After a 3 month hiatus from the Bonneville Bike, now just, "Landspeed Bike", I have returned to Nova Scotia and unloaded the bike from the trailer where it was loaded up, ready to go, when I went to Colorado in August. After watching the Colorado Mile event, I decided I might want some front brakes if the Salt doesn't heal quickly. I don't need front brakes in Loring until I reach 175 mph, so that is not an issue.
The forks on my bike are from an early disc braked GS Suzuki while the wheel is off a later XJ650 Yamaha. While in Colorado, I picked up the correct disc and caliper from an XJ and a left handed remote reservoir brake/clutch handle off eBay. Obviously, the caliper would not bolt directly to the GS forks so I spent one day measuring and drafting up a bracket and another day milling it on my manual Rong Fu mill drill.
Today I fit it all together and it seems likely to work (brake line not hooked up) but there are problems. The first is that the wheel will not slide into the caliper with the caliper in place. I don't know if this is due to narrower forks or possibly I narrowed up the front wheel at the disc mount (can't remember!) when I fitted that wheel. So the wheel must be installed and then the caliper. but then I can't install the front fender which not only must bulge out about 3/4" to clear the caliper, but does not allow the caliper to be installed after the fender is in place. The only way I can see to do it is to cut most of the back of the left side of the fender away to be able to install the caliper.
View from inside the fender with the caliper in place, but the wheel won't slot into the caliper.
Outside view showing no access to caliper bolts with the fender in place.
Another issue is that of fitting both a clutch handle and the brake handle on the same handlebar and be able to operate each separately and be able to turn the bars without contacting the fairing. And then there's the issue of routing the brake cable thru the front of my fairing which is now completely closed off.
So if I can manage to get both those controls to work separately, or possibly revert to a rear foot operated rear caliper to free up the right handlebar for the front brake, I can probably make some runs without the front fender or purchase another fender and cut the heck out of it.
Here's hoping the Salt will heal SOON!
Tom