Tips & tricks

In this section, we provide you with a selection of useful downloads. Click a topic area.

General

• Are there Lucas second brands which are cheaper?
  • No. Lucas products are always delivered in TRW Lucas packaging. TRW does not conceal itself as the manufacturer behind any other product name. Therefore, only Lucas products are covered by the TRW product liability and are subject to the TRW 2-year warrantee. This is the case whatever clever people may maintain: With Lucas, you know exactly what you are getting.
    
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• Can I still get Lucas quality on eBay?
  • There is no clear answer to this question.
    
    High-price items, such as braking systems, rearsets or brake cylinders, are in particular often stolen goods.
    Two people are currently under investigation for large-scale theft. You should therefore be extremely cautious when it comes to very cheap items, in particular if these are being offered as new parts. Where investigations are being carried out by the police, eBay discloses the identity of buyers and in certain circumstances the bargain must be handed over to the police with no refund of the payment.
    
    In general, we provide warranty cover only if the customer can document the origin of the product by means of an invoice. We do not intervene in cases of plagiarism or stolen goods.
    
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• Does TRW also send out free stickers?
  • Of course! We are delighted to do so.
    
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• Why can motorcyclists not buy directly from TRW?
  • We are a very large company that operates worldwide and our strengths are in the development and marketing of technical products. Our sales operation provides for well-trained specialist dealers to handle the separate, individual needs of motorcyclists.
    
    Our partner companies will be happy to provide you with any special steel-braided hose models and personal advice, for converted motorcycles, for example. Prices are fair and in line with our recommended retail prices.
    
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Brake technology

• Can a steel-coated hose also become leaky?

  • Definitely not without outside influences.
    
    These may be:
    Welding sparks burning the hose or the hoses being fitted on the motorcycle too close to electric cables. in both cases, dark points visible on the steel mesh indicate the carbonisation of the Teflon inner core. Incorrect fitting can also cause chafe marks, which wear down the mesh and damage the Teflon.
    
    For more information on this, see also the assembly procedure for steel-braided hoses in the download area.

    
    
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• Can I also use copper sealing rings with steel-braided hoses?
  • Even though chemical reactions of different galvanic series, such as copper and aluminium, are possible, the use of copper sealing rings with steel-braided hoses with aluminium connections is nevertheless harmless.
    
    NB: In principle, Lucas delivers all hoses with aluminium seals. Please fully moisten these with brake fluid before the aluminium connections are put onto the corresponding banjo bolt.
    
    For more information on this, see the assembly procedure for steel-braided hoses in the download area.
    
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• Can steel-braided hoses improve braking performance?
  • Steel-braided hoses have no influence on braking, but do influence the pressure point. Because rubber hoses expand increasingly over time and under pressure, an exact pressure point decreases and the brake feels soft. Steel-braided hoses permit a definable, hard pressure point.
    
    NB:Rubber hoses must be changed every five years. The date of manufacture therefore appears on every hose. If the shelf life is exceeded, you should replace the hose with a steel-braided hose which does not suffer from ageing.
    
    
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• Does brake fluid age even if it is kept in a closed bottle?
  • While brake fluid is still in its original vacuum packaging, it can be kept for a minimum of 5 years. In high-quality containers, it can be kept for up to 10 years.
    
    The situation is not the same with bottles that have already had their seals broken.
    The brake fluid will take in water from the air, in a similar way to the braking system, and should therefore be used up as quickly as possible. This means that the fluid change interval becomes shorter over the time during which the container's seal has been broken.
    
    1/4 litre of fluid is sufficient even for motorcycles with double discs, which means that preference should be given to the smallest containers.
    
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• My disc is showing signs of corrosion. What should I do?
  • The fewer corrosive components they contain, the more brake discs react aggressively. This leads to electrochemical reactions between metals and an electrolyte, in particular with all year round machines under the effect of road salt. The resulting contact corrosion is visible as small spots on the brake disc. In extreme cases, the entire brake pad remains stuck to the disc. The pads must then be carefully released and the corrosion spots removed by subsequent applications of the brakes.
    
    Recommendation: In the case of seasonal driving, remove the brake pads before winterising and store them in a dry place. Grease the discs to protect them from corrosion. Then, in the spring, the grease must be removed again before use using brake cleaner. This increases the service life of both components. All year round motorcyclists should clean their machines more regularly and protect them from damaging environmental influences.
    
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• My Mowbray plans wear irregularly. Why is this?
  • Particularly if several pistons are arranged into each other, wear at the rear retraction side of the break can be somewhat greater. This is a design-dependent problem.
    
    Under extreme loads, such as racing circuits or overtaking with a heavy load, some brake pads do not expand. This causes wear to the brake pad in the division bar area where the pressure build-up is delayed. In these cases, wear is dependent on the situation.
    
    Sticking pistons can also cause a brake pad area that is still in working order to be extremely overtaxed. In addition to one-sided, heavy wear, traces of overheating, such as burned brake pad edges or melted paint on the backplate, are also often visible.
    
