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Dommie TLS conversion

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Does anyone know who, apart from Norvil, markets a new TLS front brake unit that is a straight swap for the standard SLS one? It's just as a price comparison excercise really as I'd like to find at least one other to compare with. I particularly like their plain unvented one - 064281 -rather than the superfluous "water-scoop" type! I'm not going to race it and I won't be going much above the legal maximum of 80mph! ("What do you mean - it's 70mph?")

I have a 1959 '99' and a 1961 Navigator, so it would fit either bike. The Dommie will be (I hope!) concours when I finish it - but probably not until after I retire in June! The plan is to have a better roadgoing front stopper for summer rides etc. but swap back to standard for shows. It's quite a quick job. When I get the Dommies's wheels rebuilt I'll also have the drum skimmed (the rear is a new one) so I'll do the same on the Navi to allow a mix-&-match as needed. That way the wear pattern should be similar. The Navi is (almost!) roadgoing so if I buy one it'll go on that first. Even though it comes out at over £300, I might be able to justify it by saying the cost is spread over both bikes. Is that what they call "Creative Accounting"?

Cheers, Lionel

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The total cost of the brake would be £320.28 plus a new Commando-type brake cable. Norvil's discount is 5% for order values over £100 net. Not a bad price though, but it's why I'd like a comparison if poss. I suspect this is not a competetive market though, so you just have to pay up! Now's the time to make all my purchases before I retire and stop earning money! LOL! I'm one of those who can't really afford to stop working at 65 but I don't enjoy my job anymore so the wife says "Sod it - leave!"

Before considering the TLS I was thinking of buying a standard new front brake plate from them anyway so it would be nice & shiny for concours showing! The old one's good and polishes up OK but it doesn't look new of course. I'm not THAT attached to it and could always sell it - as I will for all the 'leftovers'! I might still buy one of those as well! Spend, spend, spend!!Two wheels to have rebuilt with new chrome rims plus a camshaft and cam followers regrind - all yet to come!

Cheers, Lionel

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I would try Andover Norton (01488 686816) and RGM (01946 841517). I find them both far more competitive than Norvil.

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RGM manufacture their own which claims to have improved webbing to reduce the flexing that the originals suffer from.

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Thanks for the two links guys but they are very well known to me already. I bought a stack of stuff from them and know Nick at A-N reasonably well. Can't find either selling anything like a TLS kit for a Dommie though. They both seem to be only about disc brakes for Commandos. A-N's parts list is difficult to negotiate but I haven't found a drum brake TLS there at all. Am I missing something? I guess phone callsare in order. I phoned RGM the other day asking about cam regrinds.

Cheers, Lionel

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Correction! I just did another quick search on RGM using "Brake plate" (nothing under "brakes" or "TLS") and found a kit that says it's based on a Commando type but doesn't say it's particularly suitable for a Dommie. Very little info, not even the size. The other drawback is that they are about £70 (net) dearer than Norvil - who would have thought that?

Cheers, Lionel

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Lionel,

If you are prepared to wait Andover Norton is about to do one based on the original factory drawings. Complete brake plate with stiffening kit in place and brake shoes, ready to go on. I think by the end of March it should be available.

Joe

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Up early then Joe? LOL! Many thanks for that info. I'm not actually in a great rush but figured that Norvil's price was pretty good compared with RGM, so I wanted to take advantage of it before it zooms up! The style also suits what I want. I'm NOT a wannabe racer, so air/water scoops don't interest me considering the speeds I'm likely to be doing - no "track days" I think!

A unit that looks only slightly different from the original SLS is just up my street and one which I can do a quick swap-over with the SLS is also good. Norvil do a stiffened version for £320.62 less 5%. Cheaper than the unstiffened (I think) RGM version. The slight drawback is that I suspect they will both have fairly hard linings whereas, for normal touring speeds, I would rather sacrifice wear against stopping power with softer linings. I will probably wait and see what Andover Norton produce - but not later that the Easter Stafford Show in April as that's when I will go shopping at Norvil!

Cheers, Lionel

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F.A.O. Joe Seifert- If you get to read this Joe, I'm disappointed that Andover Norton don't intend to make anything like what you detailed before. I spoke to Nick on the phone last week and he says they are only going back into production of the brake plate on its own - not the whole brake unit. He said I would have to look at the standard Commando parts, buy themand put it all together that way. The plate will be the same as the early Commando TLS with an air scoop opening.

Now I haven't priced up every single component from A-N's list -I doubt if they've even got them all in stock - but I don't think I would want to go down that route as it will almost certainly be more expensive and time-consuming than buying the complete assembled unit from Norvil!

Shame there's not enough call for them. I would have thought that most people with older Dommies would want to upgrade the brakes to have a chance with modern traffic. As I said before, it's easy enough to swap back to the standard brake for shows etc.

 


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