My heirloom '53 Square 4 Mk II: Help Needed

[Chris Sealy]

Hi Evan. I see that your bike has a downward pointing rear brake arm. This has proven to be dangerous, Mine was the same before I modified it; and yes it is dangerous. Forewarned by an explanation on the Draganfly website, I applied the brake hard at low speed. The brake locked solid, and would not release until I pushed the bike backwards. You are now forewarned. Cheers, Chris.

[Roger Gwynn]

The rear brake should by cable in 1953, not rod, a cable shouldn't give the locking up problem because its length is not affected by suspension movement, which is what causes the problem with a rod.

[Simon.Gardiner]

The rod will work OK as long as you change it so the lever (on the brakeplate) is 'upward pointing' not 'downward pointing'.
There's quite a bit of discussion on this on the Forum, see for example:
viewtopic.php?p=62979
viewtopic.php?t=4898

SG

[evan.matthews]

Thanks, fellas. Looks like MEK can be bought online. I'll call and run this by a mechanic who works at a local shop that specializes in old British bikes and is restoring a Square 4 himself. Will keep you updated on the progress! - Evan