Rtl250 87 Rear Brake

[ludde]

Hello

It has been a while since I have posted here but now I need some help from the RTL owners out there.

I have a -87 RTL which was converted to disc brakes by Nigel Birkett at the previous owners request. The previous owner sold the drum brake wheels which meant I couldn't restore the bike to it's original state. Until now.

A month ago I received two drum brake wheels from Japan. The rims are a bit corroded but the hubs are mint which is the most important.

Anyway, I have all the parts I need to fit the drum brakes except from the front and rear brake cables. Venhill has all the cables for the RTL except for the rear cable.

Does anyone know where I can find one?

Otherwise I think I can use the rear brake cable form a 1980s CR80 which looks the same but is too long. What's the correct length for the cable on a RTL?

Also if anyone has a photo of the brake pedal pivot I would appreciate it. I need to fabricate that as well.

I know use you can't just ask a lot questions without posting pictures of the bike in question

This is how it looks today.

A photo on the same bike from 1988

When I ordered the wheels form Japan I also got me one of these just for fun

[bigmike1961]

Might be my eyes but on the second photo it looks as though the rear brake is rod operated.

[mattylad]

I was in Birketts when he did the modification. Much frustration as it had to all line up perfectly, probably wished he never took on the job.

I think the rear swing arm may be a GasGas as it does not look like an original but could be my memory.

There is a genuine RTL pedal on ebay at the moment

[ludde]

Might be my eyes but on the second photo it looks as though the rear brake is rod operated.

It is actually cable operated but there is no conduit on the cable. It looks like this:

I was in Birketts when he did the modification. Much frustration as it had to all line up perfectly, probably wished he never took on the job.

I think the rear swing arm may be a GasGas as it does not look like an original but could be my memory.

There is a genuine RTL pedal on ebay at the moment

I can imagine the frustration of Birketts because the alignment is one of the reasons I'm converting it back to drum brakes. Every time I take the wheels of I have to get everything lined up perfectly otherwise the brakes will squeak or not work properly.

The rear swing arm is original as far as I can tell. There is no marks from any cutting and re-welding apart from just in front of the brake caliper. Maybe that bit has been changed to accommodate the caliper.