Shorts

You're right, KISS. I often must stop myself from complicating a project, start over and say "Ok, I just need to connect X to Y" :icon_shifty:

Is the Blackbird's proportioning valve adjustable at all? If not, it'll be better to go with an aftermarket adjustable unit so I can get it as close to where I need it as I can. I will still need a rear caliper and bracket, possibly a larger rear MC. And to keep this complicated, I'm thinking a delay valve to the front caliper. Does the placement (closer/farther) from the caliper make any difference? Well, it seems that nothing on paper is for sure and the only way to find out is to build it and see how it goes. Scarey thought throwing money and work for an unknown :icon_think: Thanks guys for the help

rockmeupto125, good thoughts on the thumb brake. The thumb clutch wasn't the best idea I've had I'm going to keep the thumb brake in mind. Dion, this is the original plan, and you nailed it. It would be the simplest configuration. When I asked about that setup on another board someone mentioned that I would not be able to place two separate lines(MCs) into one caliper as the system would never be effective. What would happen is you'd just push fluid from on MC to the other. It was due to that that I decided to look for a rear caliper with 2 inputs so that I have two closed systems, rather than one. What do you think? Overall, above schematic is what I want. I don't think everyone understands that judging from the responses I have received. The ONLY reason I would be using Blackbird parts is that they are available (rear caliper for the dual inputs, the proportioning valve, and maybe the rear mc). I don't want or need the complete front and rear system put on my bike, merely factory parts that are readily available to do the above link. Good thoughts. Ultimately, the brakes need to be safe. There's no other way around it. By doing this, I'm hoping to make the task of braking, and overall riding a bit simpler considering. Thanks for support!

Thanks Brett

Hi guys, thanks for the thoughts. As for trading this VTR for that 400, not a chance! I love this little Vtwin Though, hopefully in a year or so Aprilia will have brought the Mana 850 to the States which I'm hoping will be my next bike. We are currently stationed in Japan and will be for the next couple of years. Dion Right. But which calipers are you talking about? I only need the rear caliper from the Blackbird. Do you know the sizes of the pistons? (edit: I found the parts pdf and size is listed there) As I mentioned, I'm unsure which of the pots to use for the the setup. I was thinking for linked duties with the front, use the center pot. For the independent rear, use the the remaining two. Will that setup still be too much? Under normal braking, I would not touch the lever on the bar. The only time I would would be to hold the bike at an incline or rear only duties. Side note, I see you're in Rochester NY. Have you been there long? My husband is from there. airbornexx I have a single disc rear and single disc front. I would like to keep the rear brake. I've found that without it, the front dips forward a little more than with. Any help keeping the bike settled I'm gladly taking. HERBXX, I know exactly the proportioning valve you're talking about. I shot an email off to a custom bike builder asking about a project where he linked through the pedal as well. He said he used a Jegs brand valve, as it was small and easy to hide and adjustable. You're right that it won't be correct unless it can be adjusted. rockmeupto125, this tandem setup isn't tough to run per say. My husband rides my bike and he was able to pickup the mechanics of it pretty quick. You know, I hadn't considered the thumb brake much. When I was initially starting the project, I had the clutch on the thumb. That turned out to be a bad idea. I ended up dropping the clutch and bouncing off the front wall of the garage :icon_doh: Needless to say, I'm a bit soured on thumb levers lol Actully at this point, finding the room for a lever to operate is tight. I did do a little visual check on that when I was considering using a thumb brake for the hill holder/gravel brake for the independent rear. I'm concerned that there's not much room as I have rotated the throttle housing forward in order to have the throttle cables exit downward. This provided room for the clutch lever to have full range of motion. Now, stream of concious says, if I removed the stock brake perch, I can place the clutch perch more level on the bar, thus rotating the throttle housing back to original position and have room to run a thumb brake. Guys again, thanks for the ideas. I'd like to hear more. Like I said on the brake system on ebay, I'd only be purchasing the set as it is cheaper than buying and finding individual parts. I wouldn't actually be using the whole system on my bike. I would for sure use the rear caliper (is it really too much braking power?) and the proportioning valve to bias to the front. Is my 1/2" MC adequate to push the center pot of the rear and the front 2pots (of the stock caliper)? Is this idea really not going to work? Oh, if you have a little time, I've got pics and vids in my blog story of the bikes and the setup: http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/BBS/viewtopic.php?t=17150

Hi folks, I joined up specifically to ask about the brake system on the Blackbirds. And I hate using the term 'disabled rider' - I prefer "My left arm doesn't work" I'm hoping I can get some responses for my project. I'm currently riding a 2000 Honda VTR250 and it has the traditional braking system (front lever to front, foot pedal to rear). Since I ride only using my right hand, I have my brake lever and clutch lever setup in tandem on the right bar. Of course, throttle is still there. So, my hand is fairly busy. I would like to link the front and rear brakes using the footpedal running an independent line from the remaining lever to the rear brake. :icon_duh: I know, travesty! A lot of folks on the board here are delinking brakes for their preference. But please forgive I'm also concerned in an emergency situation that my hand will not be applying enough braking force as it is also busying grabbing the clutch and holding the bike and myself upright (whatever weight my legs and core don't hold back). Currently, I apply too much rear brake and lock it up, which will get me into trouble real fast. In order to run this setup I was looking at a 3pot rear caliper with dual inputs (ST1300, GL1800, CBR1100XX) and a proportioning valve off the pedal MC to bias the majority to the front. Well I came across several Blackbird linked brake systems for decent prices and am thinking of purchasing one, as that is cheaper than buying all new individual parts. I would use the rear caliper and proportioning valve for sure. And possibly the MC depending on the needs of the system. My front caliper is a 27mm dual pot and stock rear MC is 1/2". 1. Does anyone know the measured proportions (and diagram of which outlets are which) the proportioning valve is set for? One system I'm looking at is a '99 the other an '01. 2. What size is the rear pedal MC? From the blurry pic, I gathered it was 11/16", is that correct? I'm unsure if I will need to use a larger MC than 1/2" or not. I'm also undecided on which of the pistons in the rear caliper to use for each braking function. For instance, should I use the single center pot in conjuction with the front brake for the linked setup? Or should I use the 2 pots in conjuction with the front brake? I do still want an individual rear brake and that will use the 2nd input. I hope you guys don't mind the intrusion. I'm wanted to come straight to the horse's mouth for information on the Blackbird brake system. Riding season is closed and doesn't start up again until April, so I have time to do projects.