Rear Brake Upgrade

[Freebird]

I posted this in another thread but decided it would be best served in a thread of its own.

 

As some here have stated before, and I agree 100%, the rear brakes on these bikes are WAY to sensitive. Some have argued that if you truly get to know your bike that it's not a problem but many have reported locking the rear brake in a panic situation. I know that I have done so a couple of times. The rear brakes just lock up way to easily and that is NOT a good thing.

 

I've known Rick for a long time and though I don't profess to be a Venture expert, much of what I've learned about both the first and second gen Venture, I learned from Rick. He has been riding these bikes since they came out in '83 and I do consider him to be an expert on them. Rick has built SS Ventures and come up with a lot of good ideas where the Ventures are concerned.

 

Rick realized early on that the rear brakes left a lot to be desired. I'll let him tell how he came to that conclusion in his own mind but after doing so, he set out to improve the system. He started out trying to link the front and rear as the first gen Ventures were. That turned out to not be the best solution though. He then came up with a system that incorporates a proportioning valve inline to the rear caliper and said that the rear braking is drastically improved. He send me one to test and evaluate on my own bike and it came while I was in Fort Collins. It will be an easy install and I'll get it done next weekend and try it out. I will then report my feelings about it here.

 

If I'm as impressed with it as Rick is, then he plans to put it together as a kit and sell it to anybody who wants it. It is Rick's opinion that the system is good enough that it could actually save somebodies life. I know Rick well enough that if he is that confident with it, then I certainly want it on my bike.

[Wrongway]

Well I sure hope it's the real deal. I locked my brakes up today during a "quick" stop. Didn't lose it but it sure does add to the pucker factor during a panic stop.

[RedRider]

I squeeled the back tire twice this weekend. Once when the lead bike made an unexpected left turn, the other when I was looking at something stupid in a driveway and almost missed a stop sign. Neither time did it get squirrelly, but I don't like to do that.

 

RR

[Rick Butler]

Well Guys,

 

I have been riding with this proportioning valve installed off of my master cylinder for just about a year now. And I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to finally be able to come to a complete controlled stop with just the rear brake. Now in all seriousness I only do this when coming to that final stop at a stop sign or light. Otherwise it's front brake to scrub off speed followed by the rear brake as I slow down and then rear brake only to come to that final stop.

 

However we all know that in a panic situation, we don't always do the RIGHT thing. Yeah sometimes that right foot has a brain of its own and goes straight for that brake pedal like you have done countless times in your 4-wheeler. And I can tell you from experience that when the rear brake locks up, it's not a pleasant experience (especially when your partner is in the back seat).

 

Now if you want to read up my last post, go to:

 

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2940&highlight=%22Proportioning+Valve%22

 

It pretty much explains what all is involved, which is a custom Galfer line with an extra adapter and a proportioning valve from Speedway Motors. It turns out that our hot rodder friends have the same problem when setting up new disc brakes on an old drum system car. They don't want a rear brake lockup either and use variations of proporting valves to get the proper braking.

 

But just in the last day, I have realized one interesting fact after I installed new pads on a friend's RSV with stock brake lines and took it out to seat the new pads. It appears that with stock brake lines, the rear brake is not as sensitive as it is with stainless lines. I have been running stainless lines for about 6 years now I had forgotten how they felt.

 

I have done 2 of these set-ups (now 3) and the materials only cost just under $120. The valve needs to be re-threaded for 10 X 1.00 mm threads and you have to use banjo copper washers to make sure the adapters seal properly, so it's not a time consuming task. I thought if anyone was interested, but didn't have the knowledge or expertise to make this modification, I could put the components together for an extra $15 and that would cover the postage to just about anywhere in the US. But on the other hand, I would also be glad to help anyone that wanted to take this project on themselves.

 

But for now, I want to see what Don thinks of this modification.

 

Later,

 

Rick