A couple of posters have made reference to the earlier springer brakes. These items are truly only hill holders. They are no where near as effective as later BT brakes.

 

Ya no kidding remember the old Hurst Airheart go cart stuff we used to run on the early aftermarket springer & girder frontends ?

I've been cheating lately you can get used Brembo stuff for ero bikes cheap , I just make my own mounts and adapters . Looks trick as hell when polished up and work great .

 

My personal favorite was the so-called "spool drum" brake. Not sure what it was originally designed for, but a 3" drum might have stopped a kid on a mini-bike if he had enough room.

 

Yup...ran one one a chopped Sporty with a girder front end. Mine was made by Hallcraft. Only way of keeping Johnny Law off your back at the time and avoiding an equipment violation.

 

Think I've still got one of those in a box somewhere complete with the 5/8" bearings that used to go out like crazy .

 

Agree with all, that said, brakes were never much of an issue until the advent off cell phones and crap like that. Not looking to hijack this thread. Drive accordingly.

 

thanks everyone for the info. the bike has been sitting for about 6 months. Need to register it before taking it on the road so have just rode it up the driveway. I will pull the drum apart and give it a good clean and adjust. back brakes works well> if only they set up the front the same way. just a thought is it normal for the drum to be on the right hand side of the bike if your sitting on it for a 58 or should it be on the left? As for the gear selector its a foot shift. but even in neutral when you pull the clutch leaver in thats when it make the grinding noise. If it was a car id say its the thrust bearing but as its a bike i cant me sure.

 

dont be surprised if they question why the break light doesnt come on when you use the front break...please restrain yourself from smacking them in the head with a hammer and yelling "see the lights now?"

 

Brake on the right is normal for that model. Sounds like the clutch could use an adjustment or possibly a new throwout bearing. The bearings for that model are pretty stout, but they do fail. If it has failed, when you pull it out it will make ugly broken noises when you shake it. Pretty easy to swap out. Buy the whole kit including pushrod if it has failed.