Howdy everybody (Shorts)

[Shorts]

Hi yall, I'm a fairly green rider living out in Japan. My husband and I are stationed out here for a few years.

I'm riding a 2000 VTR250 and it's my first bike. i've run into one of the forum members elsewhere - onearmbandit. He and I have something in common and it isn't our bikes :rockon:

Anyway, Hajimemashite!

[onearmedbandit]

What's that? We both can speak a little Japanese? Lets see who figures it out first. Anyway, welcome to the site Shorts.

[Disco Dan]

Lets see who figures it out first.

Your really a woman OAB? :shutup:

Welcome to the site shorts... :yes:

[Joni]

Piccie might be deceptive... but you only have one working arm? Like my mate OAB?....

:spudwhat:

Welcome to KB.

[crashe]

What's that? We both can speak a little Japanese? Lets see who figures it out first. Anyway, welcome to the site Shorts.

Welcome to KB shorts.


You have only got the use of one arm as well?


Shorts - Im just reading your website........
http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/BBS/viewtopic.php?t=17150

Fark, you are one lucky lady......
and to remember what was happening at the time.......

Good onya for getting on a bike and achieveing what you done to date.

[Finn]

Wow Shorts, you're amasing! Well done girl!

http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/BBS/viewtopic.php?t=17150

[Shorts]

Thanks everyone :) Yall guessed correct, I have the use of only my left arm from a single vehicle rollover in '98. So, bike's a bit modified to suit 'my style' :D

[crashe]

The 400 Vulcan is a very nice looking bike.......


Yeah I like the cruiser bikes..... :whistle:

[mstriumph]

Hi Gal and welcome!!

How do you find the traffic over there?

[Disco Dan]

Hi Gal and welcome!!

How do you find the traffic over there?

the traffic finds us!

[kiwifruit]

welcome to the site :)

[Shorts]

crashe, the Vulcan 400 is a great bike. My husband fell in love with it the first time he laid eyes on it. He and his buddy drooled over it for a while lol It is his first as well. We both couldn't have asked for better bikes to start with, they've been great to us.


mstriumph, when we first arrived here, the traffic seemed wild and crazy - unpredictable if you will. However, now that we'd have time to understand the concept of "mass flow" in this society, traffic is much more comfortable and predictable. And to tell the truth, they're more polite, courteous and considerate than American drivers back home. We went for a 2wk visit back to the US and the differences in culture are really noticeable!

Since we are in the north, we are out of the big cities. In the rural farming towns and such. My husband describes it as "Japan light" lol

[vifferman]

Welcome, Shorts! :wavey:

You're a brave lady. Good to see your crash hasn't stopped you enjoying life to the max. :scooter:

[bounce]

i've run into one of the forum members elsewhere - onearmbandit.

Hey you;ve run into more than just 1 kiwibiker member. welcome shorts - bit more happening on this forum eh :rockon:

[gijoe1313]

Dozo Yoroshiku Shorts!

Boku wa gijoe1313, nanka kawatta katta atta! Glad to have you onboard and enjoying those two wheels of freedom. Thanks for sharing your experience and actually getting back on the horse again! :yes:

Looking forward to your posts from the rising sun!

[Maha]

Looking forward to your rising son!


Look what happened to Michael Jackson when he said that !!!!


I love shorts.....mainly man skins....no shame in that...:nono:

[Macktheknife]

Welcome to KB shorts, sounds like you have come a long way in a short time, well done.
Enjoy the madness that this place brings with it, and maybe if you are lucky you guys can have a holiday here and discover some of the best roads in the world for bikers.

[T-Thunder13]

yo shorts! your an inspiration! i kike people who charge hard in life!:D

[Dodgyiti]

Hey Shorts,
Inspiring web forum of your modifications.
Have you tried the Moto-Guzzi rear brake master cylinder hooked up to the reducer and onto one front disc?
I have that system on 2 bikes and you only need the second front disc in emergencies, but a better caliper on the one side actuated by the foot pedal would be fine.
Keep up the good work.

[Deviant Esq]

Yoroshiku onegai shimasu :cool:
Welcome to Kiwi Biker! Good on you for riding a bike in spite of your physical impairment. I like stories where people have had an accident but don't let that stop them doing what they love. Great stuff, good to hear! How much longer are you in Japan for?

[Colapop]

Yeah ahh...gidday - ahh... sushi (does that count?) Your Fraser's sister/brother/other family member/ex-wife/love child... have I covered the bases yet?

Welcome anyway (to here) enjoy the loonies they're the best part!

[Shorts]

Thanks everyone. Hi bounce! I do likethe activity of this forum :)




Hey Shorts,
Inspiring web forum of your modifications.
Have you tried the Moto-Guzzi rear brake master cylinder hooked up to the reducer and onto one front disc?
I have that system on 2 bikes and you only need the second front disc in emergencies, but a better caliper on the one side actuated by the foot pedal would be fine.
Keep up the good work.

