Bobber front brake install

[hans-eier]

Hey guys

Just picked up this 76 bobber beauty. Any ideas how I can add a frontbrake? The guy who put it together grinded all the attachments on the fork off. So I need everything (fork, wheel, disc, caliper...) It's a 19" front wheel

Any cheap and easy suggestions? Something plug and play would be nice. Maybe without changing the triples
All the threads I found weren't really helpful to me since I'm a complete newbie to the xs

Thanks in advance

 

[650Skull]

Welcome,

Check to see if the forktubes are the 74-76 34mm tubes. If they are then look for a set of 34mm forks that have rusty inners and swap the inners from your bike to the new outers. The rotor you buy has to suit the fork, 34mm fork rotors have a different off set compared to the 77 and later 35mm fork rotors.

The front hub on the 73-81 spoke wheel XS650, takes both the 34mm rotor and 77 and later rotor.

74/75 34mm forks have the caliper mount lugs on the front of the forks and the 76 had the mounts on the rear. Check out the pics in the Garage sticky ID thread.

 

[fredintoon]

Hi hans and welcome,
how cheap? Least cost is middle-east bicycle rider style, hold your sandal sole against the front tire.
Foolishness aside, do what Skull sez and measure the fork tube diameter then put a want ad in this list's parts for sale forum for the appropriate brake parts and replacement fork lowers. If you don't want to get into a fork rebuild, get assembled forks instead, the fork tubes will fit into the existing 'trees no problem.
I'd get a front fender, too.
Looking cool is good but seeing where you are going on a wet road is better.

 

[gggGary]

what they say. Is the hub painted or powder coat? if it's paint you can remove the paint and put a rotor on that wheel. if it's powder coated sell it to a dummy and find another. You should only need one leg for a brake, both if you might have to ride in rain/dirt/gravel (fender).

 

[fredintoon]

- - - if it's powder coated sell it to a dummy and find another. - - -

Hi Gary,
OTOH wheels that pretty are hard to find, plus there's the hassle of removing the tire.
Far better that the OP should chase the threads clear with the appropriate metric tap.
And if the OP don't already have a metric tap and die set, he should get one, they don't cost much.

 

[gggGary]

Fred I spent about 4 hours getting the powder coat off the sprocket mounting surfaces of a rear hub that some dummy PO had powder coated without masking. Even if the threads are OK (probably not) it's not a fun project.

 

[fredintoon]

Fred I spent about 4 hours getting the powder coat off the sprocket mounting surfaces of a rear hub that some dummy PO had powder coated without masking. Even if the threads are OK (probably not) it's not a fun project.

Hi Gary,
without the PO's input we don't know if his wheels were painted or powder coated and although the photo shows the mounting face is white we don't know if the disk bolt threads were masked or not.
FWIW, re-tapping the holes is real easy and I'd ask how thick is powder coat anyway that it needs removing from a disk or sprocket mounting face?
And 4 hours??? Mr Bodger asks, ain't you got a belt sander? Take you 5 minutes tops after you'd found the thing.

 

[gggGary]

Try it some time Fred, the powdercoat is harder than the aluminum, wobbly disks and sprockets are not all that useful..... Maybe there's a trick I don't know....
The wheel and lowers are mounted flipped left to right and there is what looks like a TX750 rotor mount beauty plate on it....... there's hope anyways. could run a LH disk.

 

[fredintoon]

Hi Garry,
let's not panic the OP with our speculations, eh?
The very least the OP needs is one unmolested lower plus a brake disk, a caliper, a hose and a lever.
With those parts in hand the front end can be re-assembled with the wheel the right way round.

 

[XSLeo]

Ok, after a closer look, gggGary is right. Now when you get the proper fork parts and get them assembled you will not only have to swap the wheel left to right you will have to remount the tire so the direction arrow is pointed the right way.
Leo

 

[hans-eier]

Thanks guys for all the input.
It's a 34mm fork and the hub is just painted I already tried. Screws are gonna fit in the threads.

And yes after some research I swapped left and right. I'm gonna check on some junkyards this weekend maybe I can get a good deal on a front end.

 

[hans-eier]

That's what it looks now

 

[hans-eier]

Ok here's another problem....
I got an old fork. Unfortunately just on lower is in usable shape. And it's the left one.
Is it possible to just rotate the front wheel? So I can ride with the brake on the left side instead of the original right?

 

[fredintoon]

Ok here's another problem....
I got an old fork. Unfortunately just on lower is in usable shape. And it's the left one.
Is it possible to just rotate the front wheel? So I can ride with the brake on the left side instead of the original right?

Hi hans,
you don't have to switch the wheel around.
It's tapped both sides so you can just swap the brake disk to the left side.
[edit]Flipping the wheel puts the speedo drive on the wrong side. [end edit]
Alas, the brake caliper won't swap.
Believe me, when I went to dual front brakes, I tried and no matter what, a rightside caliper won't work.
You gotta find a leftside caliper.
Leftside XS750/850/1100 Standard caliper is perfect.
[edit] the caliper data is only true for 35mm forks, I read that the 34mm calipers can be dismantled and re-assembled to mount the other side.[end edit]

 

[gggGary]

sure it's easy to flop the wheel, just turn the tire around, you might even be able to flop the the brake caliper but you can also run the caliper either in front of OR behind the leg Yamaha did it both ways through the years. Yamaha put them in front for a few years then moved them behind so either way is fine.

These are early calipers, and I think they swap sides easier.

 

[hans-eier]

Awesome!!! That saves me a lot of time and mone
Thank you