A solution for the anemic rear disc brake on triples, similar to what Palmelli did decades ago, offered by LG Express. Relocates rear M/C for longer pedal stroke. Well made kit, detailed instructions & straightforward install w/ much improved feel. Pics show fitment to '77 Jarama.
Rear Brake Upgrade
- Thread starter IAG
- Start date
1200ts
Hero member
- Location
- USA - Riverside CA
I don't understand how this will make the brake any better? All you are doing is moving the master cylinder farther away from the pedal. You are not getting any more leverage on the master as it and the pedal arm are still the same length.
What am I not seeing here??????
What am I not seeing here??????
motoddrob
Hero member
- Location
- S/W Australia
Move the link arm to the lower countersunk hole on the pedal lever. Made a big improvement on the Motodd
78jotadave
Hero member
I did this simple homemade conversion years ago, and to be honest, it made little to no difference to the brake feel or action. It was many years ago now I am back to the non-rear set footpegs as my old knees scream murder after a few miles with rear sets. The non-rear set brake lever has a better feel and action than either rear set setup.
helicopterjim
Hero member
- Location
- near Lone Butte, BC, Canada
If your rearsets have the dual hole then that's okay. Not all have that so I suppose you could drill a new inboard hole giving greater leverage.
Jim
Consider that rearsets add another linkage to the brake pivot arm whereas the bracket kit simplifies the actuation. The Jarama had virtually no rear brake feel & system was bled correctly. Post bracket install the link has more travel & rear caliper now grabs. Here's a link to the factory diagram for clarity: https://www.laverda-paradies.de/shop-1000-54-en.html
1200ts
Hero member
- Location
- USA - Riverside CA
So this only makes the brake work better if you have rear set pegs? No improvement with standard pegs?
Bracket will not work with standard pegs. I can only comment to my situation. Did not bleed system after install & performance is vastly improved. BTW this is not a new mod, just not well known. Palmelli Jotas had the rear brake mod over 40 years ago!
arancia
Senior member
- Location
- Arizona, USA
Have to agree, I did the right to left side brake conversion on my US spec '81 Jota when I first bought it just to get back to normality and also hoping to get some feel in the back brake but the number of parts, pivots, linkages and poor angles meant it was far from ideal and any more direct actuation has got to be an improvement. If I was still planning to use the rearsets then I'd give that a try but age, flexibility, etc have led me too to abandonning the rearsets going back to nice rubber covered footrests and long brake pedal, even then there are just too many friction points and poor angles compared to most modern bikes' much simpler and more direct connection between the pedal and master cylinder, the Zane' bikes' rear brake is easy to modulate and has a very simple linkage.
Dellortoman
Hero member
- Location
- Tasmania, Australia
I think I understand how the brake could be "vastly improved" without changing the linkage ratios. You mention "longer pedal stroke", so I'm guessing that the original pedal movement may have been limited by the link rod contacting the top tube of the rear footrest mount (a common problem with this rearset arrangement). You've now got full movement of the M/C piston so you're at least getting pressure into the hydraulic system.
Motoddrob is correct too. You'll get significantly better brake performance if you drop the front end of the link rod down into the lower hole in the pedal lever.
I've posted this photo before. It's the modified version of my Jota's rear brake. Linkage ratios changed (they were in the other holes before). I had to move caliper about 10mm up the mounting bracket and put a bend in the link rod so it clears the frame tube (it was fouling on it when I got the bike). Brake works quite well now. It was pretty much useless before I did the mods.
Motoddrob is correct too. You'll get significantly better brake performance if you drop the front end of the link rod down into the lower hole in the pedal lever.
I've posted this photo before. It's the modified version of my Jota's rear brake. Linkage ratios changed (they were in the other holes before). I had to move caliper about 10mm up the mounting bracket and put a bend in the link rod so it clears the frame tube (it was fouling on it when I got the bike). Brake works quite well now. It was pretty much useless before I did the mods.
arancia
Senior member
- Location
- Arizona, USA
Near 90 degree angles, straight pulls, few linkages, good leverage ratios, effective return spring - about as good as you can get!
