Need advice on Clutch Brakes

#1
Hey guys,

I need some advice here. I want to know how good a band brake on the clutch works. I am considering cutting off the foot/scrub brake and only using a clutch brake.

How well do these work? Is this a bad idea? By cutting off the foot brake this will allow me to lengthen the frame a bit.

Any advice/info is welcome!!!

Ryan
 
#2
I personally think that clutch brakes are the best brake for a mini bike, stops great. If you have a scrub brake i would leave it there. If your chain breaks then you dont have a brake to stop your bike so id use the scrub brake as a emergency/secondary brake
 
#3
And now the alternative view point: Yes, they stop a bike great.

A band brake, or a mechanical or hydraulic disc rotor on a jack shaft will lock up the rear tire.

There is no reason to break a chain. (Brake A Chain?) :)

The clutch in operation needs to shed heat as much and as quickly as possible. Using it as a brake heats the hell out of it. The first thing that happens is that the oil gets cooked out of the bronze oilite bushing used between the hub and sleeve assembly and the bell and sprocket assembly. Soon after, asymmetric wear starts, and you'll hear more noise, and see more clutch wobble until it fails.

I've been buying up those worn Max and Comet clutches and rebuilding them cheap, so keep doing it! :)
 
#4
Appreciate the replies guys! The only two choices for brakes on my bike is the scrub brake that I already have and the clutch brake. Mine isn't set up for a rear drum and it doesn't have a jack shaft on it.
 
#5
Why don’t
Hey guys,

I need some advice here. I want to know how good a band brake on the clutch works. I am considering cutting off the foot/scrub brake and only using a clutch brake.

How well do these work? Is this a bad idea? By cutting off the foot brake this will allow me to lengthen the frame a bit.

Any advice/info is welcome!!!

Ryan[/
Appreciate the replies guys! The only two choices for brakes on my bike is the scrub brake that I already have and the clutch brake. Mine isn't set up for a rear drum and it doesn't have a jack shaft on it.
How about lengthening the frame, add a jackshaft with a disc or band brake on it, and modify the scrub brake so it’s still operational. Use RLV gold on gold chain with no master links.
I go through a clutch a year on the comet-clutched parade bikes. Even with a drop of oil on the bushing before loading to go home. And thats only about 20-25 hours ride time. Adding more vent holes to the chain guard didn’t help. This system performs fine but sure is hard on equipment. At least the way we use it.
I like Streakers, they are easy to work on.
Nice bike.
 
#6
Loving all the input, thanks guys. I will not be adding a jack shaft to the bike simply due to cost. Trying to work with what I have as I have already blown the budget out of the water lol.

Starting to think I may just keep the scrub brake and eventually add a clutch brake since that is a bolt on modification. Eventually I may just go with a custom built frame but that is WAY in the distance.

The frame/front end I started with is a Nova, not sure which model but after looking at pics it looks close to the "Deluxe Sport" model. It doesn't have the original motor, so of course it has a Predator motor.

Luckily pretty much all of the money I have spent on this thing could easily be transferred to a new/custom frame.

Curious, how often are you guys breaking chains??? I have grown up with "real" motorcycles for quite some time and have never broken one lol. At one point I owned 10 crotch rockets, and many other misc bikes. Then again i learned early on to always buy a good quality chain.
 
#7
...Curious, how often are you guys breaking chains??? I have grown up with "real" motorcycles for quite some time and have never broken one lol. At one point I owned 10 crotch rockets, and many other misc bikes. Then again i learned early on to always buy a good quality chain.
I think there are more posts on here about the chain coming off than actually breaking. Unless your bike is heavily modified or subject to extreme use it should be rare to break a chain. There was a time when some minibike manufacturers offered a clutch brake as the only choice. A clutch brake should be fine if you make sure that all of the final drive components are kept in good condition and the sprockets are properly aligned and the engine is solidly anchored. Don't re-use master links and make sure the clip is pointed in the correct direction. You probably already know the old dirt bike trick of putting the master link clip on the inboard side of the chain so it's less exposed to impacts that can knock it loose.
 
#8
I think there are more posts on here about the chain coming off than actually breaking. Unless your bike is heavily modified or subject to extreme use it should be rare to break a chain. There was a time when some minibike manufacturers offered a clutch brake as the only choice. A clutch brake should be fine if you make sure that all of the final drive components are kept in good condition and the sprockets are properly aligned and the engine is solidly anchored. Don't re-use master links and make sure the clip is pointed in the correct direction. You probably already know the old dirt bike trick of putting the master link clip on the inboard side of the chain so it's less exposed to impacts that can knock it loose.
Awesome reply! Thank you! I highly doubt this minibike will see much if any at all dirt use. Want to build it as a show/cruiser. I plan on spending some decent money on paint as well. The stock rear sprocket is a #40 so the chain will be reasonably beefy. Chances are high that I will be installing a riveting master link as well.

If this build goes well, I totally plan on building a basher bike that I can treat like it owes me money LOL!
 
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