Mechanical WLC Front brake

[Fingers]

Can anyone tell me if the front brake on a 45 should be able to stop the bike? My front brake is neigh-on useless. I took the wheel off and had a look at it yesterday. From the pictures in the manual it would appear that I do not have a standard 45 solo brake. It appears to be more akin the the big twin brake. (ie the operating lever is at 5 o'clock on the backing plate and is pulled upwards). The shoes were shiny and seemed a little too small for the linings as there are rivets showing at either end of the shoe. We roughed up the shoes to try to obtain more friction but with little difference to the stopping power. I would have thought that if it is indeed a big twin front brake then it should have more stopping power.

My main question to anyone with a knowledge of 45's is should the front brake be able to stop the bike or do tyou have to rely soley on the rear brake?

[Limey_Dave]

WLC has big twin type forks (links on outside of legs) and star hub where you undo 5 allen bolts and wheel comes out leaving brake in place.
The brake cam spindle is about 5 oclock on plate.
If you take cam as centre of face,lever points to about 7 oclock and is pulled up by cable running in front of forks.

45 solo has wheel that comes out with drum and plate and has cone (push bike type) spindle and bearings.

When set up in good condition it will stop bike but is a vintage type performer,leave plenty of room.
https://flatland.oursafeserver.com/4...43787&number=2
Have a look hereKurt also does 2LS version and a disc setup.
Here

https://flatland.oursafeserver.com/4...egory_id=11801

2LS Here
https://flatland.oursafeserver.com/4...egory_id=11759

[kevscrivener]

Five years on a 45 convinced me that the front brake exists for two reasons.

Firstly and most obviously, to enable the bike to pass an MOT test.

Secondly, to enable the rider to achieve a hill start which is impossible with the back brake due to the foot-clutch/handchange set-up.

Anyone intending to use the front brake of a 45 to actually stop the bike has more faith in it than I would!

It helps, Fingers, but common practice is to use the rear brake as the main method of retardation, together with engine braking. Bear in mind that we're talking about a bike which was first in use only a year after front brakes became a compulsory item, and they didn't get much better throughout the life of the bike.

If you've got it set up correctly, the front brake should be on the LEFT handlebar not the right BTW. Confuses the hell out of MOT testers and the public, but it actually works better that side due to reduced cable length. If you think about what I said earlier about the hill starts you'll realise that this is after all logical.

[Fingers]

Thanks guys.

I'm tempted to try one of those dual cams (I know it loses authenticity, but bugger authenticity when my safety is at stake). It can't be any worse than what I've got. Mine is so bad that it will not even hold the bike from running downhill unpowered. I just can't see how I can set up my existing one any better than it is.

I know what your saying about the brake lever on the left Kev, but by god, you've got to be a brave man to ride with that set-up especially bearing in mind the gear shift on the left. It's okay in controlled circumstances when you've got time to think and plan your actions but in case of emergency how many people will instinctively go for the brake with the left hand?

Interesting you mention about MOT Kev. I took mine in last week and it failed on the front brake - as the tester broke the front brake cable testing it! that is what started this front brake debate.

[jules45]

Hi fingers. I know where you are coming from with the front brake. Firstly the set up you have was fitted to some WLC's as well as the big twins. My own machine is the same set up as yours. My bike's front brake was worse than useless when I got it. After stripping,I found it had the correct shoes, but the linings were off god knows what. Thie linings were so far off, that the profile/contact area on the drum was minimal. I contacted a friend of mine who restores military Harley's (WARDEPARTMENT- he advertises in the Quin),and he supplied me with an original, part used set. The front brake now is much better and it does stop the bike. I appreciate what the others are saying, but with the correct brakes, set up properly, they work well. Equally as good as any comparable brake on a British bike of the time.

[kevscrivener]

Originally Posted by Fingers

I know what your saying about the brake lever on the left Kev, but by god, you've got to be a brave man to ride with that set-up especially bearing in mind the gear shift on the left. It's okay in controlled circumstances when you've got time to think and plan your actions but in case of emergency how many people will instinctively go for the brake with the left hand?

Comes with practice. At that time I had the 45 (foot clutch/handchange) Triumph 3TA (right-foot change) and a Honda CD175 (left-foot change) and was riding one or t'other every day.

Thing with a 45 is, as Jules rightly says when the brakes are properly set up they are as good as a British bike, but if you think about it that's still well short of modern-day standards. You therefore ride the beast accordingly, allowing extra space and time for stopping; if you've ever driven a lorry or a vintage car you'll appreciate what I mean.

[Limey_Dave]

If you email Kurt I'm sure he said that the 2LS could be even better than it is but he restricted it in some way as he was concerned that if fitted to extended forks on some shed built chop there could be problems.
If that was the case,the developement went on some time,then I'm sure he would tell you how to derestrict it.
A reply may not be instant as he has recently opened a distribution point in the US and is hopping between there and Holland.
If you went for the black with cad or chrome details I don't think it would stand out too much,there's a guy in Germany who's just fitted discs both ends.

[45Brit]

look on FlatHeadPower, there's a whole thread about this, but basically the front brake is not much good - as opposed to on Big Twins where the same set-up is completely useless.

whatever you do to it, it simply isn't big enough and the drum isn't strong enough. 45 Depot's 2LS brakeplate is a definite improvement and so is makinbg sure everyting is in good order.

There are a number of possible fixes, the most usual one these days is to fit discs if you don't mind the appearance. However it's not particularly difficult to fit a BSA or Triumph front wheel using the 8" SLS or 2LS brake, which will give you a lot more stopping power. This will give you as much braking power as the forks will cope with, and a nice 'period' appearance. My personal preference would be the single-sided 8" SLS brake fitted to the A10.

2LS drum brakes from early Honda or Yamaha twins, or the later BSA, Triumph or AMC full-width hubs, are sometimes seen, but for my money the single-sided BSA unit offers the best combination of looks and usable braking power