Anyone use the air vents on the TLS drum brake ?

[Grewth]

Just been cleaning up the XS1 front brake I bought.
The rubber blanking discs are missing from the drum, and so is the chromed blanking plate for the air scoop on the brake plate.
I'm just wondering if anyone is actually using these vents on their bikes ?
Yamaha seemed to go to a lot of trouble to design something that they never intended to get used - even fitting a rubber gasket to the blanking plate.

 

[DogBunny]

The metal covers are rare. They are thin, and many just rusted away. There is currently one on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/115616869638
It will probably be a long while before a better deal comes up. I think the wheel looks much better with the cover.
The plugs are also rare, and again, I think the wheel looks a lot better with them. My solution for them is here:
https://www.xs650.com/threads/xs1b-texas-resurrection.56545/page-3#post-643239
I recently sent a set to BowlingSS. He seemed to like them.
https://www.xs650.com/threads/xs1b-texas-resurrection.56545/page-4#post-827007

My only thought is that maybe they thought someone racing the bike would want to remove the vent covers?

 

[Grewth]

Many thanks!
I think that I've actually got one of those tin covers in a box of spare bits I bought, although the chrome isn't brilliant.

I've got to admit that the bare vent doesn't look too pretty, I'm thinking that it was only intended as a styling feature - the little slots in the casting look too small to let much air through anyway.
Most of the XS650 community seem to feel that ventilation of the drum is a bad idea.
Certainly in heavy rain you'd be getting some water in there.
However the brake plate on my '71 Triumph has a massive air scoop on the brake plate, with more vents at the rear to allow cooling air to escape again.
They are not known for playing up in wet weather or anything else for that matter.
Obviously the ingress of dirt and grit isn't going to help anything, but they're not known for premature wear

 

[gggGary]

Found some stainless cabinet vent inserts that fit well with just a little inside tab bending.
I may have sprayed them satin black later.

Put a stainless screen over the scoop held by the 4 screws also.

 

[40north]

Very

Found some stainless cabinet vent inserts that fit well with just a little inside tab bending.
I may have sprayed them satin black later.
View attachment 324043
Put a stainless screen over the scoop held by the 4 screws also.

nice! Bettern' nice really. Beautiful, and creative.