Changing Back Brakes

I've decided I need new back brakes. I am practically standing on the brake pedal to get her to engage, and I adjusted the little nut on the back to the highest level. Indication I definatly need new brakes. How do I do this? And what kind of pads do I need? Do I have to order them offline or can I go to my Local Napa?
Also, Here before the season is over, i'm going to need new tires. Any recomendations? and price ranges?? Thanks guys
-SLKid

 

Give Chacal a PM and see what he has.

 

Just remember that the back brakes are only about 30% of your stopping power. You could pull the back wheel and see whats going on in there before you order any parts. More than likely the shoes are the original ones and should be changed anyway. Look your bearings over good also. Check to see if they feel dry or scratchy when you spin them.

 

If you haven't gone through your front brakes, I would recommend at least pulling them apart and cleaning them up if you don't want to do a complete rebuild. You want to do a visual inspection that everything looks OK. Brake fluid can get a little gummy over a long time period, so you want to make sure everything is clean and shiny on the outside of the pistons and that you have good movement.

 

chacal will have everything you need for less than you're going to find QUALITY stuff anywhere else.

 

Chacal has everything huh? Crazy. XJBikes.com, Your one stop XJ shop!
So how do you pull the back wheel? I'd love to see whats goin on in there. and I'll be bleeding and changing the brake fluid in the Master Cylinder sometime this week. Hopefully Wed.

 

Get a manual it is priceless when working on a vehicle. Now to pull the back wheel. Put the bike on the center stnad(obviously) remove the rear brake adjuster nut and rod from the arm. Remove the track bar nut and bolt and swing it down out of the way(this is a bar that runs from the seing arm down to the brake hub on the right side. Remove your license plate (or you will be bending it) loosen your axle nut and remove. Then loosen the pinch bolt insert a screwdriver threw the hole in the axle and pull it out making sure to keep an eye on where the spacer goes before it hits the floor. If the PO did proper maintenence the axle should slide right out if not hehe.. you are in for some fun. Don't bash the threads on the bolt if you have to tap it out. Also if you have to tap it out and it is really stuck plan on replacing the wheel bearings as that is what the axle is stuck to and you will be pounding on them to remove it. Now assuming you have the axle out and all went well rotate the tire slightly back and forth and slide the wheel assy to the right side of the bike to dissengauge(sp?) the wheel from the drive splines. Then you can roll the wheel out the back. It is a tight fit but will come out. Remember to remove the brake lever and clean the shaft and the bore with 800 or 1000 grit wet sandpaper and then lube with some silglyde(silicone based brake lube) When you are putting things back together the axle gets 70 or 75Ftlbs of torque I can't remember which the pinch bolt gets 14ftlbs and I don't remember the number for the track bar of the top of my head. It may sound like alot but it doesn't take 10 min to do and even less after you have done it once or twice it is realy easy and nice not to have to mess with a chain or belt.

 

Also, if you look at the rear main hub, you'll see a little "swoosh" looking mark embossed on the hub or carrier assembly or whatever it is.

When you step on the pedal, there is a little metal arrow attached to the rod mechanism that points to the "swoosh". Once your arrow points towards the narrow end of the mark, your shoes are done and need replacement. If the arrow points towards the fat end of the swoosh, your pads are new.

Odds are that your whole brake system needs overhauling but you could look at this and see if your brake pedal merely needs adjustment.

 

Oh and the wear limit on our 85's is 2mm on the brake liner but I will tell you at 2.5 or so Where mine were at there too far gone to get a decent adjustment and feel out of them.

 

Nice! yeah doesnt sound like too much actually. Just a bunch of bolts. If i'm patient I'm sure I'll get it done no problem. I've come this far!
And Sushi, if thats the case, then there are almost no brakes left! The bolt with the spring attached is screwed as far as it can go and the arrow almost hits the "swoosh" mark.
It is my guess is that the first PO never bothered with the brakes, honestly. And i do belive my brake system needs an overhaul. The brake lights work, but dont flash when i press the back brake. I've cleaned all the connections from the pedal, back. Still need to check and change fuses (Kroil on its way to get the panel bolts out) Would the brake light not work cause of a fuse?
-SLKid

 

I should think that if it works at all, your fuses are probably okay. My guess is a bad switch or break/short in the wire somewhere.

 

SL, is the spring still attached from the rear brake pedal to the switch? if they are that far out the PO may have disconnected the spring becase the lihgt would be constantly in the Bright state. If you look just up from where the clutch cable attaches near the clutch cover you will see the brake light switch there a black plastic round thing in a bracket. It should have a spring that runs from it ot the pedal. I know mine was staying on thats one indication I had that the brakes were too far gone to be safe.

 

Yeah, that bracket is there. There is a little plunger that moves when the brake pedal is depressed. I cleaned all those connections, from the spring up to the wiring harness. I do need to re-wrap where it connects to the harness and make sure those connections are secure. I need to remove my air filter to do that though.
I can start riding my bike to work, i'm just scared that without my brake light I'm gonna get smacked from behind. Be nice to start commuting
-SLKid

 

Got my brakes in today. Gonna try and do it if i can. Would rather be finishing my valves though.

 

Finished my brakes! Easier than i thought. Just needed to know what the heck I'm doin in there. Actually, it was the messiest thing I've done with her!
Thanks for the info guys!
-StreetLegalKid