Aftermarket Brakes

Eight inch brake single leading shoe

there is an eight inch single leading shoe brake available from the club shop for some time now. The brake plates look similar to Lightning plates (with airscoops) yet still show a machined edge to resemble the look of the water excluder. The brake plates are well made, the friction area due to the wider brake shoes and longer arc length is greatly increased.

The 8 inch drums are very well made and cast iron. Generally a very well made brake which stops better than the standard brake.

But-you probably guessed it- there are weak points in this design.

First of all, it is still single leading shoe, so the increase in braking power is ok, but still leaves something to be desired. Second and this is the really a big disadvantage, the drums are very , very heavy. The drum I weighed was more than 1 kilogram heavier than a ribbed shadow drum a piece. The brake plates also are heavier, so in total you are looking at adding about 2.5 kilogram of unsprung weight to your frontend. This will not help your suspension and will not make your bike handle any better.

To sum up, you increase your braking power but you also buy in a handling and comfort disadvantage. The brake also is expensive.

Seven inch twin leading shoe

A club member from Holland started producing a seven inch twin leading shoe brake a few years ago. It has sold in a large number and is a well proven item.

Drums are still cast iron, but slightly wider and the shoes are as well, so the friction area is increased as well as having twin leading shoes. The stopping power is much increased. After all a very good brake.

The price also is reasonable, the quality from what I heard is very good, so a perfect brake for your Vincent.

You are promoting another brake, I hear you asking yourself.

Well there a a few things I do not like about it. The brake simply does not look right to me, it far off the original.

The brake has the typical tls outside brake leavers with a connecting rod. Also the plate is well stiffend with large ribs on the outside. there are also some nuts and bolts you van se on the outside of the brake plate. The brake is also available with a big airscoop which will help fight brake fading.

But- you probaly guessed it already- it all does not look original at all and in from my (personal) point spoils the view of the front.

Also the installations I have seen till now use twin cables in an very unoriginal way and the iconic Vincent balance beam is no longer used. There are other set ups that use the balance made by club members, but still it does look like a work around and not original at all..

To sum up, a very good brake for a very competitive price but the looks simply put me off. Having said this, maybe I am just too traditional and old fashioned.