Front brake upgrade

Hi, I've seen T80s with a disc brake on the front. Seems like a good solution to the fairly poor front braking scenario on these bikes. I appreciate it might be seen as a crass upgrade and not really in keeping with the original charm of the bike but Im having a think about it cos I'm doing a fair bit of commuting. Anyone know which forks will fit and any other tips or things to bear in mind?

Check this out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IEQRedpKG8

LakeBrighton wrote:Hi, I've seen T80s with a disc brake on the front. Seems like a good solution to the fairly poor front braking scenario on these bikes. I appreciate it might be seen as a crass upgrade and not really in keeping with the original charm of the bike but Im having a think about it cos I'm doing a fair bit of commuting. Anyone know which forks will fit and any other tips or things to bear in mind?

If the original brakes are set up correctly with good quality linings they are perfectly adequate for the speed the Townmate goes at 40 -45 mph. Why waste money on such a conversion which may cause adverse changes in handling. Its low speed commuter bike after all not a cafe racer.
There is also the problem of the speedo drive that is built into the hub

CRISTIAN 1 wrote:Check this out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IEQRedpKG8

Interesting but the guy does not make it clear what the teleforks are from, or if the bike was actually a T50 or T80. He did mention that the gearbox is 3 speed which would suggest a T50 but I think maybe that the Japanese home market T80's like the 'grey import' for sale on eBay recently & bought by yvonnet80, may only have 3 gears. A lot of work to do just to get a bit better brake & maybe better fork damping. My thoughts are if you want a modern set up buy a Suzuki Address or similar that has the larger 125cc engine as well.

Great video. What an entertaining guy! He said the front end came from a Kawasaki Kaze R. However, I'm going off the idea anyway, I was just interested in case it was more straight forward. I dont wanna customize the bike really, I agree with you Johnw they are adequate. I quite like the idea of a single seat though. Guess that's one for a separate thread. Cheers

You may change your mind about a single seat after riding one, i had a single seat on my old BSA B31, very uncomfortable as it restricts you from moving about, i found i was sitting too close to the bars, and i'm not a tall rider.