brake conversion

[suzukix7]

Hi guys,
Did the TS250 use a rear brake arm and rod configuration rather than the internal cable attachment as on my 1979 TS 150?
If it did, is it possible to convert the items from the 250 to the 150?
Would the brake plate be interchangeable and would I be able to use the rod too?
Also if I were to use the 250 arrangement, could I also use the brake pedal and brake light switch from the 250?

Sorry for all the Q's regards Dave

[DAVID THOMPSON]

i think i remember a post about some one converting said brake to one with an arm /lever on the out side
it used a cam and lever from an other bike to work the original drum
the older bikes of all brands seem to be weak in the rear...i think part of it was the mfg did not want people appling
the rear too hard and dumping the bike on wet pavement

i ride in an area with a lot of brick paved streets (Marietta ohio usa)
toooo much rear brake can be very scary when its WET!

dave

[stinkybob]

Yes you can modify the front drum brake on an MZ to be better. Basically you drill through the brake plate where the existing internal brake are goes and then fit the gubbins from a standard rear brake to the outside of the hub. You will need a short spacer for the outside brake arm but in a pinch a couple of nuts works if you don't have anything else. You're just moving the brake arm from the original short internal one to a longer external one. It does stop better.

You will also have to modify the external brake arm to accept a cable and also make a fitting for the cable to attach to, but don't worry it's not complicated. What I did was drill a hole sideways through the business end of the brake arm and hacksaw a little slash in one side so the nipple of a standard front brake cable would attach. Then I bent a little piece of metal flatbar into an "L" shape and drilled a couple of holes in each end, one to bolt it to the fork leg and one to take a cable adjuster.

I realize that without pics it might be hard to visualize the setup but if you just use common sense it's doable and it works better. Alternatively you can fit a rear wheel to the front with a small amount of clever spacing and just use the standard rear wheel brake plate. It CAN be done.

[arry_b]

To answer the questions you asked:

Does the TS250 use a rod setup on the rear? - Yes.
Can it be fitted to the TS150 rear? - No, not without some major design and fabrication work (the frames are very different).

Obvious question:
Why would you want to? The cable operated rear drum on the TS is normally excellent, far better than the weedy front brake. That's where you'd be better off expending some effort. Stinkybob's given you some ideas on how to improve the front brake by fitting an external lever.

[DAVID THOMPSON]

over use of rear brake can cause problems on wet pavement...
most of the power for braking is on the front
give it a lot of attention ..and use it .

i have some friends complaining there bikes do not stop very well...

when i watch them ride they seldom use their front brake thats a big mistake.

dave

[therealche]

over use of rear brake can cause problems on wet pavement...
dave

If he is riding on a wet pavement over here Dave, he's got problems!

( Two nations divided by a common language!)

[Agronski]

Here's the original thread:
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=6649

Not impossible to replicate - but a bit tricky without a TIG box. For now, my TS front brake rubs a little, but I'm pretty sure it'd pull a stoppie if she was ever going fast enough.

The brake system on the 150's are perfectly adequate for the size/speed the bike is likely to be going, even light motorway driving. Keep the brake-cam well greased, the shoes rough and the cables well adjusted and it'll be fine (famous last words before I end up as a stain on some dual carriage-way somewhere... )

___

[suzukix7]

Thanks for the replies guys.

The reason I wanted to convert was purely so I could run a conventional brake light switch, rather than the set up that the TS150 runs at present.
So I wanted a brake rod, rather than cable operation.

Many Thanks

Dave