[joe c]

aaron, did you really have brake fade into 3 with that brake?? i used to have a little fade on the 350 with it, but id think on a 100lb lighter bike, it shouldnt be a problem. mike cooked the drum brown when he had it. its a little surprising that it fades, especially since id think you wouldnt be hauling that bike down anywhere but that corner. you sould check for heat. i know that mike morse told me that brake was good to something like 300 degrees. you obviously know what you need to do to those compounds to make them work. i can get you the numbers for the compounds if you have questions about it to mike morse. but id doubt its a heat fade. especially with that scoop.

later
me

 

[jbranson]

I'm thinking it was brain fade!
JohnnyB

 

[joe c]

senor branson, thanks for the gastank. really. it was good to see so much of you over the weekend. you really are into the immersion thing arent you?? your bikes look sharp. i liked mary wandering around modeling her new gas tank. funny. its almost like shes going around and showing everyone how smart her dog is or something. anyway, good to see you guys this weekend. your bikes are quick. mary was flying on the 175. it was fun chasing her around in practice.

now get to work, you have a bike to finish!

joe

 

[aaron]

No Joe,
I didn't have brake fade, I made it up to impress you. I need to true the drum to the shoes.

Aaron

 

[jbranson]

Aaron,
Mary's brake was spongy as hell when I first put it on. I sanded the shoes so fresh pad was showing and then ran it up and down the street once, took it back off, and looked for high spots. I sanded down the high spots, put it back on, spun the wheel a few times and stopped it with the brake, took it back off and sanded the high spots more. Tightened it right up. Also...remember, I'm sure you know it already but be SURE to hold the brake on tightly before tightening the axle nut. Very important.
JohnnyB

PS. Have you considered that your scoop may be keeping the brake TOO cool. Race compounds have to get up to temp to work properly. I put OEM type shoes on Mary's bike for that very reason, she comes in and the drum is hardly warm, not warm enough to make race compound work. I on the other hand brake like an SOB. I've got a Vintage Brake T500 unit that all I have to do after a race is just touch the lever coming into the pits and it will throw me on my ass. Seriously..it's that touchy when it's nice and hot.

 

[joe c]

thats what i was getting at with the temp thing. and the scoop. i doubt hes over heating it. it would seem more like its just not getting up to temp if anything. john, my brake acts the same way. when i brake to make the turn into the garage area, i have to be really careful not to lock the front up with the 450. ive come very close a few times. so im usually slow entering the pit in road so i dont have to be on the brakes hard. my drum gets pretty hot. hot enough that you cant touch it sometimes. but it doesnt seem to fade. i readjusted it and really works quite nicely now. arrons brake also might be glazing. it could be cooling too quickly and not staying hot. what do you think of that idea?

joe

 

[joe c]

another thing john, youre also hauling down quite a bit more weight than mary is. you probably need the bite of the race compound. aaron used to run the stock shoes in the bsa, so it might take a weekend or 2 to get used to how his brakes react. also, not to forget, it was pretty chilly this past weekend. that might have something to do with it too.

just ideas

jc

 

[jbranson]

JC,
I don't know enough about race compounds to know how bad they work at low temps, but I know they work much better at high temps. I've heard race compound will continue to work at very high temps...like 600 degrees hot!
Good point about cooling too quickly..specially if Aaron notices it in turn three. It's got the whole front straight to cool off, then a just a bit of use in turn one and two, then a straight to three...gotta be pretty cool by then.

I'd suggest feeling the brake drum after a race, if it's not quite warm to the touch then it's probably not fade, it's something else..like too cool, or a glaze, although I've never had problems with glazing when the drum is clean and I sand the shoes now and then.

I too have come very close to crashing on pit in with hot race compound, hard to figure how it works so well during the race then gets so touchy at slow speeds.
JohnnyB

 

[aaron]

I only brake a little in turn 1 and don't brake until turn 3. The scoop actually does help and I spoke with mike from vintage brake today to verify that. It was something else. I believe I have it figured out. We'll see at Summit.

Aaron