I was for a bit considering running a linked system through the foot pedal so I could not need the front lever every time. Basically, lighten the duties up there. However, I'm on my own for mods and with out space so limited in the garage, I don't have any good power tools, nor any extra muscle and thinking help on ideas. My DH isn't the garage type :D

Depending on how the riding goes this season we'll see.

[Dodgyiti]

To do the conversion you will need;
4 x male brake fittings for steel lines*
1 x double female joiner
1 metre steel brake line
2 x braided brake lines male to male*
1 Double Flanging Tool ($150NZD or hire one)
1 Moto Guzzi Tonti frame (78-86) splitter 70%/30%
1 x Blanking bolt or banjo depending on the handlebar line mounting into the front mastercylinder
lotsa brake fluid

*Unless they are banjo fittings originally, then you will need suitable hoses.

Try the setup with your original rear brake m/cylinder as it may be enough to do the job.
With a steel line from the rear master cylinder to the splitter mounted on the side that the rear brake disc is on. Then run a braided line to the rear caliper and a steel line under the tank and alongside the frame rails tucked away nicely until it meets the front down tube. End that fitting in a male from the steel line and into the double female which you can hoseclip mount poking out at the front. Screw the second braided line from that in a nice - plenty of room for steering etc- way and into the front caliper.
With metal lines and braided hoses there should be no loss of power from the foot pedal. Your original master cylinder may be ok because you can really stand on the foot brake and the splitter sends most (70%) to the front disc where you want it, and this pulls the bike down very steady in emergencys which gives you more hanging on power with your right hand without pulling in levers etc.
Honda made a good system but it is way more complicated, this early Guzzi development was quite the hot tootie back in 1977. And it is so simple there is no electrics either.

The splitter can be obtained second hand, I know if you send a request to motokiwi@paradise.net.nz one can be away to you in a parcelpost if nothing is available locally.

The pictures.

One of the splitter- one metal line at the back of it going under the frame tubes to the front, the other braided line to the rear caliper

One of the rear master cylinder- one line going to the splitter.

[Shorts]

Dodgyiti, excellent post! I've printed it out for reference. Thank you.

You're right about Honda's system being more complicated. What I had previously had in mind was this:

- rear caliper from CBR1100xx Blackbird (dual line inputs)
- prop valve (aftermarket adjustable)

Now, the dual input rear caliper was going to be used so that I had 2 closed systems on the bike, 1) linked F&R through the foot pedal, and 2) front lever only to the rear caliper. The reason for this was in case of a brake failure I'd have a backup, and for hill holding/independent method of braking the rear only.

So, like you have the linked system on that Moto Guzzi is how I had the Honda parts thoughts out. In addition, I'd run a line from the front lever MC to the 2nd input on the rear caliper.

It'd look like the pic I attached. The downside is I'd need to get a Blackbird caliper as well as (probably) fab a mounting bracket <_<

What do you think of a linked brake system and starting hills? Is it difficult? Or even noticeable at all? What about slippery situations?

I like the simplicity of that MG design. And I like the fact that I can pretty much remove the front brake lever and move the clutch to a better angle on the bar. Now, so much for that Pazzo brake lever :eek:

My current rear MC is 1/2", front single caliper (2 pistons, 27mm each), and the rear is a single pistol 38mm.

[Shorts]

As I type the above, the doorbell rang for a delivery....

























....



















:shutup:


Dodgyiti <----- :spanking: lol


My stock one was leaking and instead of rebuilding it, I bought this Nissin I had eyeballed for the last year. I made myself a promise I'd ride a season on the current setup before making changes to that.

[Dodgyiti]

Linked system and hill starts? No problem there.
Emergency stops? Been alright so far.

I understand your proposed setup, having owned and rebuilt a Honda CBR1000F which had the 2 pistons in one caliper etc etc, bloody complimicated!

The one I out lined is so simple and proven over 30 years now.
I am surprised that none of the Moto-Guzzi nuts on this site have pitched in on this, maybe I have already covered it. I have put out the call to them for advice as I am only one person.
Going from your previous mods on the bike, this setup would be well within your abilities, its just the double flanging tool that is a little specialised. If you were in Auckland I would make the metal lines up for you, I bought 50m of the stuff and may not use it all in this lifetime :mellow:
If I had a gammy arm I would have a foot brake only, there is enough with the indicators, throttle, clutch etc to worry about with the good hand.

K.I.S.
Keep It Simple :yes:

[Dodgyiti]

Oh dear, how's this for science?

I put a belt around my left bicep untill pin-and-needles set in, jumped on my ladys bike and actually tried it out from your point of view. She has a small block light weight Guzzi with the linked system, bit eaiser than mine as it has clip on bars and hers has normal handle bars.

