Shocking front brake

[Mattastic]

I have an 86 plate GS125 that has a front brake that is going to kill me! I bought the bike a month or so ago with 10 months MOT remaining and the bike had only done 300 miles since it passed it, so it must have been safe then.

I have no confidence in it at all, if I am going more than 20mph it alone won't stop me (I ALWAYS use the back in conjunction with the front in normal conditions). I have bought some new shoes for it (They are drum brakes you see) but have yet to fit these as I am waiting for my girlfriends dad to help me out as I wouldn't know what to do.

If the new shoes don't help it what else could it be? The bloke in the shop hinted that the lever may have been overloaded and that it may not be getting the leverage required to assert the correct pressure?

Any comments or help will be appreciated.
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Too skint to buy a bike

[AcIdBuRnZ]

Hi,

Don't know much about it, but here's my

Could be a worn out (or strectched) brake cable - replace it!

Could just need adjusting - I know that with drum brakes you have to keep adjusting them to keep them sharp (I think!)

Hope this helps, I'm sure Kickstart will set me right anyway, but at least it's something you can check in the meantime.

Mark
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Past: Honda NSR125R >> Kawasaki ER-5a2 >> Kawasaki ZZR-600e1 >> Suzuki GSXR-750Y >> Honda VTR 1000 Firestorm
"Chickity China the Chinese Chicken..."

[Panther]

the drums may be full off dust too...a good strip down, clean and replacing the shoes should help as well as checking the cable for stretch and replace /adjust as need be...the existing shoes could be glazed?
When I serviced my small bikes every 1000 miles or so I stripped and checked them as routine. I used to rough them up with a wipe of sandpaper occasionally.

On bikes with front drums I always had to use the tried and tested 60/40 front back rule anyway as drums tend to be poor anyway....(not quite as poor as a CB100 cable disk but thats another story)...


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Mike

[Zx6man]

You want me to have a look at it matty? And in my opinion, drum brakes at the front are marginally better than puting your feet down to stop you.

[rizzla]

as acidburnz said but i would replace the hose with a braided hose it wont expand with pressure giving you slightly better stopping power also try changing the brake fluid if it old it may have absorbed water which will make the brake lever spongy and once the brakes get warm the water will turn to steam and the front brake will not work at all (vaporlock). Its recommended that you change brake fluid every two years.

[AcIdBuRnZ]

Eh... rizzla...drum brakes don't use brake fluid mate...it's all mechanical. So you can't fit a braided hose either

Mark
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Past: Honda NSR125R >> Kawasaki ER-5a2 >> Kawasaki ZZR-600e1 >> Suzuki GSXR-750Y >> Honda VTR 1000 Firestorm
"Chickity China the Chinese Chicken..."

[Robby]

Well you can have hydraulic drums - my car has them on the back. Bikes generally use cables though.

Anyway, to firm up drum brakes:

1. Clean them. They get full of dust, it can't escape very easily.

2. Rough up the hub with some rough sandpaper. More friction.

3. Inspect the shoes. If they are very worn or glazed, replace them. With some hunting around you may be able to find some with higher friction lining - like HH pads - look in classic bike mags.

4. You may be able to fit a torque arm from a rear drum onto it. This gives you more leverage, better stopping power.

That may help, but at the end of the day drums are still arse.

[mr jamez]

[AcIdBuRnZ]

What I meant was it doesn't use brake fluid from a resovoir and a master cylinder - hence can't fit a braided hose - maybe I wasn't too clear - but I knew what I meant!!!

Mark
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Past: Honda NSR125R >> Kawasaki ER-5a2 >> Kawasaki ZZR-600e1 >> Suzuki GSXR-750Y >> Honda VTR 1000 Firestorm
"Chickity China the Chinese Chicken..."

[rizzla]

sorry i thought that the front brake was not stoping him proply the gs is has a completely mechanic rear drum

[rizzla]

i forgot the gs is the suzuki verson of the cg isn't it two drum brakes on the 86 modle sorry for any confusion just ignore me i had just woken up

[mr.z]

I wouldn't be supprised if they are just not far off that bad anyway! after checking everything through, just give yourself more time to stop is all i can say, not helpful for emergencys but not much can be done...

Keeping it adjusted should help a bit (had to do mine something like every 2/3weeks to keep it spot on) make use of the back brake and make sure that is in good working order as you might need it one day! Use engine braking as well to slow you down some (my cg had plenty of that!).

Be careful when dismantling brakes, DO NOT take it on the road before thuroughly testing it, if you use any grease inside the brake do NOT use high melting point grease as it will melt and foul the pads = big trouble, i used copper slip sparingly on the cam inside the back brake of my cx when it seized, its been working fine ever since, again don't let anything slippy on the pads/drum.


Just keep going on it till you can move up to something bigger, you will appreciate disc brakes and a electric starter ooooh so much more that people who are used to modern 125s!!
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>RidingSkills<->Tech Tips<->MyBikes<

[Mattastic]

Well I'm taking the back wheel off on Saturday or Sunday so I can get the tyre changed so I may as well whip the front off at the same time. I have a feeling the shoes are glazed and from the outside view of the drum itself I wouldn't be suprised if they are a few years old, after all the bike had done only 1500 miles in the last 2 years. I've already got some new shoes so will look into getting them fitted.
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Too skint to buy a bike

[Kickstart]

Hi

Thought the GS had a front disk brake in the 1980s.

Anyway, check it is all adjusted correctly. Possibly worth putting a new cable on (I am a bit paranoid about cable operated brakes). Check that the angle between the cable and the arm on the brake drum is about 90 degrees (this is the point where the torque will be greatest).

Also check that the handlebar lever matches the drum (ie, that nobody has just chucked on a front brake lever from another bike where the lever ratio might not be correct).

All the best

Keith
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