Ask the Editors: Yamaha Restoration Brake Quandary
You are absolutely right- in stock trim the 1987 Moto 4 350 (YFM350ERT) came with a brake lever and cable assembly on each side of the handlebar. Check out the following schematic for a breakdown of the individual parts involved.
We have witnessed in the past some conversion kits (some more professional than others) that placed both the front and rear braking to a single lever setup. It sounds to us like that is what happened here.
At this point you have essentially two choices- you can ditch the conversion kit, purchase the parts highlighted in the schematic and restore the machine back to stock setup. Here are each of the OEM part #s for reference sake:
Your other alternative is to trace those brake cables coming from the single right-hand lever of your machine to determine whether we are correct in guessing the former owner has it set up so that both front and rear brakes are activated by a single lever. Measure these cables – or detach them and take them down to your local dealer and buy same-length replacements.
There’s nothing inherently wrong in running such a conversion; it all comes down to personal preference.
