[Mike flanagan]

I am currently in the process of trying to dismantle my meteor minor fork tubes.They are very corroded and i want newer .Will the older  1950 era tubes work?These are new and a good price,70+.thanks

[allanfox]

Sorry can't comment on what fits what, the only area that matters is where the tube goes through the fork seal, if that is clean then the tubes are perfectly useable, quick wire brush oil them a bit and refit.

[grumbern]

The standard Bullet stanchions will work, IF you have the Bullet type fork legs. The Meteor Minor I think has the 250s type ones though, with the axle not in front, but in line with the fork tubes.
Andreas

[Adrian II]

Why not get the old stanchions hard-chrome plated? They'd be ground back to remove the old finish/corrosion and buiilt up with a hard layer back to the original dimensions.

Note this is an ENGINEERING finish, not to be confused with decorative triple chrome. I had this done for a set of BSA fork stanchions some years ago, very successfully.

A.

[Mike flanagan]

To tell the truth I know these brakes are going to be ineffective for modern conditions,I would rather have a brake akin to Triumph/bsa TLS..If worse than a bullet,no thanks .

[Adrian II]

In that case, you should be able to fit a late-ish iron barrel Indian Bullet complete front end which has the 7" TLS front brake, or even the disk brake front end off the 2005/6 Electra-X or the early G5 EFI Bullet, also with the disk brake! The forks stanchions on these still have the externally threaded tops (1⅜" x 24TPI) which will screw into whatever headlamp casquette or top yoke Redditch was using at the time.

Just be aware these use 19" wheels instead of the Super Meteor's 17".

A.

[allanfox]

To tell the truth I know these brakes are going to be ineffective for modern conditions,I would rather have a brake akin to Triumph/bsa TLS..If worse than a bullet,no thanks .

Well yes sort of, your BSA/Triumph TLS are/were great but will be 50 years old now and certainly not intended for modern conditions, depending on what you get they will need a full rebuild inc a skim back to roundness and brake shoes recovered with modern materials (Villiers).  I have owned 1970 a T150, T120 and a BSA Firebird Scrambler in my time and all fitted with the 8" bell cranked pre comical hub brake, all ok but very different dependent on condition and set up.

All TLS new or 50 years old are only as good as the set up and I am pretty sure there are plenty of Indian TLS brakes out there that work as well or better as badly set up old British ones, I have had both and not that much in it.

[AzCal Retred]

As AllanFox says the India TLS properly set up and using proper aftermarket shoes is satisfactory. BW drilled the drums hot-rod style and found even further improvement. Use the Hitchcock's "sticky" shoes and their HD brake cable. That would look more period correct if that's the goal. Obviously a disc with proper pads would exceed that performance, especially in the wet.

The question I have is what's the point of spending all that $$$ restoring & then "up-modifying" that 500 twin? Even a disc-braked & 5-speed equipped machine's performance would be readily eclipsed by a modern 500cc road bike. New bikes are plentiful. An authentically reconstructed Meteor Minor gives the 1950's riding experience, which is rather the whole point of these old school machines. Re-chroming your fork tubes and having Villiers reline the brake shoes seems a better application of money & time, then enjoy the machine within its envelope. A used $2500 Honda CB500x or many other readily available modern machines will do far better in modern combat traffic conditions. Enjoy the MM for what it is.

[Mike flanagan]

First,what are hitchcocks sticky shoes?I know they sell liners for the single l s brake,which I may try.I am looking for feedback and I thank everyone.As the 60's progressed,even Intercepter owners used Norton road holders but in world of distracted drivers might be time to go over options and weigh my own expectations .I really appreciate the feed back.

[Adrian II]

Sticky probably = a softer lining material for the brake shoes.  Racing linings such as the old AM4s were harder.

A.

[AzCal Retred]

These "sticky" shoes are for the India 7" 2LS hubs and work better than the OEM shoes. Villiers also has many linings available including "roadrace/sporting" linings with a high friction coefficient and attendant shorter lifespan. You'd have to ride a lot to wear them out. The H's shoes offer 20%-50% more initial "bite" and are much more fade resistant than OEM. Actual racing linings (AMA4) often needed to be warmed up to bite hard, H's don't. Science marches on.

I'm not trying to discourage modification, just think about what the end goal is before commiting time & treasure. Much has been learned between the 1940's when these machines were designed and the 2020's. Riding conditions are different. My Bullets are fun for me, but I live out in the sticks with lots of lightly traveled 25-40 MPH twisty 2-lane. In town it's a different world. I am VERY cautious on the (very) occasional  in-town foray. Reflexes & eyesight in the late 60's ain't what it was.

