This was common on some old sidepulls, including some Weinmann models, I believe. Maybe it was originally to accomodate the front lever on the right. I know this was popular on Italian bikes at one time, not sure about the rest of Europe or UK. But I've never found it a problem with the front lever on the left. One just needs to use a bit different cable housing length and routing.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, TX
John Wirt <frankensaab@earthlink.net> wrote: All, This has been bugging me for a while and figured the list must know this one... My wife's 1982 Miyata 912 has the full Shimano 600 "Arabesque" gruppo. The odd thing is that the brake calipers are "backwards"! The cables come in from the left side as you look at them, rather than the right. If one routes the cables using the standard left hand/front brake, the cable bend gets a bit tight on the front brake. Should I find later calipers? Why is this?
john wirt
boise, id
USA