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Rear Brake Adjustment
My Trike has rear drum brakes and since we dont do a lot of backing up to adjust the brakes with the self adjusters I have to manually adjust them on occasion. My problem is the slot for the adjusting tool does not line up with the adjusting wheel on the brakes so the only way i can adjust them is to pull the wheels and drums and adjust them to the point to where the drum will slide back on with resistance. Was wondering if maybe i have the wrong brake adjuster installed. Any suggestions?
Been a long time since I worked on drum brakes
However, a shot in the dark, any chance the adjusters are backwards, placing the toothed wheel in the wrong position, in relationship to the slot in the back plate??
Don't even know if that's possible, just a thought
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Yes, that is possible but the adjuster would not hit the toothed wheel if you did that. As I remember. There are adjusting tools with a notch in them to get them to reach over to the wheel. As I remember. I often wondered what that notch was for.Originally Posted by tfdeputydawg
Been a long time since I worked on drum brakes
However, a shot in the dark, any chance the adjusters are backwards, placing the toothed wheel in the wrong position, in relationship to the slot in the back plate??
Don't even know if that's possible, just a thought
Ridin' three and free. Ain't never goin' back
2003 1800 Gold Wing Trike w/Roadsmith kit. Northeast Region Trike Riders on F B.
Already tried the notch, I ground a notch in the tool but still wouldnt reach the wheel and the adjuster is setting right on the wheel so its not backward.
NOT being a smart a$$ ... but have you considered every once in awhile backing down a hill and letting it self adjust? Seems way easier to me ... just my $0.02 worth.
Didnt take it that way and yes i have tried that but when you apply the brake once then you have to go foward, Stop and go backward and stop again, Only get one click then start over, If that explanation makes any sense.
Ah ... just trying to make your life easier .. and if truth be told ... maybe I was being a little bit of a smart A$$ .. LOL.
At least it adjusts them, Is it quicker than pulling the wheels off?
Can you drill another small hole in the back plate to accommodate a brake spoon or screwdriver?
Enjoy life now!----------IT HAS AN EXPERATION DATE
1989 HARLEY DAVIDSON TOUR GLIDE ULTRA CHAMPION- A WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING-(CUT YOUR WOLF LOOSE!)
the difference between a good trike and a bad one depends entirely on the integrity of it's builder!
I beleive that's what easytryker stated, "My problem is the slot for the adjusting tool does not line up with the adjusting wheel on the brakes."
Hence my suggestion to reverse the toothed wheel asm!
If an additional hole is drilled, I make sure I got a rubber plug to keep water out!
Christian Motorcyclist Association #64488
Patriot Guard
Volunteer Fire/Rescue/EMT/Captain
Was a LEO
Part time Corrections Officer
making a brake adjusting spoon work
Note the location of the star-wheel inside the wheel and the adjusting spoon tool outside the backing plate. Grind the spoon so that the relief you made will work around the corner of the backing plate slot. I have done this may times on cheap brake spoons and they work great and line up with the star adjuster.
Jim Murphy
EX-Lehman & Champion Dealer Owner Operator
Iron Butt Rider 2001
WHEN HELP IS OFFERED, A SIMPLE "THANK YOU" IS APPRECIATED.
Since I always adjust my own drum brakes on the Valk, the last time I had them apart to replace the shoes, I did not replace the self adjust cable & piece for the star wheel.
If it's possible for you to remove those two items, you could then flip the wheeled adjuster from left to right and possibly get the wheel in range of the slot?
Just thinking in the old southern boy tradition.
I have drum brakes on my trike and what I do is go down the hill backwards with the clutch in so it is coasting and hit the brakes several times hard like stomping on them.
I had the same problem on our Motor Trike.
I took my die grinder and made the slot longer.
Now I can get at the adjusting star with no trouble.
Then I bought a couple more rubber plugs from the auto parts store and cut them to fit next to the ones that were there.
Hope this helps.
I have a question - In the owner's manual for my Lehman, and for my friend's MotorTrike, it states that the brakes are not self adjusting and must be adjusted manually. They both have similar Ford drum brakes and the self adjusting mechanism is in place. So if you back down a hill & apply the brakes firmly will the brakes self adjust or will they not?
Grumpy, I could never get mine to self adjust. In talking to several different mechanics, I came to the conclusion that there just wasn't enough weight (of the trike) to cause the brake shoes to move far enough to trigger the self-adjuster, before the trike came to a stop.
This opinion was reinforced when I was talking to a MT mechanic about changing the drum brakes to disc brakes (with a kit for a Mustang). He advised that the Valkyrie master cylinder didn't have enough fluid capacity for operation of disc brakes.
So, I just occasionally click the rear brakes up a notch.
keepinon - He told you right about the Valk M/C. I converted my Valk I/S with drums to disc & had to get a bigger M/C & never did get the discs to be what I thought they should be. They would stop the trike & could even be locked up, but never really as good as they should have been.
Thanks for that info! I really had considered doing it anyway, glad I avoided that head-ache.
Thanks guys for all the info.
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