SAFETY ALERT Drum rear brake bike owners please take a look

The shoes look relatively new, but if the bike has set for a long time, its a good idea to replace them. You don't know what the old ones will do when they get hot. The intdicator shows no wear, but it could be positioned wrong.,

 

THOSE SHOES ARE STARTING TO PEEL AWAY. You can see it. That is delamination in progress. "Dig" at them with a dull box knife blade and they will pop right off the backing plates, betcha.

REPLACE.

 

Have no fear: I ordered new ones yesterday, and I'll be installing them.

 

Good man.

Take the backing plate apart; and clean the bore for the lever cam and the brake pivot point. Flush the backing plate down with brake cleaner; DO NOT use compressed air on brake dust.

Reassemble carefully and lube the cam/lever shaft and the pivot point with a high-temp brake lube; and if your new shoes don't come with springs, get some new springs. Put a very light (and I do mean very light) smear of the grease on the raised "bumps" in the backing plate where the shoes make contact. VERY LIGHT. (Just a smear.)

Clean up the drum with ScotchBrite (make this your new best buddy and get rid of the steel wool) flush with brake cleaner and carefully inspect for cracks.

At 20K (kliks or miles, doesn't matter) you're probably due for a new chain and sprockets. Also, simply due to age, consider replacing the rear wheel bearings now. The old grease won't hold up in regular service, and once it fails the bearings will start to get sloppy. The parts are cheap; and here is something that you won't find in either book: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=35134.html

Start a new thread for your recommissioning please. We're happy to help. But let's you have your own "byline."

 

Wow! Just bought my 82 XJ750... I am going to need to spend an afternoon looking into this!! THANKS!

 

Where in VA are you?

 

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

Manassas-you?

 

Harrisonburg

 

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

Glad I came across this. Ive had my 86xj700 for about 3 weeks. Just checked the brakes and they were all but falling apart.

 

You might want to read this carefully as well: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=41400.html

 

New shoes cost me $40 at the dealer, just could not find a good reason not to simply replace. However, were it not for this forum, mine "looked" great too, I might have kept riding on them.

 

Cool. Thought I was the only one repping VA. Seems like theres a nest of us. Also close to the burg.

 

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

being a new (83 maxim) cycle owner, I am really glad I found this forum and more importantly this post. going to buy new shoes pads and front brake hoses now.

CN

 

thank you bigfitz52!

I manage to check my rear brake, everything looking good!

kinen1

 

I just noticed on this pic posted earlier in the thread, the new shoes have a lip cast into the metal just past either end of the lining material. I wonder if this is just coincidence that that's how the'yre made now or if it's actually some kind of a design feature so if the shoe does delaminate it won't (at least if correctly adjusted) be able to spin round & jam up the wheel?



Obviously I'm NOT saying you can leave them if they're this type 8O but just thought it was interesting the new ones have this lip whereas original ones do not...
EDIT-: actually now I think of it, it's more likely to be a design feature to make the shoes get noisy when the lining has worn down to the limit & the lips touch the drum...

 

The replacement shoes, shown installed in the pic, are from EBC.

It doesn't surprise me that they offer improvement over stock.

But you're right, I don't believe the original Yamaha shoes have that lip.

 

My bike came with both rear brake shoes de laminated and shortly after it spat out the friction material from one of the front disk shoes. From now on i shall always replace these parts whenever in any doubt. Didn't realize it was such a common problem

 

Good job. Now go check the date codes on your front brake lines. They were supposed to last four years. Here's what they look like: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=41400.html

 

Here's one for you..........

I picked up two 750 seca's last week, no titles. But, one is complete minus exhaust. I have a frame slowly working its way across country to me, so I'll reframe that one.

The OTHER.........is the funny one: Before I get to the rear brakes, I gotta tell you about this one (THIS is the one that a PO supposedly had running and was trying to get it titled to put it on the road-----------yeah, riiiiiiiiiigghtt..

1. the forks were swapped out with a set from an xs400rj
2. the mastercyl was from the 400rj
3. the 400rj has only one disc, on the right.
4. the controls were from the 400rj, SO.......the BIG lump in the wiring harness under the triple clamp was due to no less than 15 splices (that's where I lost count)
5. the rest of the harness was butchered under the tank and the seat. the fuse box was bypassed and all wires connected straight-through.....no fuses anywhere.
6. I counted at least 10 other splices, and at least a dozen bare sections of wire.
7. the tci was full of water, I could hear it gurgle when I'd shake it...drips would come out
8. the rear lights were all wired to one common ground wire.
9. the brake pedal pad was barely hanging on to the weld
10. HERE's where it gets REALLY good!!!! The rear brake rod had broken at some time, and the fix was to overlap the two broken ends by about an inch and use a cable clamp to anchor them together (glad I'm not the one relying on THAT to stop me!)
11. The rear axle slid right out.......after attacking it with a sledgehammer and long drift---with a piece of wood between the brake cover and the swingarm.
12. there was no brake indicator on the lever....hmmm.....

13. once I got the cover off, the rim looked good. One brake shoe looked about half good. the other------WELL.......there was no lining. NONE. Not delaminated and jammed somewhere. GONE. MISSING. There wasn't even any glue on the shoe!!!!! HO-BOY!!!!!!! Wow.

I think I rescued not only the bike, and all the decent parts I got off of it.........I think I rescued someone's life and he doesn't even havea clue.

Oh, by the way............

14. The right side swing arm pivot was so frozen in the frame, that it's still there. I was able to work the swing arm out anyway...

LOL

dave fox

 

I just a few minutes reading the posts about the old 30 year brake hoses. I have an 83 XJ650L with original lines. Where might a good place be that I can get front Lines? Rubber or Stainless is fine.
Thanks
Tom