Well, it worked. My 98 LS650 now runs a Suzuki T500 Titan (500cc street 2 stroke from the 70s) twin leading shoe front drum. Pics to follow later this evening or early tomorrow, have to get ready for work shortly.

Finding a wheel is the hard part. Titans are rare, Titans with the CB450 style brake stay instead of cast mounting ribs and a tanged fork even more so.

It is a perfect fit, same size axle. You need 6 5/8 i.d. washers on the right as spacers, 5 on the left. The brake stay will bend to the angles needed as you tighten the bolt and washers for it. It will rub the front of the fender just a touch, but the holes are slightly loose anyway for adjustment, you can reset the fender gaps and get it spot on perfect, even with u-channel fender edge trim.

Just need to order my new perches and levers, Brit replica for 1" bars, and my new bar (unless somebody showing up this week brought me an HD take off)...

Like I said, pics later. But it is so clean that Suzuki really missed the ball by not shipping Savages this way...

'cause drums look way cool. People do worse things to these bikes to make them look better. Struts, hardtails, crazy apehangers. Form trumps function. I love the look of a big front drum on a café racer or brit classic. Those old Fontanas and Grimecas are works of art.
At least a Savage isn't fast enough to need a good brake....

Charon wrote on 09/16/13 at 13:54:22:


In the classes I raced, Titan front wheels are the best brake allowed. But they do tend to crack under extreme side loads.

Considering my front brake never worked right from the day it was new, a tls drum is an upgrade. And on a certified scale, the drum wheel with 90/90-19 tire is 2 pounds lighter than the stock wheel and 100/90-19 tire.

And yes, in the third pic, those ARE Betty Paige nudes on the battery box and belt guard...  

I see you eliminated the side stand and troublesome relay by utilizing the tricked out cinderblock.
Do like the conversion.looking good.