piemuncher Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Hi all, Changed the chain and sprockets yesterday on my little SR 125 but in the process seem to have weakened the rear drum brake! Must admit, I dont have a lot of experience regarding drum brakes on motorbikes so could anyone enlighten me with the general way that you would adjust / reset the brakes to a useful strength again!? Thankyou! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Wheels Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Hi all, Changed the chain and sprockets yesterday on my little SR 125 but in the process seem to have weakened the rear drum brake! Must admit, I dont have a lot of experience regarding drum brakes on motorbikes so could anyone enlighten me with the general way that you would adjust / reset the brakes to a useful strength again!? Thankyou! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirriePete Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Lots of travel on the pedal? The actuating rod has an adjuster nut on the end, just tighten it up until you get the pedal travel you feel comfortable with, or tighten it until the brake locks on then back it off a couple of turns. You should also note the angle between the rod and the brake arm, for maximum efficiency this should be as near as dammit 90 degrees (right angle) when the brake is applied - if it goes beyond this then it might be worth having a look at the shoes to see how worn they are. If the shoes have got plenty meat on them but the arm angle is still wrong, you can move the actuating arm round on it's spindle until it's right, but ONLY if the shoes are OK! HTH (Edit for spooling mistoks - damn my fat fingers!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Wheels Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Dont know what happened with my last post. Was your brake working ok before this? I mean your brake shoes werent worn down to much? As it is now, push the brake hard and hold it on, then look at the drum, there will be a wear indicator on it and if the indicator has gone past the markings then you will need new shoes. If the shoes are ok then its probably just a matter of you having to take up the slack in the brake rod (going from the brake peddel to the brake operating arm). There will be an adjusting nut at the end of the rod which you will have to tighten up a bit. This is best done with the wheel off the ground so you can spin it by hand while tightening. After your happy with the brake pull you get you might want to check that your brake light is not constantly on. Hope i made this clear and not more confusing!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piemuncher Posted July 9, 2010 Author Share Posted July 9, 2010 Dont know what happened with my last post. Was your brake working ok before this? I mean your brake shoes werent worn down to much? As it is now, push the brake hard and hold it on, then look at the drum, there will be a wear indicator on it and if the indicator has gone past the markings then you will need new shoes. If the shoes are ok then its probably just a matter of you having to take up the slack in the brake rod (going from the brake peddel to the brake operating arm). There will be an adjusting nut at the end of the rod which you will have to tighten up a bit. This is best done with the wheel off the ground so you can spin it by hand while tightening. After your happy with the brake pull you get you might want to check that your brake light is not constantly on. Hope i made this clear and not more confusing!!! Hi, Thanks for all the help! Yes the brake was working OK, I wouldnt rely on it to stop me by itself though! To do this do you need to take the back wheel off? Its just im having problems with the brake arm coming off the spindle! I can't! May start using force... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirriePete Posted July 9, 2010 Share Posted July 9, 2010 Thanks for all the help! Yes the brake was working OK, I wouldnt rely on it to stop me by itself though! Nor would I, the front brake does most of that (80/20 in the dry 60/40 in the wet) To do this do you need to take the back wheel off? Its just im having problems with the brake arm coming off the spindle! I can't! May start using force... To do what? Tighten the adjuster? Nope, just twiddle the nut on the end of the rod (righty-tighty, lefty-loosey). Check the shoes? If you want an actual look at them, yes. Shouldn't need to remove the arm from the spindle unless you're looking to move it round. To get the back wheel out, just: a. Undo the torque arm (that bar linking the brake plate to the swing arm) 2. Undo the brake rod adjuster nut all the way and off, the rod will slip out of the arm when you pull the wheel back. iii. Undo and remove the spindle, whip the chain off and wiggle the wheel out from under the mudguard (TIP - put the bike on the centre stand on a plank of wood to give a wee bit more clearance). Once the wheel is off the brake plate just pulls straight out (may take some wiggling if a lip has built up over the years). You can then inspect the shoes for 'meat' left and also give the drum a clean out - a wipe with a clean rag and some brake cleaner is good - do not inhale any of the dust, they stopped using asbestos years ago, but any fine dust like this is not going to do your lungs much good. If you really, really want to take the arm off, undo and remove the pinch bolt then pop a BFOS (Big F*** Off Screwdriver) in the gap and lever it open a bit, you should be able to wiggle it off the spindle OK, take a note of the position it was in first so you can put it back the same way. Legal disclaimer - any advice given here is on the strict understanding that if it all goes FUBAR it's not my fault. If you're big enough to ride motorcycles, you're big enough to make your own mind up and I ain't holding a gun to your head, am I? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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