I'm going to have to go out and measure angles etc tomorrow - seems to me that the left side mounting of the master cylinder was at an angle that did not have optimum straight pulls and back then I had rubber bands to assist the return spring in fighting all the pivot points' friction.
As I look back without the rose-tinted glasses of the love of the brand and in the cold light of reality, I remember those evenings getting home from a long day's or weekend's ride in love with the concept but totally PO'd with some of the details of the late 180s though back then when I'd look at the alternatives all those little failings got accepted as part of the "marriage" till the next ride and so I never moved on to the divorce. As an ardent twins fan, I'm still of the opinion that with the triples, we owners were the factory's beta testers till they finally sorted out many of the issues and after too many years delivered the RGS far too little late for the market.
I'm going to have to go out and measure angles etc tomorrow - seems to me that the left side mounting of the master cylinder was at an angle that did not have optimum straight pulls and back then I had rubber bands to assist the return spring in fighting all the pivot points' friction.
As I look back without the rose-tinted glasses of the love of the brand and in the cold light of reality, I remember those evenings getting home from a long day's or weekend's ride in love with the concept but totally PO'd with some of the details of the late 180s though back then when I'd look at the alternatives all those little failings got accepted as part of the "marriage" till the next ride and so I never moved on to the divorce. As an ardent twins fan, I'm still of the opinion that with the triples, we owners were the factory's beta testers till they finally sorted out many of the issues and after too many years delivered the RGS far too little late for the market.
lavgert
Hero member
- Location
- Vienna, Austria
... best improvement to the rear brake is to change the disc to a floating stainless disc and sintered pads! Even with Jota rear sets with all the original linkage I can block my rear wheel - never had this before on a LAVERDA triple.
Ciao, Gert
Ciao, Gert
helicopterjim
Hero member
- Location
- near Lone Butte, BC, Canada
Does that brake light switch interfere with the side cover? If you moved it to the caliper then it would be a much cleaner setup ...... but that is just my thoughts.
Jim
Jim
Dellortoman
Hero member
- Location
- Tasmania, Australia
That's not a brake light switch. It's only the banjo bolt. The switch is on the caliper.
Yes. It just touches the side cover. I could make a neater job of it by re-jigging the M/C mounting and making a longer link rod. It's just not on the workshop priority list at present.
helicopterjim
Hero member
- Location
- near Lone Butte, BC, Canada
Gotcha ..... it looked like wires coming out with the brake line ...... but not. The brakes switch is on the M/C of my FM ..... but that will be changing soon.
All good.
Jim
All good.
Jim
CLEMTOG
Hero member
"best improvement to the rear brake is to ................."
wrong there Gert (my old mate) the best improvement to the Laverda rear disc on 180's is to fit a 750 swing arm and Laverda 2LS drum rear brake/wire wheel.
The best improvement that actually works, for the 120's is to fit an XJR 1200 master cylinder, tiny, tiny easy to do mod, is all that is needed to make it fit and (bloody hell) its then a good brake.
Been playing with the rear brake on TOG (1200/180) for decades, and today is barely marginal.
CLEM
wrong there Gert (my old mate) the best improvement to the Laverda rear disc on 180's is to fit a 750 swing arm and Laverda 2LS drum rear brake/wire wheel.
The best improvement that actually works, for the 120's is to fit an XJR 1200 master cylinder, tiny, tiny easy to do mod, is all that is needed to make it fit and (bloody hell) its then a good brake.
Been playing with the rear brake on TOG (1200/180) for decades, and today is barely marginal.
CLEM
Last edited:
Andy
Hero member
- Location
- Auckland, roughly
Thread resurrection: my RGS has always had a perfectly good rear brake- strong, progressive and predictable, wet or dry. Today I decided that the pads were getting a bit lean so pulled them out for a look. I’d like to replace them like-for-like but they don’t seem to exist anymore. Does anyone know what the specs are?
hooksey
Hero member
- Location
- Vic , Australia
GG - Good Gear = Azzy! 
Andy
Hero member
- Location
- Auckland, roughly
Ahhh. That’ll be why they worked so well and are no longer available.GG - Good Gear = Azzy!
Bagged and gone, along with the damp cloth
Stmartinbiker
New member
Not certain but it does look like the vesrah's are still around.http://www.vass.jp/en/