Lehman Monarc II 2004 drum to disc conversion

[Randy Cheesman]

I want to convert the drum brakes that came with my trike (Lehman Monarc II) conversion on a 2004 GL1800. There are several conversion kits advertized but they require the "automobile" that the drums are mounted on. I have heard that the trike is a Ford but don't really know the model etc.
Has anybody done a similar coversion and can you help me?

 

[Gorilla]

I want to convert the drum brakes that came with my trike (Lehman Monarc II) conversion on a 2004 GL1800. There are several conversion kits advertized but they require the "automobile" that the drums are mounted on. I have heard that the trike is a Ford but don't really know the model etc.
Has anybody done a similar coversion and can you help me?

http://www.triketalk.com/forum/harley-trikes/1324-lehman-disc-brake-conversion.html

Randy, 1550vt did the conversion on his Harley Lehman. Above is a short cut to the thread on this forum under the harley section. You can also "PM" him for help.

Ted

 

[Gorilla]

Sorry "Welcome aboard" glad you found us.

 

[Chumbly]

I'd be interested in that myself... Chumbly-

 

[Lonerbtw]

My wifes Valk has a Pinto 8 inch and my Valk has a Mustang 8.8 If you can get around it to see , see if there is a tag mounted to one of the bolts holding it together it should give you year, size and rathio. Jegs has complete replacement kits. Or you can go to a yard and get them off a junker and build the mounting bracket yourself for alot less. I dont know if Lehman will give you any help thay like to do all the work themselvs and charge good money. Sorry my problem. I built both trikes myself and maintain them.
Loner
PM me if you have any questions

 

[jim peacock]

I have a 96 1500 with a 06 lehman kit and it has the drum brakes and I am well satisfied with them.
I have a friend with a late modele 1800 and a late model lehman kit with disc brakes,he does not like the disc can only get about eight thousand miles out of the pads and does not feel like they have the stopping power that his 1500 hundred had with a lehman kit and drum brakes.He said he could easly get thirty thousand miles out of the pads of his fifteen hundred.
I have eighteen thousand on mine and they are showing very little wear,so you may want to rethink about converting to disc brakes

 

[1550vt]

Chumbly....Randy and I are working on his. What are you riding? If it's a Harley I can tell you exactly what to get, because I know how they set the belt drives up. Randy and I are still figuring out what he has, but everything Lehman did for years (don't know about current models) was based on the fox-bodied Ford. Pinto, Mustang II, Thunderbird...etc., but it was a bastardized version of the 8.8 axle. I have only worked with some Harley guys, but all we need to do is confirm a couple of things on the axle and should be able to make what I did work on a Honda also.

As for the difference in the drums and the disc, the drums work great until you get one out of adjustment, or continuously have to adjust them. They do not self-adjust and it only took one time for me to be yanked out in front of oncoming traffic to decide I had to do something. Lehman was no help at all and actually tried every way they could to prevent me from making the conversion and wanted to sell me a $4,000 rear-end.

You are very limited in what you can do with the Harley master cylinder. It appears the Honda MC's are larger and give you more options. Regular fox-bodied rear disc brake brackets will not work on the Harley set up, due to the way they added a bearing retainer on the end of the axle to hold it in and you cannot get a MC large enough to simply bolt-on the Harley that will operate automobile style calipers. And, if you want Pinto brakes on there fine....but I wanted something that looked a lot better and not like it came from the junk-yard.

I have over 10,000 miles on my pads with probably less that 25% wear.

 

[Lonerbtw]

My wifes Valk has the pinto 8 inch with drums and yes thay do get out of adjustment. Just find a small hill thats flat(level) pull to the top and let it roll back then slam on the brakes thay will self ajust. May have to do this twice. Thay were made for a car that has a reverse and every time you back up thay ajust themselvs. So some times you have to do it for them.
Loner
Both our trikes are using the stock MC master cylender and petel and mine has discs. I do not have to step down as hard on mine as my wifes with drums.

 

[1550vt]

That's good. Some of these drum-braked Lehman's do not have the automatic adjusters in them and they have to be adjusted by hand. You can imagine how hard that can be and if you ever get one slightly off and have to clamp down on them...they will pull one way or another.

The overall Pinto drum brake cylinder piston volume will work just fine with the stock HD master cylinder, but if you start putting larger calipers on there, you get into trouble. That's why regular automobile calipers will not work unless you go to a larger master cylinder....which is a huge problem to find that will bolt-up to the HD pedal arrangement. You have to base the design on the stock 5/8 master cylinder and work backwards to figure out what size caliper you can actually use. In my case, I use Tokico radials off the front of modern day crotch rockets.

 

[Chumbly]

Chumbly....Randy and I are working on his. What are you riding? If it's a Harley I can tell you exactly what to get, because I know how they set the belt drives up.

