rear brake conversion

[rog1215]

Thats just what i needed to Hear! I was looking at that large channel running up the backbone and in between the tanks and i thought that would be perfect for the rear brake line!
Thanks for the encouragement and tips, i will keep yall posted.
Roger

[ben721364]

Y'all be very careful modifying brakes, please! Have you determined that kits are not available for conversion of the controls? I know that they are for some motorcycles.

[Nana]

I know that Kliktronic makes adaptations for hand control for shifting, but I thought they also make a thumb control for the rear brake. I could be wrong, but it might be worth checking.....

[1550vt]

I took a look at the thumb-brake too, but have not found any applications for trikes. The trike has two calipers back there, so a large enough MC has to be had. A couple of us are working with Rog on this very same issue and he is farther along. He may discover something that works over there and we will share that when it comes.

[1550vt]

I have also shared the same concern that ben has stated and we should never monkey-around with the brakes, but in these cases, the folks know what they are up against. Some of these other commercially available bypasses may work, but they can get pretty expensive. Rog seems to know where he is headed and i think he will hit upon something that will work and be safe. I would certainly make sure that if i was down to only one brake system operating on one MC, I would have the spare parts to fix that one in my trunk at all times and have everything just as bullet-proof as i could get it.

[ben721364]

I took a look at the thumb-brake too, but have not found any applications for trikes. The trike has two calipers back there, so a large enough MC has to be had. A couple of us are working with Rog on this very same issue and he is farther along. He may discover something that works over there and we will share that when it comes.

Most trikes do have two rear brakes but DFT doe not, at least on GL1800s. It uses the stock rear brake which does a fine job.

[1550vt]

I think there are a few other kits out that that do use just one caliper arrangement in the rear and that really does simplify things and a thumb brake may be perfect. From what I know about the thumb brake, it is used to "assist" the front brake in stopping since you cannot get the leverage needed as on the foot brake. This would likely be just great for the kits like your DFT. I don't know what Blueskys has, but Roger has two rear calipers and I doubt it would work for him. It seems to me that all of the makers would want to go to a single caliper system. I looked at doing that on mine when I was converting from drum-to-disc, but the way the belt-driven differential is put together and the lack of clearance under there for the rotor and caliper turned me away from that.

[Dwight]

I just recently ordered a new switch harness for my Klictronic shifter. I see they now offer a 2 lever hand brake to control both front and back brakes. It's pretty spendy but it looks like it would do what you want. Also I kinda remember that one of the kit makers offered the parts necessary to keep the linked braking system on the Honda. (Champion - maybe) Then you would just need to find a new master cylinder or modify the one you have. The Lehman kits used a bolt on spacer on top of the rear master cylinder on the Harleys to increase fluid capacity. Just tossing out some other ideas. By the way, I'm a left leg AK.

Dwight

[1550vt]

Looks like a real quality product, but like you said...a bit pricey at $1750. But, if I had to have something to do the trick, looks like that double MC would work. I think Roger is onto a fix that will cost much less than that. Blueskys has a Honda and may also benefit from the information you posted.
I went to the Kicktronics website and looked at the double MC. It is butt-ugly, but if you have to stop...you have to stop.

Others here in the thread had mentioned that things were available, but you sort of zeroed in on it.

[1550vt]

Hey Rog...how is this coming along? If that stock front MC won't pull all three calipers, there are some 3/4 bore MC's out there. The stock front is usually a 5/8 or 11/16 and a 3/4 would give you a little more....if a little more may be all you need. You don't need one too big or you will have a hard brake.

[rog1215]

Well heres an update on the brake conversion.
After making a bracket to hold the bias valve under the frame member which resides under the seat, i ran my russel braided lines to a new tee below the valve and attached it to the same bolt that holds the original tee. i then ran new lines to both calipres on the rear and tied the old lines in place so they could be reattached if i sell her in the future.
The line coming in from the front is stainless russell 54" long and it goes neatly under the taks on the left side. it ties into the new front tee which has a line going to the front left caliper and then up to the master cylinder.
The right front caliper is capped off.
After bleeding the system i set the bike in gear and got her wheels spinning pretty good up on the stands. after dialing in about 3/4 rear bias with remaing 1/4 to front i took her down and ran her down the road in front of the house, the results are better than i ever would have expected.
The lever activats with about 1/2" travel and the feel is no differnt than the stock front setup. If you choose to clamp down hold on tight because the wheels will STOP! :yes:
I have no doubt i could achieve a lockup with more bias toward the rear, but i am quite happy with what i have.
i appreciate all the help here and if anyone want a parts breakdown for their own conversion e-mail me and i will help. Thanks for the ideas and help 1550vt
regards, Roger

