Left Hand Rear Brake

[Chuck.]

So what your telling me is you think it is a good idea to have two levers (three incl decompression) on the left?????

Yes but on my X the third lever is the hot start.

Really only two levers while riding and you quickly adjust to which is which.

This is my XR with cable LHRB and you can see that the difference in length and position. The short lever is the clutch.

 

The next pic is a dual lever setup on an ATV

Edited January 20, 2017 by Chuck.

[grayracer513]

So what your telling me is you think it is a good idea to have two levers (three incl decompression) on the left?????

 

A friend of mine used to keep his clutch, front brake, and throttle all on the right side, and he had no trouble riding and even racing flat track that way.  Of course, he only did it because he lost his left arm...

 

Humans are adaptable.

[Rgksr]

I have a rekluse and Ox Brake on my 13 350 XCF-W. It works great. I ordered one for my Beta 300rr Race Edition and will install it when I install my Rekluse.

[numroe]

On 27/02/2016 at 8:17 PM, Mr_Motocross said:

and get an adapter that goes in where the reservoir joins the rear brake master. The kind of adapter depends on what connection is in there but they're pretty simple. Hohey and GP tech have made them so you can see some examples if you google.

Mr_M, Do you know a workshop who can sell me an LHRB pressure line adapter for a dual control system using a Nissan rear brake foot master on a Japanese MX bike?  See the pic below.

What's the principle behind these adapters?  I mean where is the pressure from the LHRB master being directed?

[scriberman]

 The adapter bolts into the reservoir  but bypasses the sight glass window.
 

[numroe]

4 hours ago, scriberman said:

 The adapter bolts into the reservoir  but bypasses the sight glass window.
 

Thanks. I've wondered about it. So if I understand it right, when the foot pedal/piston is not pushed, then the hand brake pressure goes through the foot reservoir and piston port and onto the slave? And if the foot pedal is pushed then the hand brake does not work?

Seems that the type of foot master I have is not a good design for making a simple adapter for hand master input. Perhaps I should get one of the old design Nissan foot masters with the external res, and then attach the hand pressure line on instead of that external res.  Would it be that simple?

Edited July 19, 2017 by numroe

[scriberman]

 That's correct, If you hold the hand brake on and push the foot brake the hand brake lever pushes out a bit then goes solid.  You need someone with a lathe to make a adapter that goes to the bottom of the res with a O ring under it and a thread on the top/ tapped hole for a fitting. 

[numroe]

20 hours ago, scriberman said:

You need someone with a lathe to make a adapter that goes to the bottom of the res with a O ring under it and a thread on the top/ tapped hole for a fitting.

Thanks.

If I use one of these older type rear brake foot masters with the external res, then I guess I attach/adapt the hand brake line directly onto the built in small res chamber since it has no sight glass. Correct?

Edited July 21, 2017 by numroe

[Chuck.]

I have LHRB on two different bikes with different Nissin master cylinders:

My X has a an integral reservoir MC and the adapter extends to the bottom of the reservoir with two O rings, one above and one below the reservoir port, thus keeping pressure away from the sight glass. The adapter bolts on just like the the reservoir cap.

My XR has a remote reservoir MC and the adapter replaces the plastic OEM piece that connect the MC to the remote reservoir. It is aluminum and uses the OEM O ring and circlip. 

One issue with these conversions is only one lever can be used at a time. As previously stated if the LHRB is applied pressing the foot pedal cuts it off. What happens is the when foot pedal moves the MC piston moves past the reservoir port and cuts off the LHRB.  My ideal system would have a second caliper for the LHRB, in the mean time I try to train myself to use only one at a time.

I do like the LHRB and find it very useful for several different riding situations:

When the trail situations present possible foot hits I move my feet aft so the balls of my feet are on the pegs, and use the LHRB.
On step uphill stops I use the LHRB to stop the bike from rolling backwards.
On step/tight downhill switchbacks I use the LHRB so my right leg is free for a dab.
Onstep/tight uphill switchbacks that I can't ride around I use the LHRB while on the landing to re-positioning the bike towards the exit trail. 
When rolling forward and backwards during U turns on a narrow trails I need both feet for balance so I use the LHRB.
I have the LHRB and clutch levers positioned such that I can use both at the same time, convenient on uphill restarts, U turns, etc.

Because of different MC, calipers, and pads between the two bikes the LHRBs work differently. The LHRB on my X is more effective than my XR;  both will slide the rear wheel and stall the engine but they present different lever feel.  The good news is the X engine has an auto compression release and will easily restart in 1st gear, the bad news is the XR requires 3rd gear to bump start. 

[numroe]

7 hours ago, Chuck. said:

One issue with these conversions is only one lever can be used at a time.

Great post chuck and very insightful thanks. With advice from scriber too, I think I fully understand the hydraulic principles now.

I cannot think of a way to avoid the one control at a time issue, since the masters have to be in series. I cannot imagine how a valve would work with two masters in parallel since a slave needs two-way flow back to any master. But perhaps engineers solved this for other brake configurations on other machines.

I have a LHRB on my YZ250 for trails and love it. It's hand only, with a Rekluse. Very cheap and simple using a mountain bike master and line which all up cost me about $100. Works great. But a dual system would be handy at times for sure. I don't think I'd struggle with trying to use both together.

On the other hand humans can adapt. Rear brake with the left hand or right foot has advantages each way, but I think the hand control has many more benefits and foot braking is very crude in many situations. Similar to having a foot throttle on a dirt bike. 

If I didn't have a Rekluse ZS-P for stall prevention I think I'd try the Clake One.

