Adding front brake to Baja Warrior MB200

[PhilosophStein]

My recent 212cc Predator install into the Baja Warrior went easily. I can def feel a little more torque compared to the stock 196cc clone that came with the minibike. At the backyard "track" area where I ride it, the bike has enough top speed even with the governor still in. I first rode it with he throttle limiter as it was from the factory and then rode it after I turned that screw until it was almost out of it's bracket. I noticed a little more road speed with that change.

I'm getting to the point where I need more braking force... so I don't go into the woods unintentionally when I'm burning around turns lol. And I did a little forum reading and want to go the route for putting a rear wheel/hub onto the front since they are the same size. The thread I read, the guy used a custom shaped bracket, a U-bolt, and nuts and bolts to secure the drum brake housing to the front fork.

In this setup, it seems like only the 'pinching force' and friction and holding the bracket to the front fork. Thus, it seems like that setup may wiggle lose over time? My question about this setup is this: Would it be safe to tack-weld the U-bolt a few times where it wraps around the front fork? That is, would anything be damaged internally in the front fork from he heat of tack welding? I think that few tack welds can add more security to the setup.

Next question: With braking force now added to the front wheel, there will be more weight transfer and stresses on the front forks, the triple tree, etc. What are some easy ways to reinforce those items so that there is less chance of them snapping/breaking? I was thinking about welding a pipe next to each fork in the area between the upper ad lower horizontal spans of the triple tree.

 

[JKautoFab]

the clamp holding the brake housing is to keep it from rotating... so it really wont be pulling in a way that will be trying to come loose.

you could use some heavy duty pipe strapping and it would work just fine.

 

[Newoldstock]

There is a Yahoo groups Baja mb165 club that has some great templates and pictures that show different brake modifications.

I have no pcitures to show you of mine but I used the basic front drum converstion and I welded a gusset to my frame at the front.

 

[deejaaa]

forks are aluminum. rod is steel. just use U bolts.

 

[ludicrous speed]

There is a Yahoo groups Baja mb165 club that has some great templates and pictures that show different brake modifications.

I have no pcitures to show you of mine but I used the basic front drum converstion and I welded a gusset to my frame at the front.

can you Link that Group??
thanks man!! :thumbsup:

 

[deejaaa]

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups...zZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzE0MDY0ODQ2MjY-

 

[PhilosophStein]

One more question before I proceed with ordering a rear wheel hub, brake lever, etc.

In the builds I have seen, it seems like the wheel is attached to the front forks with the brake actuator lever on the left hand side of the bike. That is, the drum brake housing extension where it would be secured from rotating is on the same side as the exhaust (on a default setup).

I briefly looked at the stock tires and they appear to be directional... Thus with the wheel mounted so the brake actuator lever is on that side, won't the tire be rotating the opposite way it was intended to? How much, if any does this matter? Is it easy to break the bead and re-bead the tire so that its rotation direction is correct?

 

[chipper]

Get a scooter wheel and go with hydraulic disk brakes ! The best stopping power out there , look at Sand crackers bike !

 

[deejaaa]

One more question before I proceed with ordering a rear wheel hub, brake lever, etc.

In the builds I have seen, it seems like the wheel is attached to the front forks with the brake actuator lever on the left hand side of the bike. That is, the drum brake housing extension where it would be secured from rotating is on the same side as the exhaust (on a default setup).

I briefly looked at the stock tires and they appear to be directional... Thus with the wheel mounted so the brake actuator lever is on that side, won't the tire be rotating the opposite way it was intended to? How much, if any does this matter? Is it easy to break the bead and re-bead the tire so that its rotation direction is correct?

i wouldn't be concerned about tire direction just yet. it's easy to take the wheel off once you get it set up and dialed in. breaking the beads are easy. getting the tire off is another story. i take mine down to the lawnmower shop but i think i will try it again after i get some spoons. if you are going to be on the street anyway, get a set of kendas once you get these worn down, which won't long from now.