I'm riding a converted VTX 1800c...Motor Trike kit. Not sure, but I heard it was a diff. out of a mustang... no idea of the gear ratios. I originally wanted disc brakes as well...ended up with drums... don't ask.:blush: Information from the company was short coming. Anyway, I'm also a little concerned about the master cylinder being too small for disc brakes. I was originally told the drum brakes were superior to disc (by the dealor), but they're not impressing me so far...and I'm also concerned about uneven wear and that resulting in pulling one way or another. Guess right now, I'm trying to figure out my options. It looked like it has self adjusters now as well, but I'm told they need to be adjusted by hand. Chumbly-

 

[DeerWrangler]

I am ridding a GL1800 2001 with a Lehman trike kit. I chatted with a guy that has the parts list ( oem part and Lehman part) for my Trike. I had been ( like many others) looking for a solution to " what do i do IF and where can i get the parts to".
Most, if not all , of the 2001 ish Lehman kits were Monarch {NOT} Monarch 11.
The rear end is a Ford rear end, Brakes are RAYBES 474PR and a search for a 474PR will give you links... The Drums are from a PINTO 1980, 4 hole, 4 1/4 in pattern..
If the brakes had self adjusters it would be great but they dont and i am not sure how one would go about making them self adjust. OR how to go about them staying adjusted *** Mine do not back off but seem to NOT stay tight"
What i have found is that the drums might not be perfect and if they are out of round it is a cheap $8 per drum to have them turned ROUND.... BUT you might find that due to how rough the drums have been handled over the years that they will not fit onto the cone snug and level enough for the machinest to turn them true.. End story is that IF IN DOUBT replace the hubs so that you know for sure that you have a real ROUNd drum and then the disks will snug in much better.....
IF there is anyone out there that has self adjusters on their trike id sure like to know how they went about modifing those brakes....

 

[Lonerbtw]

DeerWrangler. Please read my last post. I think that all car rear ends with drum brakes have the self ajuster. The little spring loaded tab that rides on the ajuster wheel. When you back up and step on the brakes it allowes that wheel to turn and ajust if needed. Without that tab it would turn any time you hit a bump or step on the brakes. Voice of experiance . Less than a mile brakes were locked up, had to back them off with pocket knife to get home.
I have forgotten what ratio on the Pinto and I miss stated what rear end I have in mine. It came out of a 92 mustang and is 2.73 ratio. 2500 rpm at 65 mph in my Valk. That rear end came with disc brakes and am useing stock mc cylender.
Hope this helps. Loner

 

[lightin]

DeerWrangler. Please read my last post. I think that all car rear ends with drum brakes have the self ajuster. The little spring loaded tab that rides on the ajuster wheel. When you back up and step on the brakes it allowes that wheel to turn and ajust if needed. Without that tab it would turn any time you hit a bump or step on the brakes. Voice of experiance . Less than a mile brakes were locked up, had to back them off with pocket knife to get home.
I have forgotten what ratio on the Pinto and I miss stated what rear end I have in mine. It came out of a 92 mustang and is 2.73 ratio. 2500 rpm at 65 mph in my Valk. That rear end came with disc brakes and am useing stock mc cylender.
Hope this helps. Loner

hey loner I have converted my 94Gl 1500a to a trike useing 94 mustang 7.5 273 gear mustang stock non ABS brakes New pads new rotors new bearings and seals new steel lines still useing stock ruber lines on the rear stock mastercylinder and at calipers have bleed many times and still no pedal mighty vac and hand bleed all lines were flushed and entire system flushed so i proceeded to delink front brake left caliper makeing rear independent moved rear brake line to calipers to side port where the front brake line was and pluged rear port no help installed the 2 lb residul valve rebleed I have pedal very low stops in shop but not on road will that gl 1500 rear mastercylinder carry 2 stock single mustang rear calipers and by the way when the axels and housing was shortened they turned the caliper brackets to the top so bleeders are at top. any Ideas from anyone is appreciated

 

[lightin]

sorry randy and to all here I did not intend to jump your post . new here and needing help too

 

[Gorilla]

sorry randy and to all here I did not intend to jump your post . new here and needing help too

welcome aboard. I'm not of much help with your problem. Try PMing one of the advisores above

 

[mmkrnh8012]

I had the monarch for one day ,till the raked triple tree went out and totalled it. I was told it was a pinto rearend. I had the conversion from hell.

 

[Randy Cheesman]

I completed the conversion from drums to disc on my 2004 GL1800 Lehman trike (by the way I was mistaken on the model, it is a Monarc NOT Monarc II). Thanks to the help of Chumbly, I was able to get the right parts and make the necessary changes. As a result I have a complete set of drums including parking brake and auto adjust, also a set of new brake shoes if anyone is interested.

Randy

 

[Ray & Paula]

I realize this is an old thread but, I would love to convert my 2004 GL1800 Non-ABS Lehman Monarch 1 (not the ll) trike to disc as well. Many awesome members here on TT has helped me along & probably have seen my thread of my ongoing drum brake issue..... or should I say, Nightmare (link below). I've thrown quite a few parts at it without a resolution..... MC, SMC, Wheel Cylinders, brake shoes, spring kits, drums and gallons of brake fluid. An hour and a half job turned into half of my summer last year and still going. I'm about to throw in a proportional control valve (PCV) at it next. I've been led to some disc brake parts here on the forum as well which helped but, there are other components that are in question such as mounting brackets, residual valve. Lehman had a installation manual for their Monarch ll but, it was loosely done along with there own part numbers. After looking over the manual, I can see that they also used a solid axle but, it's extended more than my 2004 in order accept the disc conversion. I would love to find out what you guys came up with. I'd sincerely appreciate any input that you may have to offer. Thanks. Ray (Headbang)

My Nightmare: https://www.triketalk.com/forum/threads/64630-New-Brake-Shoes-Locking-Up-2004-Lehman-Goldwing

:drama: