Rear brakes not working correctly

[Wayne Harmsen]

I am having trouble stopping our 1500 motor trike this spring.
I noticed that can't get it to stop like I could last year.
I tried to lock up the rear brakes at about 30 mph but no matter how hard I pushed the peddle the rears wouldn't lockup.

So to day I picked up a new pair of brake shoes and installed them. The drums looked great and so did the old shoes but I changed the shoes anyway.
This didn't make any difference, so I bled the rear brakes and that helped some . Now I can lockup the left side but not the right.

Any ideas????
THANKS

[Pegasus1300]

Sounds very much like you still have air in the right side. I would re bleed that side. I would also spend time backing up and pumping the foot brake peddle to adjust the brakes. We have become so accustomed to the self adjusting nature of disk brakes that we forget that drum brakes only self adjust while backing up. I am guessing that even with the reverse gear on your Goldwing you don't back up that much or pump the peddle while doing it?

[Gold Rush]

I have read about other guys with similar issues that ended up manually adjusting the drum brake shoes. Some claim trikes do not have enough weight to properly rely on the "auto adjust" feature. These things only cycle once as you stab the brake peddle while backing up. You then have to roll forward and again brake fairly hard then back up again to repeat the cycle. One must do this until they are satisfied the brake shoes are adjusted or just plain give up and go manual.

For peace of mind I'd go the manual route at least once a year. Especially this one time since you are having issues. Bleed the brake lines starting with the furthest from the master cylinder then repeat with the closer one.

Hope that helps some.... Good Luck with the fix.

[Wayne Harmsen]

The adjustment isn't the problem, both sides have been manually adjusted to where both are sides are just hitting the drums when turning the wheel by hand.

I will bled them again tomorrow!

[Solidbob]

The adjustment isn't the problem, both sides have been manually adjusted to where both are sides are just hitting the drums when turning the wheel by hand. I will bled them again tomorrow!

HUH!! Don't understand.... how about a photo....

[Gold Rush]

HUH!! Don't understand.... how about a photo....

What's not to understand Bob? The OP has manually adjusted both rear brakes so they just drag (this is the correct way to do it). He now will bleed the brake lines again to make sure he has all the air out.

Hey Wayne, if that doesn't fix the problem I'd look hard at the offending side wheel brake cylinder. Sometimes they freeze up (rust) while setting a long tome unused.

[keepinon]

Had the same issue a few years on my MT S/A coupe.

I did what Goldrush suggested, manually adjusting the new shoes. BUT, I tightened the adjuster wheel until the brake locked up, then backed it off until it turned freely with a slight drag. When doing the opposite wheel, after locking it up, I backed of the adjuster the same number of clicks as I did the other side. Both had identical movement then. I can lock both up and it slides in a straight line. I adjust them each spring when I do the underneath maintenance.

One other thing I did; the new shoes looked wider than the old, perhaps because the edges hadn't been worn, so I took a grinder and went down the edges of all the shoes, kinda rounded off a narrow area. That insures the flat part makes full contact.

Good luck.

[Ayatolla of Rockin' Rolla]

Brethern:

An old trick for manually adjustable shoe brakes w/brake drums:

First tighten the adjustment wheel (star nut) all the way till the shoes lock the wheel in place.

Second,score an "X" on the tire of the wheel your adjusting the brakes on.

Third,back off the adjusting wheel (star nut) until you can spin the wheel one revolution using the "X" on that tire as an indicator.



Hope this helps

[Gold Rush]

Brethern:

An old trick for manually adjustable shoe brakes w/brake drums:

First tighten the adjustment wheel (star nut) all the way till the shoes lock the wheel in place.

Second,score an "X" on the tire of the wheel your adjusting the brakes on.

Third,back off the adjusting wheel (star nut) until you can spin the wheel one revolution using the "X" on that tire as an indicator.



Hope this helps

I had to go a long way back into my memory but...... I REMEMBER THAT!!!!! Thanks for reminding us. So many of us old guys have forgotten the tricks....

[Solidbob]

Okay last but not least, when you installed the new shoes did you scuff the drums and then lay a shoe against the drum to make sure they are matching diameters, most shoes will not directly match without using a Drum machine to copy the drum diameter to the shoe. If they are not seating properly they will only drag on the ends. Were the shoes rough when you bought them, some companies just use a break-in grit to wear the pads in since a lot of shops have got rid of their drum machines.... That's how disc pads work, break-in grit ... All just FYI.....

[Wayne Harmsen]

I am having trouble stopping our 1500 motor trike this spring.
I noticed that can't get it to stop like I could last year.
I tried to lock up the rear brakes at about 30 mph but no matter how hard I pushed the peddle the rears wouldn't lockup.

So to day I picked up a new pair of brake shoes and installed them. The drums looked great and so did the old shoes but I changed the shoes anyway.
This didn't make any difference, so I bled the rear brakes and that helped some . Now I can lockup the left side but not the right.

Any ideas????
THANKS

Today I got a chance to rebleed the brakes and readjust them. They work great now, I think there was a little air in the system.
Thanks to all that replied.

[Gold Rush]

Today I got a chance to rebleed the brakes and readjust them. They work great now, I think there was a little air in the system.
Thanks to all that replied.

GREAT News Wayne. You'll feel a lot safer now... Might come in handy when one of those HUGE swamp bucks jumps out in front of you!! I was born and raised in northern Wisconsin. Had too many close encounters with our four legged friends...