.L. supplies material to stop Formula 1 racers,high speed locomotives,freight trains,TGV brakes,Airbus A300,A310,Mirage F1,Tigers,Sikorsky helicopters,rally and Nascar cars,AMX30 and AMX10 military tanks,industrial windmills and mine winches.Last expansion of their range are motorcycle brake pads -even for Triumphs (Nissin calipers, remember). I think they can't be that bad at all...
I'm not pushing-try something else than the originals-it'll better anyway.

link: http://www.bikehps.com/carbonelorrai..._lorraine.html

Grtz,Thieu

Goofy1 · 04-26-2008

Thanks Thieu for the lead on some great info. Here in the states these brakes are carried by Spiegler in Dayton, OH; just down the road from me. I'll order a set soon.

For my riding style the rear brake is most critical when riding in wet conditions. I use the rear just slightly ahead of the front brake to set the suspension and then lean over into a turn. A grabby rear can throw the whole dance off and kick the rear out at the exact moment you can least afford it.

Of course being from Belgium you wouldn't have any experience riding in the wet!

greyplague · 04-26-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goofy1

Of course being from Belgium you wouldn't have any experience riding in the wet!

Whenever I take a ride without my rain gear, it'll start raining within five minutes- whenever I put my rain gear on, it's raining already....

Grtz,Thieu.