Dumbass me forgot about the clutch! :nono: Did manage to pull it in and bunny hop off the line.
Tried an emergency stop, worked well, except I stalled ( clutch again!) and a hill start was ok as I had feeling back enough to work the clutch properly by then. There you go- tested by leading crash test dummie
:banana: :wari: :banana: :Oops:

[Shorts]

Oh dear, how's this for science?

I put a belt around my left bicep untill pin-and-needles set in, jumped on my ladys bike and actually tried it out from your point of view. She has a small block light weight Guzzi with the linked system, bit eaiser than mine as it has clip on bars and hers has normal handle bars.

Dumbass me forgot about the clutch! :nono: Did manage to pull it in and bunny hop off the line.
Tried an emergency stop, worked well, except I stalled ( clutch again!) and a hill start was ok as I had feeling back enough to work the clutch properly by then. There you go- tested by leading crash test dummie
:banana: :wari: :banana: :Oops:


:not: :Punk: :not:

Thanks!!!

[hitch]

welcome shorts there are some bloddy good people hear and same goes for the read aswell. :scooter:

[Paul in NZ]

Hi Shorts

I'll have to wait untill I get to work before I check your web site - came home from holidays to find the kids killed the PC... Drat...

Anyway - some dodgy bugger asked me to express an opinion on Guzzi linked brakes. A bit like the Parsons egg- good in patrs. :yes:

I'm working from memory so I HOPE I have this ight. Early Guzzi linked (integrated in their words) brakes just have a simple splitter and the braking effect front / rear was controlled by different spec pads and different sized discs front / rear. Later bikes have a proper proportional splitter and bad news - they are all a bit different (different ratios) AND some still specify different resistence pads (sigh - it's never simple). Later ones are also load compensating. You can't even pin it down to models - some Mk2's had the non proportioning manifold and some had the valve... Typically italian....

From memory there were a lot of changes when asbestos was banned from the pads so some of the old data is probably no longer valid as well....

So - is it possible to fit a 'simple' early Guzzi integrated system to your bike - well - yes BUT it's not an area for the inexperienced. Your bike has different tyre loads, wheel sizes, disc diameters and weight transfer dynamics to an old Moto Guzzi and while it's a pretty simple job to hook it all up, getting it to work properly may require considerable experimentation to avoid some bad experiences.

My advice - seek EXPERT advice. If racers can build thumb operated brakes ANYTHING is possible but you would need to test a system properly before you needed it in an emergency.....

If you do want to push ahead and try - I can look up the part numbers in Guzziology (pretty sure they are there) so you know what the difference is...

Best Regards

Paul N

[Swoop]

Welcome to KB Shorts!

Sounds like you and OAB will make a great pair. (Sorry, extremely bad attempt at humour...).

:ride:

Edit: OAB, do you still have gloves for sale? There might be a buyer here!

[Dodgyiti]

Hi Shorts

I'll have to wait untill I get to work before I check your web site - came home from holidays to find the kids killed the PC... Drat...

Anyway - some dodgy bugger asked me to express an opinion on Guzzi linked brakes. A bit like the Parsons egg- good in patrs. :yes:

I'm working from memory so I HOPE I have this ight. Early Guzzi linked (integrated in their words) brakes just have a simple splitter and the braking effect front / rear was controlled by different spec pads and different sized discs front / rear. Later bikes have a proper proportional splitter and bad news - they are all a bit different (different ratios) AND some still specify different resistence pads (sigh - it's never simple). Later ones are also load compensating. You can't even pin it down to models - some Mk2's had the non proportioning manifold and some had the valve... Typically italian....

From memory there were a lot of changes when asbestos was banned from the pads so some of the old data is probably no longer valid as well....

So - is it possible to fit a 'simple' early Guzzi integrated system to your bike - well - yes BUT it's not an area for the inexperienced. Your bike has different tyre loads, wheel sizes, disc diameters and weight transfer dynamics to an old Moto Guzzi and while it's a pretty simple job to hook it all up, getting it to work properly may require considerable experimentation to avoid some bad experiences.

My advice - seek EXPERT advice. If racers can build thumb operated brakes ANYTHING is possible but you would need to test a system properly before you needed it in an emergency.....

If you do want to push ahead and try - I can look up the part numbers in Guzziology (pretty sure they are there) so you know what the difference is...

Best Regards

Paul N

Thanks Paul,
I know the easy way now- buy a Guzzi. Simple as that.
But we knew that all along.

[Shorts]

Hey Paul, thanks for the thoughts.


while it's a pretty simple job to hook it all up, getting it to work properly may require considerable experimentation to avoid some bad experiences.


This statement so very spot on. Which is why I've been a schosh hesistant to go forward with the mod. (in no intentional order) 1) I would like to spend my time riding rather than wrenching, 2) safety while 'testing', and 3) keeping my husband on the up and up about spending money on projects that may or maynot be "necessary" :D

Thanks for the welcome Swoop. I hope OAB has girly hands lol ;)