In combat riding conditions lightness, braking, suspension & quick power are all highly valuable commodities. If you only have to ride through a few miles of city to get to the fun back roads the MM will be a hoot dead stock, SLS front brake, 4-speed and all. Ride it within your own personal envelope and pick your riding times. If it's all big city, all the time, maybe trailer it out to the outback for fun weekends. Use the right tool for the job, give yourself the best chance to succeed. There's a whole world of daily-driver, 200cc - 400cc, 260-400 pound, 25-50 HP, disc braked motorcycles & scooters out there built with 2020 tech for 2020 roads. You can ride the MM in the city, but you'll be working harder than the guy on the Piaggio BV350 or Honda CL500. More strategy, more planning ahead, head always on a swivel.

https://accessories.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/accessory-shop/Exchange-Shoes/38097
PART No. 145585B ; F/BRAKE SHOE (7''), TWIN LEADING, **OUTRIGHT**, (PAIR) With locating ridge for pivot pin ; £60.00

[allanfox]

These "sticky" shoes are for the India 7" 2LS hubs and work better than the OEM shoes. Villiers also has many linings available including "roadrace/sporting" linings with a high friction coefficient and attendant shorter lifespan. You'd have to ride a lot to wear them out. The H's shoes offer 20%-50% more initial "bite" and are much more fade resistant than OEM. Actual racing linings (AMA4) often needed to be warmed up to bite hard, H's don't. Science marches on.

I'm not trying to discourage modification, just think about what the end goal is before commiting time & treasure. Much has been learned between the 1940's when these machines were designed and the 2020's. Riding conditions are different. My Bullets are fun for me, but I live out in the sticks with lots of lightly traveled 25-40 MPH twisty 2-lane. In town it's a different world. I am VERY cautious on the (very) occasional  in-town foray. Reflexes & eyesight in the late 60's ain't what it was.

In combat riding conditions lightness, braking, suspension & quick power are all highly valuable commodities. If you only have to ride through a few miles of city to get to the fun back roads the MM will be a hoot dead stock, SLS front brake, 4-speed and all. Ride it within your own personal envelope and pick your riding times. If it's all big city, all the time, maybe trailer it out to the outback for fun weekends. Use the right tool for the job, give yourself the best chance to succeed. There's a whole world of daily-driver, 200cc - 400cc, 260-400 pound, 25-50 HP, disc braked motorcycles & scooters out there built with 2020 tech for 2020 roads. You can ride the MM in the city, but you'll be working harder than the guy on the Piaggio BV350 or Honda CL500. More strategy, more planning ahead, head always on a swivel.

https://accessories.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/accessory-shop/Exchange-Shoes/38097
PART No. 145585B ; F/BRAKE SHOE (7''), TWIN LEADING, **OUTRIGHT**, (PAIR) With locating ridge for pivot pin ; £60.00

"Combat riding conditions",  love it, I live out in the sticks too and know exactly what you mean, always good to get back onto the lanes!


The big advantage of villiers is they make to order and ask you send in the internal dia of your drum so you can get your drum skimmed and then they will make the shoes to the dimensions you supply. They are only relining your old ones so much cheaper than the ones at Hitchcocks (you have to send the old ones in) £19.13, old school prices really!

https://villiersservices.co.uk/product/brake-shoe-re-lining-service/

[Paul W]

I think it’s very important to keep any motorcycle fit for purpose. I owned a lovely BSA A7SS in my youth (mid 1970s). It went well and handled very well, but its weak point was the SLS front brake. To get any worthwhile retardation one needed to pull the lever so hard it felt like the nipple might pull off the cable. I wouldn’t want to have to rely on it in modern traffic conditions, which in U.K. has become exponentially busier and faster.

I was in the RAF in North Yorkshire and a pal, who hadn’t long passed his test, bought a Yamaha 200 twin, fitted with a single disc front brake. One evening we went out for a ride around the county and my pal asked if we could swap bikes on the way home and I agreed. I was surprised by how light his bike was. As it was getting dark, we were batting on a bit with me leading and came to a T junction leading to a main road, where we had to stop. Not being familiar with disc brakes, I used my usual vice like grip on the little Yammie’s brake lever, which instantly locked the front wheel. I nearly went over the handlebars and stopped twenty yards short of the junction. Seconds later, my pal flew past me on my Beesa, went straight across the junction, over the main road onto the opposite grass verge and almost into the hedge.

There were a few expletives uttered but his involved my brakes not working. They did, but not if you only used a couple of fingers to pull the lever! 

Anyhow, if I had the A7SS today the first thing I’d fit would be a 1969/70 BSA/Triumph TLS with some decent shoe linings. I fitted Villiers Services shoes to my 350 Bullet and it will now lock the wheels.

[Mike flanagan]

well ,ive surrendered and bought original tubes from Enfield Ray.They are 20.5 inches long,plain fork tubes,no dampening.about 5 inches from the bottom are 4 horizontal holes ,north to south,east to west.Im positive you could chop 2 inches from older bullet tubes and save 200 bucks.