Boxerworks.com

Dear Members,
My friend Todd, has been traveling in South America and sent me this note.
I am hoping one or more of you would have some advice for me. I own a 1992 BMW R-100 GSPD. The bike is currently in Bogota Colombia. The bike itself has no problems and performed great on a recent trip through South America. The problem is me!!
My right hand has developed a peripheral neuropathy or loss of my gripping ability in that hand.
My question is does anyone know how I might be able to adapt my front brake to possibly require less gripping strength?
Is there a way to apply the front brake without using my hand?
Any help or suggestions would be appreciated!
Thanks!
Ronnie

Trying to imagine myself in the same predicament as your friend. That's a tough one to come up with something
safe enough to get by on for a bit. All I can think of involves using a bit of cord rope somehow around the brake handle, over the throttle and down to the rear brake pedal.
Better not pass along my idea to your friend. Maybe better ideas will come around here.
Hope he can get help for his hand.

A quick and dirty method would be to attach a short loop of strap to the end of the brake lever, and route it under the throttle and over his wrist. Then throttle would be twist of the wrist down, and brake would be twist of the wrist up...

The best method I can think of would be to rig up a rear master cylinder to the brake pedal and run hose up to the front caliper so that the brake pedal gave you combined braking on both wheels. It would take some relatively advanced modifications, and a lot of experimenting, but it has the potential to provide the perfect solution.

Reducing the effort at the grip simply takes a smaller master cylinder at the handlebar, but if the grip problem is really bad, changing the actuation to the foot is probably a better solution.

Integral braking. I think that's what they call it. Both brakes operated by the foot pedal.
The purists don't like it, but I thought it was most excellent on my Guzzi California.

ME 109 wrote:Integral braking. I think that's what they call it. Both brakes operated by the foot pedal.
The purists don't like it, but I thought it was most excellent on my Guzzi California.

It's not my preference either, but if I couldn't squeeze my right hand, it could seem like a godsend.

Major Softie wrote:

ME 109 wrote:Integral braking. I think that's what they call it. Both brakes operated by the foot pedal.
The purists don't like it, but I thought it was most excellent on my Guzzi California.

It's not my preference either, but if I couldn't squeeze my right hand, it could seem like a godsend.

Integral is perfect for those that don't push it to the limit.
Oh, and it's quite ok for those who do push it to the limit. And......there's always the front brake lever for requirements beyond 100%

Intergal brakes...good idea. Had them on a 2003 Honda ST1300...use the front only if wanted but when applied rear foot brake the front brake applied as well but proportionally. When used the rear foot brake I think 60% (??) was applied to the front brakes. Drove me nuts especially in slow turning manouevers where I only wanted to use the rear brake but the idea would work here I thnk.

Be like a proportional valve that you find in car braking system...step on the brake and full braking force to front brakes and proportional amount (% ???) to the rear brakes?

There's also brake levers that are adjustable to hand/grip size. See them on lots of Jap bikes....with a wheel on the lever to adjust the amount of pull (again had on my Honda for both clutch and brake)...maybe reduce the amount of "squeeze"?

But this fellows problem may be he lacks to hand strength to pull the front brake lever? I had a 91 GS and you had t be able to grip like hell for those front brakes...they were the pits!

What about a Nissan 4 or 6 pot conversion (which has been done for the GS)...less pull and twice the stopping power? Check out that conversion on ADV.com site. lots good write ups on doing it.

If you can't pull a brake lever, do you really have enough grip strength on the handlebar to be riding safely? I realize that most steering inputs can be done one-handed, and that "grip" isn't what's keeping you on the motorcycle in most riding situations, but I'm just thinking about keeping a handhold if you find yourself in a suddenly or inadvertently bumpy situation. Just asking---you're there, and I'm not.

Konrad

moosehead wrote:Be like a proportional valve that you find in car braking system...step on the brake and full braking force to front brakes and proportional amount (% ???) to the rear brakes?

I believe the bike in question has a rear drum, so it would have to be done differently: mechanical rear brake lever also operating a master cylinder for the front. That's what would be the unexplored territory.