[Gorilla]

Good job Roger

[1550vt]

I am tickled-to-death that you pulled this off. I have fooled with scooter brakes a good bit and it's not rocket-science...you just have to be willing to experiment and I think you "done good". I hope others see this post and learn of your success. You saved yourself (and possibly others) hundreds of dollars over purchasing products out there on the market to do what you just did. The only dual master cylinder I have seen for a motorcycle sells for $1850. Since that is the only MC for your bike, I think it would be wise to always have a spare handy (or a rebuild kit) and a container of fluid in my trunk.

Congratulations and by the way....my name is Roger also!

[rog1215]

Here is the info for anyone else needing this conversion. here is a breakdown of the parts needed and basic instuctions.
1-54" braided line, 2-24" braided lines, 1-12 "braided line, 1 18" braided line and one 9" braided line, 2 three way tee's 2 70 degree banjo bolts. 10 new copper washers. 1 wilwood bias valve.
start by getting bike on stand and then remove rear wheels. Remove lines on rear wheels at the calipers and put a bolt with 2 copper washers in them to seal off.
remove front brake lines and the line to the MC. Keep on shelf if you sell bike.
put new 18" line down to the new tee mounted under triple tree. cap off the right caliper and then run a line from the left caliper to the tee.
now you will run the long 54' line to the bias valve which is mounted under the seat on the frame crossmember. a simple bracket must be made to hold the valve and the tuning knob will be easily reached for dial in. from the out port of the valve run the 12" line to the other tee which is mounted right over the original tee leaving it in place! from the tee run 2 remainig 24" lines to the 70 degree banjo fittings attached to the calipers.
okay take a deep breath and fill the system with dot 4 and get a self bleeding brake kit from the auto store. bleed the back and then move to the front and you should have a good amount of brake at this point.
i have my valve turned in 3/4 of the way and this gives me some very good rear/front brake grab.
i took this setup to the gap and ran the hell out of it, Works beautifully.
please remember that if you are in any way doubtfull about your mechanical abilities please take this to a "competent" bike mechanic.
its not rocket science but we are dealing with brakes here.God Bless and keep on triking
Regards, roger

[Pup]

As I mentioned earlier, I am building a cross bones frankenstein trike. I recently had ankle fusion surgery that makes using the rear brake difficult & just a tad bit more than uncomfortable. The cross bones foot pedal was a big selling point for me since it's so big. I can't just push it with my toes with no ankle dorsiflection, I have to lift my foot off the floor board and stomp the pedal. This concerns me for reaction time in traffic. A dual master cylinder setup on the handlebars would be perfect for me. I found a dual lever/master cylinder setup online. But the jerks that make it sell it for $1,850. Are there any other off the shelf setups like that, that are not priced as if they were made of platinum or gold?

K-Lever - Dual Brake or Clutch System

I hate people that take advantage of handicaped folks. $1,850 for maybe $100 worth of parts.

Pup

[sam1340]

To 1550vt. I could use any input you have on an HD braking system working front & rear brakes off of the hand lever. I have a trike I'm setting up for a handicapped man who has no use of either leg. Up until now he has been using front brakes only. I'm trying to remedy that. My email is sam1340@gmail.com. IO would appreciate any info on this you can supply. Thanks, Mike

[sam1340]

Can you help me out? I am setting up a Harley Trike for a handicapped man. I need to run front & rear brakes off of the hand lever.My email is sam1340@gmail.com. Thanks.

[07BlueCSC]

You can add a brake pedal on the left side and use a cable to connect to the right side
brake pedal. My buddy also lost a leg and that is what he did on a GL1800 CSC.

[eagle1]

i have a stock t/g rear brake master cyl. and lines i'll send you for free if you can use them. i installed a performance stage 1 rear brake kit.

[eagle1]

can you move the brake lever to the let side? i know it would involve a lot of fabricating
but in the end you would have 2 seperate brake systems. (safety) .