1940 WW2 BMW R12 front brake cable service

Harbor Freight here in USA has great tools ,like this motorcycle stand..

Missing the correct cone style front wheel spacer...previous driver used worn out Timken berring assemblies as spacers!

New cable, as-is original rust and paint...

Front brake lever w new cable.I did have to grind the brake cable end piece keeper to fit inside the front brake cable assembly, So its not just swapping out parts.

Blown apart front brake cable and new Made in Germany replacement..not that made in the "Peoples Republic of I dont give a fuque" or "its on the boat..its your junk now"

Give yourself a little xtra cable so it fits correct. I did have to Dremel grind off 6 inches of outer cable to get it to fit...

Interior splined front brake drum.. I was looking for the splined part that mated to it,,not here..Turns out the R12 front drum is the same as the R12 rear drum , so no the splined parts not missing,, Being that the front spacer was missing i just assumed the splined part mating to this was another for the missing or lost parts lot.

Note the paper thin front brake pads, 72 yrs later ...worn out ..but at least it wasnt metal on metal..So next re-pad the front shoes,,so the bike stops with not just the rear brakes.. Theres always the "Fred Flintstone" braking option.

The tires are very old Russian tires someone added postwar in Latvia to keep riding it after the wartime tires wore out, the tread passes safety but the sidewalls are dried out.

Everything you ever wanted to know about BMW R12 bikes...look here
http://histor.ws/bmwr12/eng/index.htm

The R12 is a major blast to ride.