Does CSC have better rear brake pads?

[Wing'n It]

My new trike has horrible rear brakes for two rear disks and eight pistons in the calipers. I originally thought the installing dealer did not get the brakes bled out properly so I took it back and they bled them out but said there was no air in the system. Still felt exactly the same, so I did the system bleed myself and even took the calipers off and tipped them up to make sure all the air was making it to the bleeder, got no air!

I felt that maybe its the quality of the rear pads, the front pads are Honda and look like ground up copper fragments but the rear look like organic material of some sort and appear to be super smooth and polished looking (shiny) I flat sanded them on a sheet of 320 sandpaper and had awesome brakes for about 4 days,... I'm sure they are "slick" again. So do they offer better pads as an upgrade? Mine are the CSC 4 piston red aluminum calipers.

[CJAC]

I had issues with my rear brakes on my 2018 DCT/CSC Trike, would have to pump rear brakes to stop. Took it back to dealer the day after I bought it, he drove it around parking lot and said "no problem". I bled the brakes 3 different times, no improvement. Figured that was as good as it would get.

While on vacation in Springfield, MO several months ago the rear brake pedal got worse and I wound up taking it to local Honda/CSC dealer. Dealer charged me $200 to bleed brakes and said the rear trike kit was "out of adjustment", rear brakes were still not working right. They offered to realign and repair it but I would have to wait 3-4 weeks before they could get to it.

Called original Honda/CSC dealer to check alignment and fix brakes, told me I would need to call company who installed the kit for them to set up repairs. Hauled trike to installer and dropped off for repairs, he called me one hour later to let me know it was fixed, under warranty no charge. Turns out I had a bad rear wheel bearing causing the problem. After the wheel bearing replacement the rear brakes work great!

[Wing'n It]

I had issues with my rear brakes on my 2018 DCT/CSC Trike, would have to pump rear brakes to stop. Took it back to dealer the day after I bought it, he drove it around parking lot and said "no problem". I bled the brakes 3 different times, no improvement. Figured that was as good as it would get.

While on vacation in Springfield, MO several months ago the rear brake pedal got worse and I wound up taking it to local Honda/CSC dealer. Dealer charged me $200 to bleed brakes and said the rear trike kit was "out of adjustment", rear brakes were still not working right. They offered to realign and repair it but I would have to wait 3-4 weeks before they could get to it.

Called original Honda/CSC dealer to check alignment and fix brakes, told me I would need to call company who installed the kit for them to set up repairs. Hauled trike to installer and dropped off for repairs, he called me one hour later to let me know it was fixed, under warranty no charge. Turns out I had a bad rear wheel bearing causing the problem. After the wheel bearing replacement the rear brakes work great!

Did they explain the relationship of the bad bearing to the brakes not being right? I have had my wheels and rotors off checking everything and have not noticed and slop/freeplay in the rear hubs.

[CJAC]

They told me the rotor wasn't running parallel to the caliper. Thought that was kind of strange, but my brakes work great now, I'm happy. I was pretty aggravated that two dealers couldn't identify the problem.

[Trikemaker]

Hi Wing'n It

Just so you know, our brake pads are made by EBC specifically for us, and are their best material. You can't get much better quality brake pads. If you have poor brakes then there is definitely something wrong with your system. Our brakes are quite good normally.

It sounds like you are saying you have a good firm pedal but when you press on it, it just doesn't slow you down very well. Is that right? Or does the pedal feel spongy and soft?

If the pedal is firm then the pads may have gotten oil or something on them that could cause them to loose their ability to grab. Since you were able to sand the pads and they worked great for a few days it doesn't sound like the brake components themselves are bad, or the wheel bearings.

(A bad wheel bearing would allow the rotor to push the pads and pistons back into the caliper body making it so that when you press the pedal you have to close up the gap between the pad and the rotor when you tried to stop, making a spongy feel. This is called pad knock back)

I would ask that your dealer ride the trike and most likely change the pads out. Since this is an Encore it should still be under warranty.

Thanks,

[CJAC]

Glad to see CSC monitors the forum and offers information to help a customer with a problem!

[Pallet Man]

Can I bring my encore to Virginia factory to have warranty work done?

[Trikemaker]

Hi Pallet Man,

Normally you would want to deal with your local CSC dealer for warranty work. Most of the time they will be the most convenient and probably quickest way to get your trike fixed.

However, if you don't have a local dealer, or you are coming to Virginia anyway, you most certainly can have us do the warranty work. Please call our service dept first (1.800.824.1523) to schedule an appointment. We do warranty work on customer trikes on a regular basis. (not that we have many warranty claims )

[Wing'n It]

Hi Wing'n It

Just so you know, our brake pads are made by EBC specifically for us, and are their best material. You can't get much better quality brake pads. If you have poor brakes then there is definitely something wrong with your system. Our brakes are quite good normally.

It sounds like you are saying you have a good firm pedal but when you press on it, it just doesn't slow you down very well. Is that right? Or does the pedal feel spongy and soft?

If the pedal is firm then the pads may have gotten oil or something on them that could cause them to loose their ability to grab. Since you were able to sand the pads and they worked great for a few days it doesn't sound like the brake components themselves are bad, or the wheel bearings.

(A bad wheel bearing would allow the rotor to push the pads and pistons back into the caliper body making it so that when you press the pedal you have to close up the gap between the pad and the rotor when you tried to stop, making a spongy feel. This is called pad knock back)

I would ask that your dealer ride the trike and most likely change the pads out. Since this is an Encore it should still be under warranty.

Thanks,

No, I dont have a good pedal. If I pump it one time quickly it gets pretty good but I find myself not using the rear brakes because of the weak stopping power and I know this is going to wear out the front brakes very quickly. My biggest issue is the selling dealer is several hours away and that is not easy to take it in for repair issues or service. Now after reading your post I'm concerned there is a major issue with it. The trike is not even a year old yet and just turned past 4000 miles.

EDIT: called the dealer this morning and they are telling me end of October before they can look at it. I have multi-state ride coming up in 3 weeks. Looks like I'm going to have to figure this out on my own.

[tourman]

Take it to your car mechanic. I'm sure they could fix it. Hopefully CSC would cover the cost

No, I dont have a good pedal. If I pump it one time quickly it gets pretty good but I find myself not using the rear brakes because of the weak stopping power and I know this is going to wear out the front brakes very quickly. My biggest issue is the selling dealer is several hours away and that is not easy to take it in for repair issues or service. Now after reading your post I'm concerned there is a major issue with it. The trike is not even a year old yet and just turned past 4000 miles.

EDIT: called the dealer this morning and they are telling me end of October before they can look at it. I have multi-state ride coming up in 3 weeks. Looks like I'm going to have to figure this out on my own.

[Papa Zook]

Take it to your car mechanic. I'm sure they could fix it. Hopefully CSC would cover the cost

Are you serious?

[rhino 2]

Are you serious?

I thought the same....Maybe its a bad try of Sarcasm........