    NB: Overhaul the braking system immediately.
    
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• What helps to cure squeaking brakes?
  • Because brakes are subject to regular maintenance, it is firstly important to ensure that the complete system has been checked and carefully cleaned. The same applies to the brake disc, which must be in perfect condition.
    
    Changing to another brake pad blend, usually to an organic one, is recommended for changing the resonance oscillation.
    
    Insulating films or sheet metal can also be used effectively. Apart from making a considerable mess, copper paste has no real effect. Silicon spray appears to work more efficiently.
    
    You must not "damage the edges with a file " under any circumstances, as this could even lead to the product liability of the brake pad manufacturer becoming invalid.
    
    Lubricants, such pastes, oils or brake fluid, must never come into contact with the brake pad surface. This can unfavourably change the friction coefficient of the brake pads.
    
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• Why do brake pads have to be run in?

  • Sintered metal pads need only a short running-in time to apply the entire surface to the disc. The older and less even the disc, the longer the running-in process.
    
    In addition to this "embedding process", organic brake linings must also be run in by careful outgassing. If the brake pads were to be heavily loaded immediately after installation, they would become glazed and braking performance would be abysmal. The phenolic resins remain stuck to the surface like a thick, burnt grease, thus glazing the brake pads.
    
    Caution:Glazing may penetrate the break so deeply that it is no longer possible to remove it using very fine abrasive paper.
    

    
    
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• Why do some brake pads squeak?

  • Brake noises are based on a build-up of resonance from the braking system, brake disc and brake pads. The higher the frequency, the louder the squeaking noise.
    High-performance brake pads, particularly ones based on sintered metal, lead to higher frequencies and are therefore more audible. A change of frequency can therefore be brought about by changing to another brake pad blend.

    
    
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• Why does the braking system become soiled so quickly?
  • If you realise that braking occurs mainly as a result of brake dust fiction on the disc, you can imagine just how much abrasion is created.
    
    High-performance brake pads emit particularly large quantities of brake dust and occasionally give off real sparks at extreme temperatures, in the same way as with welding. In a properly cleaned, and above all lubricated braking system (with brake cleaner for example), "goo" is not able to form so quickly.
    
    However, if large quantities of copper paste are used and even guides or locking pins are lubricated, large quantities of brake dust will take hold. In the long-term, this interferes with the mobility of the brake pads and the pistons lose their ease of movement as a result of contamination.
    
    NB: Seals and pistons should be smeared with brake fluid when the braking system is overhauled. However, if pistons are pressed back, you should nevertheless remove grease from the inner braking system.
    
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Clutch technology

• Are synthetic oils bad for the clutch?
  • In principle, no.
    
    But:
    Synthetic oils reduce the friction coefficient of a clutch by around 10%. Clutch slipping will be the consequence if a clutch is already old and worn at the time of the switch to a different oil. In such cases, the synthetic oil will bring other wear factors to light ahead of time, although it is not the actual cause of these wear factors.
    
    Recommendation:
    With older machines with high mileage, you should use mineral and specific motorcycle motor oils as a precautionary measure.
    Immerse the clutch discs in oil for several hours so that the surface material can be properly soaked.
    
    Warning:
    Make sure that you check which oils are approved for your machine by the manufacturer.
    
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• When should clutch springs be changed?
  • Because clutch springs are permanently subject to initial load, the clamping force reduces over time. Even if they still have sufficient free length, the spring rate
    of the material declines as a result of thermal influences and the springs become softer.
    
    Because changing clutch discs requires a significant investment of time and money, the cost of new clutch springs is unrelated. How great would the inconvenience be if, after replacing the clutch discs, seals and oil, the clutch were to slip because the clutch spring tension was no longer sufficient?
    
    Recommendation: Replace clutch springs as a matter of principle, with strengthened Lucas springs, for example.
    
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Accessory technology

• Do I have to have a technical inspection carried out for Lucas aluminium handlebars despite ABE?
  • This is not necessary for our customers. The KBA no. must be put onto the handlebars and a small, grey booklet must always be carried. That's all!
    
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Tuning

• What is the most convenient way for me to improve brake performance?
  • 1.The simplest and most effective way is to use brake pads with an increased friction coefficient.
    The first tuning stage shows the change to SV brake pads. These surpass all original brake pads already on the market. At the top level, SRQ would be used as an example. However, for inexperienced motorcyclists these often lead to spontaneous braking and have no ABE. The use of CRQ Hyper Carbon should be reserved for racing, as these pads require a sufficiently high operating temperature.
    
    2. Steel-braided hoses that define the pressure point exactly are essential for old machines .
    
    3. Use of brake fluid DOT 5.1
    
    4. Possibly use a brake disc that supports aggressive braking (do not use a stainless steel or grey cast iron brake disc)
    
    Anything else is a rip-off!
    
    
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