Brake options for 74 TX650 ?

[5twins]

I like the style Gary has and run them on both my 650s. I have the ATK brand, long out of production but they come up on eBay. My 1st one I bought new years ago for my SR500. I removed it after a while because it really made no difference on that bike. Eventually it ended up on my '78 650 .....

I was ready to buy a brand new one for the '83, possibly a Tarozzi, but decided to have a look on eBay first. I was lucky enough to find another ATK for around $40. It was a bit tarnished and corroded .....

..... but polished back up nicely .....

..... and is now happily residing on the '83 .....

Many times the sellers have no idea what the brace they're selling fits. If you decide to go looking for one, here's the measurements you'll need them to verify for you .....

 

[arcticXS]

Just as an additional comment on the 72-76 calipers, these have two 48 mm pistons. To my knowledge, ONLY the iconic Brembo F09 calipers had equally large pistons, and hence, clamping force. Period AP Lockheed were also good, but had smaller 41 mm pistons. These are still available from Grimeca. The later trend with 4 piston calipers achieved the same clamping force, from a lighter and more rigid caliper. And also allowed the use of lighter "narrow band" brake discs.

 

[jetmechmarty]

FASTEC

TOROZZI Both 34mm and 35mm available.

OMAR'S

 

[arcticXS]

I have the Tarozzi, but I am not totally convinced about how effective it may be. All screws are M6, and the holes are oval. So it is mainly relying on the friction between clamps and bridge, and between sliders and clamps. Maybe if the design allowed for, say 4 tapered dowels, where the holes could be finish reamed after assembling the clamp on the forks could help?
Fritz Egli had his own forks for the Egli-Kawasakis of the late 70s/ early 80s, with 2 straight tubes or bolts fitted into cast lugs fore and aft on the sliders. Pretty sure that setup was way more rigid than any aftermarket brace. Newer designs just use stiffer, larger diameter wheel axles, and strong axle clamps.

 

[5twins]

I needed a new fender for my '78 when I got it because the original was cracked. I bought what was listed as an XS650 fender off of eBay but have since discovered it's not. It fits fine but it doesn't have the additional bracing under it in the mounting area. So, it didn't stiffen or brace the forks as well as an original fender would. That may be why I noticed such a difference when I added my fork brace. My '83 does have an original fender with the added bracing and that's probably why I didn't notice as much of a difference when I added the brace to that bike. It helped, just not as much as on the '78, but it was braced better to begin with.

If you look at the ATK pics I posted, you'll see the holes in the cross brace are slotted as well. These braces were made to fit several different bikes with different spacing between the fork legs and different lower leg diameters. They came with shim stock to make them fit on the lower if needed. On the 650, it was needed. My eBay purchase didn't come with the shims so I made some from stainless flat stock. That's what the two strips below the brace are in my pic of it polished. When mounted on the 650 forks, the adjustable width ends up at it's minimum setting. This butts the cross brace nicely into the clamps so I think it's pretty rigid .....