[Chuck.]

I've found no problem with attempting to use both at the same time; lever pressure in the LHRB signals with a firm lever when the MC piston closes the reservoir port. Then I need to decide which one I want to use.

I also find that I have slightly better control of the rear brake with the LHRB, but I now wear flexible riding boots that are more tactile than my old style plastic MX boots.

[J.Johnson]

I have the Clake 2 on my bike. My buddy has the Clake slr. The quality of the Clake and ease of use is great.  I would buy another one any day of the week. 

[Max17]

On 8/13/2017 at 8:13 PM, J.Johnson said:

I have the Clake 2 on my bike. My buddy has the Clake slr. The quality of the Clake and ease of use is great.  I would buy another one any day of the week. 

What bike is that on?  I recently got a Clake 2 but I can't seem to get the clutch working.  It's on a Yamaha YZ250FX so it requires the Magura HYMEC cable to hydraulic conversion kit.

[numroe]

I'm starting to NOT miss having a foot brake pedal.

Enjoying LHRB only. A compact MTB master+lever, with the clutch lever just above it.  ZSP Rekluse clutch.

For all types of riding. Makes a foot brake feel so inaccurate.  Reminds me why we don't have foot throttles on dirt bikes.

Having LHRB on my mountain bikes for decades  no doubt helps. Plus I find when I ride friend's bike with a foot brake I can switch my brain in seconds. I'm living the dream lately.

Edited August 22, 2017 by numroe

[J.Johnson]

On 8/16/2017 at 10:09 AM, Max17 said:

What bike is that on?  I recently got a Clake 2 but I can't seem to get the clutch working.  It's on a Yamaha YZ250FX so it requires the Magura HYMEC cable to hydraulic conversion kit.

2013 husaberg fe350. You have to be patient when bleeding this thing. I bake bleed it a lot. 

Once bleed it is awesome. 

[SoftOption]

On 8/21/2017 at 7:22 PM, numroe said:

I'm starting to NOT miss having a foot brake pedal.

Enjoying LHRB only. A compact MTB master+lever, with the clutch lever just above it.  ZSP Rekluse clutch.

For all types of riding. Makes a foot brake feel so inaccurate.  Reminds me why we don't have foot throttles on dirt bikes.

Having LHRB on my mountain bikes for decades  no doubt helps. Plus I find when I ride friend's bike with a foot brake I can switch my brain in seconds. I'm living the dream lately.

So your rear brake is powered with only a MTB master cylinder and MTB brake hose?  Any other mods to make it work?  Any problems with power or over heating?  Did you have to get a custom adapter to thread the MTB line into the caliper assembly?

I've been thinking about using MTB levers for a few years.

[CDNSXV]

Go on eBay and look at all the different mtn bike brake systems, but specifically the Hayes Stroker .... which is what Rekluse uses/copied.  Many of the mtn bike systems incorporate a proper banjo type fitting on the bottom end so they could just be bolted straight on.  The only issue with going straight from the master to the caliper will be hose length.  

[SoftOption]

46 minutes ago, CDNSXV said:

Go on eBay and look at all the different mtn bike brake systems, but specifically the Hayes Stroker .... which is what Rekluse uses/copied.  Many of the mtn bike systems incorporate a proper banjo type fitting on the bottom end so they could just be bolted straight on.  The only issue with going straight from the master to the caliper will be hose length.  

Thanks! My rear brake is already connected directly to my clutch lever and it works great. Tons of power.  I'm in the stage of fine tuning and would like access to better/more adjustable progressive levers.  All the moto levers I've seen are all pretty limited compared to high end MTN bike systems.

Is the piston size in most MTN bike master cylinders big enough to be anything more than an assist to the foot brake? Numroe is the first guy I've found that claims to use a mtn bike master cylinder exclusively for his rear brake. Unless you do?

I believe the only reason Rekluse uses the Hayes Stroker master cylinder is because it fits best with mounting two levers on one side.  That particular lever is not very well respected in mountain bike circles. There are much better MTN bike master cylinders out there.  I'm considering the Hope Tech 3 or the new Hayes Dominion A4 if people say MTN bike MC's have enough power.

[CDNSXV]

I have a Rekluse LHRB, which AFAIK is simply a rebranded Hayes unit.  It works just fine and is not overly twitchy.  That is, it actually requires a fair bit of lever pressure to lock up the rear wheel.  Honestly I think that is better cause it prevents premature locking on steep downhills when the rear tire is mostly unloaded.  Not sure I'd want a more powerful rear brake tbh.

I have ordered a Hayes mtn bike system for a second bike as I don't want to pay the $500 cdn the Rekluse unit costs.  I have a machine shop in my garage so I will simply make the rear master cylinder insert myself.  ?

[SoftOption]

17 minutes ago, CDNSXV said:

I have a Rekluse LHRB, which AFAIK is simply a rebranded Hayes unit.  It works just fine and is not overly twitchy.  That is, it actually requires a fair bit of lever pressure to lock up the rear wheel.  Honestly I think that is better cause it prevents premature locking on steep downhills when the rear tire is mostly unloaded.  Not sure I'd want a more powerful rear brake tbh.

I have ordered a Hayes mtn bike system for a second bike as I don't want to pay the $500 cdn the Rekluse unit costs.  I have a machine shop in my garage so I will simply make the rear master cylinder insert myself.  ?

Rear master cylinder insert?  Like are you able to increase the piston size?  Or are you talking about increasing the reservoir volume using a spacer like the modified Rekluse unit does to the Hayes Stroker?