Ta da!
Hope this works (I'm trying out the new image facility).
I think it was Ian asking about my B31 pushrod tunnel.
I modified several, then found the pre-war singles had a much fuller/rounder section. Each one took a week to do, with a 1/4'' hand file. See the results below.
Another long drawn out process...
When I first got my BEEZA, I'd been riding pretty quick bikes fitted with discs, so when I jumped on the B31 I was horrified to find it ACCELERATED when the brakes were applied. A well known Brit bike phenomena.
The Ariel type alloy brake is notoriously useless. How Square Four Combo owners (fitted with exactly the same device) survived I'll never know.
So off I went to see a top brake specialist in the region of Glossop.
Drum skimmed and soopadoopa linings. £200ish.
Ran the new linings in for a 100 miles or so, then progressively began to apply more pressure.
Then BANG!!! The damn brake locked! Yikes.
Chamfered the linings, with no improvement.
Back to said expert. ''Ah, no problem, I've just had these new German linings arrive, I'll fit those and you'll be ok''.
Yep, you guessed...BANG!!!!
That was a bigger BANG, as not only did the wheel lock, but it actually bent the lower fork leg, which also locked down!
Some time later I found out Sammy Miller had his Gillera 4 brake done at the same place and consequently threw it up the road at Mallory, breaking a collar bone.
A clean brake, you might say.
You'll have gathered by now what an excellent pilot I can be as I managed to keep the plot upright throughout.
Bugger this, I thought, and went to see an old pal, Bob Hefford, who sorted me out with new/old stock asbestos linings. These got me back to square one, but at least the brake was predictably BAD again.
Managed to get the last remaining new/old stock BSA/Ariel Fork legs in existence from Gaggs, Notts, just as they stopped trading.
In the meantime I met a new friend (Chris), he of Broughs and Vincents.
He's a clever chap with skill sets way beyond my own. So one winter he converted the Ariel sls to tls. Great! Looks splendid/just the job, we thought.
But no. Though the conversion supposedly mirrored a BSA/Triumph tls unit, it transpired to be a twin trailing shoe brake!!! Doh!
To be fair, it did work a little better, but not better enough to justify the work.
Neither of us were happy and nearly fell out over it. Chris promised to look into a hydraulic conversion; actually got all the bits together then quietly decided he wasn't bothered.
Anyway, last winter Chris turned up with an 8'' Norton Hub and a CB77 brake plate.
I went bonkers and turned the hub flanges into 'pie crust', bought s/s Triumph linkages etc, profiled and polished the lot. Chris made a new s/s spindle and laced the wheel together with s/s spokes and rim.
And guess what?
Finally the BEEZA actually stops with purposeful conviction.
Both well chuffed. See the evidence below.
