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Front end swap (650-500)

357 Views 5 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  motormike, 
motormike
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My 82' Trike... ex Chicago PD.... has poor braking. Golf cart drums on the Jeep axle with 16 inch tires and one front disc. Fine for parking lot duty.... anything over 45 mph requires an appointment. I got a dual system from a 650.... but issues have presented themselves. The 650 set up is wider .. as a result, the brackets for gauges.. etc etc ... from the 500 don't fit. Also, the upper triple tree on the 650 leans back slight and just barely touches the fuel tank.... The headlight ears for the 500 are too short..... 500 fender doesn't fit.... so I'll visit the local cycle graveyard and try and locate a " naked " (non faring) 650. Hopefully I'll take care of these gremlins and report... happy news. A tip of the cap to Randall....(Minnesota) for providing parts that may bail me out.:cool:
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motormike
The frustration.. continues.... discovered all three brake lines plugged.... thankfully we have a local spot that builds them..... the 500 gauges mount to the 650-gauge bracket... the center dash cluster on the 500 mounts with two horizonal holes.. the 650..two vertical holes.... break out the drill... with the wide dual forks... the lower triple tree steering stops (blocks) need a small section added (welded) to prevent the upper fork touching the fuel tank. Thankfully I know a welding guru.
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M
dont you have the factory bendix brakes on the jeep rear axle?
i have redone 4 or five sets of those with new wheel cylinders lines and a master cylinder and properly machined drums and arced shoes
and they will stop the trike well
i have switch to gl500 front ends on 2 of the 3 single disc cxtrikes i have rebuilt but it was not a big chore
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Sidecar Bob
motormike said:
The frustration.. continues.... discovered all three brake lines plugged....
Click to expand...
That's one of the reasons I recommend replacing ancient rubber lines. I've heard of the inner layer of the rubber delaminating and acting like a flap valve inside the line, not to mention the amount of lever effort wasted on expanding the lines instead of pushing the pads against the disc.
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motormike
As a retired muffler-brake guy...I know a little about brakes....I was going to swap to full size drums brakes... a easy project.... I ask'd our local warehouse brake parts outlet about the Cj (4?) rear brakes .... " discontinued " ..... I ask'd local junk yards... " crushed years ago "....I ask'd local 4x4 shops... " they may have them somewhere in Texas.. " .... the trike stops well for city.... but at times I do get on the freeway and the braking wasn't great. Yesterday I got the discs bled... checked the fluids .... fired the trike up... been sitting two years.... it started straight away.... rode it 15 feet forward and backwards.... this weekend trailer it to my weld'n buddy...... today visit the local cycle boneyard and see if they have 650 headlight ears..... if not... Mike's Xs sells slide on replacements.... :cool: ( photo is the day I got it )

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motormike
After visit to welder... quarter inch square metal... about half inch long.... weld to lower tree... works great. Brakes bled..... stops..... rear brakes.. needs adjustments..... which requires... axle on stands.... pull wheels... " brake spoon " front the front.... :cool:
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