 

[PhilosophStein]

Silly me.... For some reason I thought that replacement OEM wheels already came with tires mounted to them.... ut:

Checking a little more carefully this time (maybe less caffeine in me lol) on a few sites that sell OEM baja parts, reveals that tires and rims are separate....Thus you can easily mount the tire whichever way it needs to be once you figure out which side you want your rear brake on.

I am planning to dismount the front tire currently on my bike and put it on the new rear rim when I get that stuff eventually.

 

[PhilosophStein]

Well, little update here. I recently got around to adding a front brake to the MB200! :laugh: Gosh, it def makes a difference, even with a governed engine. I am now able to be way more aggressive entering turns than I was before.

My unscientific testing to determine how well the front brake affected the bike's overall braking ability involved a small hill at the backyard course I ride at. I decided to use the hill and let it roll down as a way to ensure very close to the same velocity at start of brake application. I marked a large line at the bottom of the hill where max braking effort at the hand lever would be applied for 3 cases: rear brake only, front only, and both brakes. I marked a line on the ground where the back tire was after each test. I repeated the measurements twice. I figured that both brakes stopped the bike about 30-40% sooner than rear brake or front brake alone! :thumbsup:

A few pics are below of installed bracket:

As you can see, my front brake cable takes a convoluted path to get to the lever!! This bothers me a little as it obv doesn't look as good as it could be... The cable I used was the OEM brake cable.... Is there any way to shorten the length of the cable? --> the internal wire and the outer sheath while maintaining the external connectors on the sheath?


Anyway, I can't believe I waited so long to add this!! I can def see how one would most likely want this if they run without a gov!

 

[deejaaa]

how does the front brake lever affect the action of the twist throttle? do you bit the throttle at all when applying the front brake?

 

[PhilosophStein]

how does the front brake lever affect the action of the twist throttle? do you bit the throttle at all when applying the front brake?

At full brake lever throw, the lever just barely compresses the outer flange of the twist throttle grip. However, when I need to pull the brake lever to full throw, I'm usually totally off the throttle so that little interference doesn't affect the ride...

 

[Jaymo]

I just ordered all the brake system parts to install this on my Baja.
The only thing different from mine is the wheel is silver, whereas mine is black.
Guess it's time for sandpaper and some rattlecan black paint.

BTW, are there any other forks that will fit that are heavier duty than stock?

 

[owend]

That's a good question about the front forks Jay. Show us some pictures of your brake installation when you are done.

 

[Jaymo]

Will hopefully have it installed by next weekend.
Going to change the engine oil and do brake install at same time.
Does anyone have a template for the brake and cable brackets? I need to make them to allow install to proceed.

What's up with the Yahoo group linked on the first page of this thread?
I tried to join a the beginning of this week and my membership still hasn't been approved.
Can't look at any pics there if I can't get approved.

 

[joekd]

As mentioned in PM brake bracket being sent to you today, the bracket I used a L bracket from HD that I cut down to work with and adjuster from an old brake lever

If you want an easy way I will sell you my entire bike with the front brake, NR racing motor, header, TAV and much more. Instant "done" bike

 

[Triple A Arsenal]

Can anyone help me, I need to know the width of the mb200 front wheel bearing to bearing.
They are not exact 8" since they have built in spacers. Or a measurement of the inside fork where it mounts would be the same measurement.

I can't find this info anywhere, even companies that sell it say whatever the oem specs are. They won't measure it.

 

[BikeWorm]

Can anyone help me, I need to know the width of the mb200 front wheel bearing to bearing.
They are not exact 8" since they have built in spacers. Or a measurement of the inside fork where it mounts would be the same measurement.

I can't find this info anywhere, even companies that sell it say whatever the oem specs are. They won't measure it.

They don't have built in spacers

 

[BikeWorm]

They should be the same wheels that are on the ct200u