Brake pedal refurb

[Bill2001]

I'm planning a brake pedal refurb per the Mike Lake article in v2#4 Resonator. What is the nominal alignment of the pedal footpad with the folding footpeg? Mine seems a bit too far inboard to the footpeg and i need to twist my foot in gto brake.

Also, is there a current source for the "IMS Folding brake pedal end" mentioned in the article? Seems not to be produced any more, and I'd like to avoid paying a premium for a "vintage part".

[bobwhitman]

Folding tip should be available from major wholesalers like Western Power Sports or Parts Unlimited.
Bob

[Bill2001]

I checked the Parts Unlim paper "off-road" catalog and all I saw was entire brake pedals. I'll do an online look later. My Google-Foo is limited, I'm stuck with a Smartphone.

[hodakamax]

Bill, check E-bay. Seems like I saw some on there not too long ago and they were reasonably priced. I finally went with modifying the stock pedal as shown on the Day One Project a page or two back (Pg. 18 on the thread) which also worked well. Pictures on the thread or I can bring them up. Either way is quite the needed improvement.
Max

[Bill2001]

I found it in the WPS online cat. Under Offroad/Controls/Weld-on Tips. I'll look for other sources/designs. And I'll look at Max's article.

[Bullfrog]

Brake pedal design always involves trade-offs.

1. Make the brake pedal stick out too far and all kinds of trail things hit it/grab it and rip it off or bend it. (I'm talking about the forward pointing structure of the brake pedal which the folding part attaches too). For trail riding, that part needs to be tucked close to the frame to help prevent "jams" with trail items like rocks, branches, heavy grass, etc.
2. Don't like twisting your toes "inboard" to "find" the pedal? OK, move it "out" - but don't forget #1.
3. Some folks like the pedal under foot all the time with toe of boot angled down . . . which leads to toe angled wayeeee down with brake applied. Other folks, (like me) can't abide by that. I just cringe on the trail if I have to point my toe toward the ground at a 35-45 degree angle to apply the brakes. It puts my foot in danger when the toe of the boot is aimed wayeeee down (cringe).

Ed

[Bill2001]

Very good points on brake pedal placement, BF. This occurred to me as i was reading up on brake pedals in Max's article. I think that stiffening of the pedal arm is good. Adding a "sharkstooth" rim to the toepiece and dumping the rubber cover is good. Going with a springloaded toepiece (about $12) would be bulletproof. And they make a spring-loaded tip for the shifter. And I've seen shark-tooth add-ons for the footpegs, all from WPS in Boise.

[taber hodaka]

We drilled a hole at the front of the brake pedal and wired to the frame with the wire from a clutch cable with a little slack. This kept the brush and such from getting wedged in the brake pedal and kept from getting bent out so easily. Brushey in Montana. Spelling??
------------Clarence Toes pointed down 45 degrees = street riders

[MTrat]

I agree with Clarence's solution. This also prevents some of the problems in #1 of Bullfrog's post..

[hodakamax]

Well at least you are addressing the problem, the stock set-up is a weak link in the design. OK for street and light trail but if you are a serious trail rider or cross-country guy the brake pedal is a bit light duty. With the stock pedal the pedal height is set by the footpeg bar. By strengthening the stock pedal you at least don't run into a new problem of setting the pedal height. Something to consider. Beefing up what you have makes sense but so does a back folding end and the alligator teeth for that matter. Either one of the two solutions or a combination of the two is a good one.

Max

[Bill2001]

At first I found the brake pedal height too high, which caused probs with the adjustment and use of the brake. I corrected the height by splitting a piece of fuel hose lengthwise and gluing it to the brake arm at the footpeg bar.

[Bullfrog]

. . . and I had a cable (as mentioned by Clarence) on my ISDT Qualifier bikes back in the day . . . and the alligator teeth mentioned by Max too.

You just have to watch the cable length. It has to be long enough that you don't come up tight on the cable and start to wonder why more pressure on the pedal doesn't do anything.

Ed

[bchappy]

Happened to me about 1970. I had attached the cable as mentioned for a 2 hour cross country that went down a sandy creek for about 100 yards. About the third lap around the course I came up out of the creek and was going down a logging road about 45 mph into a sawmill site. The trail turned sharp back up a hill right at a slab pile. I hit the rear brake at the last minute to make the turn and nothing (the sand in the creek had eat up the brake shoes and the cable wouldn't let the brake lever go down any further.) Front brake helped a little, but I laid it down and slid into the slabs at about 30 mph. Not hurt but lesson learned.

[taber hodaka]

I really like the reinforcement that Max did to his brake. but I would also add the cable to keep the brush out.
------------Clarence-

[hodakamax]

Clarence, I've been contemplating the cable thing for the project for quite a while. I've even bought some fasteners and plotted a bit. The brace under the pedal end is a good place to tie one end and the other end needs to go to the skid plate somehow. I think I'll loop through the pedal brace and have the skid plate end be bolt-on so I don't have to cut the cable for disassembly. I haven't found exactly what I need on that end yet and I got sidetracked on some other project. That's my excuse anyway. Still thinkin'.

Max

[Bill2001]

Good discussion. Another problem with the footpegs is that the BMW cylinders are offset, as are the footpegs, and the Right footpeg is 3inches further back. After all these years I don't notice it, but it drives me bonkers on the Hodie.

Related question: the worn sidestand deploys with the ground pad 8-10" ahead of the footpeg. Bike leans too much. The pivot bolt/hole is worn. I note from Max's thread that the sidestand deploys at about right angle to the bike. I'm planning on getting a 3/8" to 1/2" dia shoulder bolt and redrillling the egg-shaped frme bracket hole and welding up new forward stop if need be to make the angle 'better'.

Other ideas?

[hodakamax]

Whatever it takes, sounds like you're on the right track. They do get a bit sloppy after 40-50 years!

Max

[Bill2001]

I've read to Page 10 of your 20 page tome of "Day One". Quite impressive. I've already gotten beau_coup ideas.

[Bill2001]

While we've wandered towards sidestands-- I've got a 30" inseam and am old enough to be a little creaky. It is hard for me to throw my right leg over a bike when mounting. On the BMW I have a sturdy aftermarket sidestand and I step up onto the left footpeg with my left foot and throw the right leg over the seat. This has worked well for 15years. I need to adopt the same procedure on the Hodie. Since I'm doing sidestand work, I wonder if I need to look at strengthening the sidestand mounting tab?

[hodakamax]

30'' inseam, old and creaky? This is all starting to sound familiar.

[taber hodaka]

Over the hill but. When I was 30 inseam old creaky fun to cross on my hodaka. ----Sorry Clarence

[Bill2001]

Yes. We own the World, no?

[dirty_rat]

The stock sidestand will NOT stand up to full rider weight on it. It might the first few times, but sooner or later the sidestand will bend or break. I think (just an observation - not gospel) that the bracket on the frame will take the weight, but the sidestand itself will not.

[Bill2001]

Then Plan B will be to fabricate a sidestand that won't bend. Meanwhile I'll repair some of the wear out of th old sidestand and see what "geometry" works best. Before I get even creakier.

[Bill2001]

Parts Unlimited didn't carry the folding tips
and WPS is a dealer wholesler, so I ended up buying from Motoxoutlet. In addition to the folding brake pedal tip, I also got a folding tip for the shift lever.

I'll report back.