SAFETY ALERT Drum rear brake bike owners please take a look

Rear wheel removal procedures differ from bike to bike.

Shaft or chain, you basically disconnect the brake rod and torsion arm, and pull the rear axle.

Without knowing what bike you have I can't be more specific.

(I was looking for an excuse to "bump" the thread. Thanks)

 

pull the rear wheel off. the brake drum comes out with. just seperate the brakes from the rim

they are mounted as one assembly.

 

Why is this post not sticky'ed?

I've been here weeks and this is the first time I've found it (via another post).

 

Agreed. Can we get Robert to sticky this?

 

Re: SAFETY ALERT Drum rear brake bike owners please take a l

Cool, everything possible has been done to warn people, now just have to hope everyone with drums has the sense to check 8) Thanks

 

Im paying $200 for the rear brake and a new tire when the season starts

 

If you are not going to do the new rear brake-job yourself, ... which would be considerably less than 2-bills ... have the shop:

• Remove the Rust Ridge on the Drum.
• De-glaze the Drum.
• Remove Spreading Cam.
• Clean and Dress Cam Shaft & Bore.
• Lube Bore and Shaft with synthetic waterproof grease.
• Chamfer the edges of your new Brake Shoes.
• De-glaze the surfaces of the New Shoes.
• Apply an O-ring (that you supply) over the outside of the Shaft against the housing to aid keeping the Bore uncontaminated.

 

Re: SAFETY ALERT Drum rear brake bike owners please take a l

Agreed, a lot of people get put off doing the brake themselves because it's the brakes and they don't feel confident, but in reality the rear drum brake is probably one of the easiest job's you'll do on your XJ AND you get the peace of mind & satisfaction of knowing that everything Rick listed has really been done & not just a set of Chinese shoes thrown on by the shop.

Any sticking points you find, you'll be able to get fixed/work through with help from the guys here, really can't say enough good things about the members here, been here just over a week & IMO it's the most welcoming, tolerant and helpful community on the net!

Then you can have the shop throw that tire on for peanuts & spend what you save on more XJ bits

 

I remember changing the rear shoe on my XS650 was the very first job I did on it, very easy compared to whatever is under the fuel tank!

 

100% agreed again, it really is a good "baptism" into the world of spannering for people to build confidence on (after all, if they haven't done much before then realising you can easily fix the brakes on this seemingly impossibly complex maze of bearings, looms, yics tools and starter jets in front of you is a real enthusiasm booster) & it's so important that the peace of mind from KNOWING it's done right is a nice warm fluffy feeling 8)

 

Mine were the originals and still had around %50 left with no deterioration. However better safe than sorry. I spent the $40.00 and replaced it it with an EBC.

 

Replacing Rear Brake Shoes is one of the least complicated maintenance jobs to do.
You should give it a shot, ... because it requires removing the Rear Wheel.

Knowing how to take the Rear Wheel off from the Bike will be a big plus for you in the event you should ever get a flat tire.
Being able to just bring the Wheel to the nearest Bike Shop will bail you out of a tight situation, in the future.

On the list of things to do when doing the Rear Brakes R&R is:

• Sand the Rear Axle clean, removing the Rust and applying a bright new finish on the Axle.
• Smear a coating of Anti-Seize Compound all-over the surface to make future removal done with ease.

 

Rickomatic wrote:

Knowing how to take the Rear Wheel off from the Bike will be a big plus for you in the event you should ever get a flat tire.
Being able to just bring the Wheel to the nearest Bike Shop will bail you out of a tight situation, in the future.[/quote]

Agreed. So if you find something like this (deep puncture/gash) while inspecting your tread wear indicators...

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you can do this...

[/img]

Gary

 

Re: SAFETY ALERT Drum rear brake bike owners please take a l

This is my first post on these forums, I'm a fairly new rider, just bought an '81 XJ750 Seca, and I think due to the safety concern of this issue, that is a very good thing. I have no idea how the rear brake is and getting ready to fix the obvious things like front fork seals and front brakes but at this point rear brakes had not crossed my mind. After reading through this whole thread there is no way I could ride without changing the rear brakes (regardless of how they look). Since I don't know the last owner and even though he seemed good to bikes, I don't want to assume something that could be life or death. After much reading I can tell y'all are quite knowledgeable on bikes (not just XJ's) and especially as a new rider I take your words of caution quite seriously.

I'll not only learn a ton more on my bike but, like RickCo said, I'll know how to remove the rear tire which is a HUGE plus.

I'm very thankful to have found these forums and feel I'm in for a fun time learning about my XJ750.

 

Welcome, and yes you're right it's a good move to replace the shoes regardless since they cost very little & potentially will save your life

You're also correct in that you'll learn an awful lot from this forum, really even as a fairly experienced mechanic on bikes & cars I've learned plenty (XJ specific & also general) from this place & will continue to do so...

 

Good advice. I have a spare 18 inch rear wheel I will look at before I put it on the bike.

 

Rick - Good Idea!

 

Readying my 650 Maxim to sell. Have to get it 100% safety wise & just replaced the rear brakes and chamfered the front pads (new last year) & added an antisqueal plate to both pads. Braking properly is another +1

Gary

 

Re: SAFETY ALERT Drum rear brake bike owners please take a l

I'm finally resurrecting my '82 XJ550 Maxim after garaging it for many years. I'm no gearhead, and this forum has been my encyclopedia for all things XJ. So thanks!

I don't know how old my rear brake shoes are, so I ordered new ones, even though the current ones "appear" to be in great shape.

Does my wear indicator suggest my brakes are new - OR that they are VERY used? They still have over 3mm pad thickness.