Bad brakes?

Roy

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Why are my front brakes so bad? 1971 xs1-b with original front drum. New shoes and the drum cleaned up with emery cloth. New cable also. Next problem. first start up after oil change there was a huge cloud of smoke. I used Yamalube 20-50. Thanks to everyone for all your help.
 

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With drum brake shoes an old time trick is to cross-hatch the lining with shallow hacksaw cuts, with great care to not cut unevenly or too deeply. I have done this on bikes since the 1970's - an old motor-drom rider fella I knew told me about it. Also the slightest contamination with silicone...veryverybad, just fyi. (wash your hands and use a new blade) The cross-hatch size? About the width of my little finger. The trick does seem to work, but it doesn't prevent heatfade, obviously.
 
Ever since asbestos was banned from brake pad on drum brakes it’s gone down hill :). Then the issues with asbestos wasn’t know though :).
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There are actual engineers that do nothing but... Handbook cheap @ 259.91 US bucks... And yes, the asbestos, well, I got a young fella with whom I did steam, and he's dying from the cancer of lungs...but I agree, asbestos linings were larapin good. I've arced shoes with asbestos lining... Neh, just not my time.
 
Are you sure you've got the linkage adjusted correctly between the shoes so both are making full contact? If not, you may be braking with just one shoe, and that wouldn't work well, lol.
 
Brake shops use to have a machine that would sand the shoes on the braking plate to match the drum.. so you'll get full show contact.... The EPA made the machine a curiosity ..... It will take some time to get the shoes fully " bedded " ....Continue to make small adjustments at the brake ..in time... braking performance should improve. As for the " huffing ".... usually it's a sign the valve guide seals are suspect..oil drains down the valve stem.. enters the combustion chamber and gets fired off at first start.... does it smoke while running... that's usually rings.... If you ride it often... the " huffing " usually isn't a issue. 😎
 
The matching is was called "arcing the brake shoes". Of course this can be approximated with sandpaper fixed to the specific drum - arcing by hand...it's a PITA.

Yes to adjust properly (both shoes), note also lever angles - you lose a lot of force if the angle isn't quite close to 90 degrees.

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In a totallyunrelated note> Marginal fork seal weeps sometimes respond to power steering stop leak stuff, provided things are straight and true.
 
Why are my front brakes so bad? 1971 xs1-b with original front drum. New shoes and the drum cleaned up with emery cloth. New cable also.
Describe how they are working?
I'm on my third XS front drum bike prolly 4 thousand miles of riding including rally rides trying to keep up with desmoman. and am quite happy with the brake. It's not a modern disk set up but close to a stock XS front DISK brake in stopping power and feel.
There ARE some tricks to the set up and the factory explanation is (maybe) a bit misleading or can be misinterpreted.
I have firm lever and plenty of room between the lever end and my hand grip even when I have a set of fat soft silicone grips on.
The important point is that you do NOT use the arm between the shoes to adjust out clearance. That arm adjustment is only used when the the backing plate is off the wheel to set and adjust so both cams start camming the shoes out at the EXACT same time. The clearance from shoe to drum is set with the cable end adjusters only. Typically the cable adjuster is going to be out nearer it's maximum range even with new shoes. If with worn shoes you exceed both cable ends adjuster's range you could reclock both arms on the pivot shaft splines. I have not had to do that.

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Note (repeat) you are NOT using the balance rod to adjust shoe to drum clearance. That is done with the cable end adjusters.
:twocents: this first adjustment (best think of it as set up) is best done while the brake is open so you can view the cams acting on the brake shoe ends.
The confusion comes from the manual saying freeplay. They mean freeplay in the linkage, the arm should not feel loose, floppy, NOT freeplay between the shoes and the drum.
If you do use the double nut rod to set SHOE free play, the brake will feel very mushy, the lever will contact the handlebar before the brake is getting full stopping action. and the cams will be at different angles on the two shoes resulting in miserable brake feel.
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Would love to have you follow this procedure and report back on your brake action.
I think you CAN set the arm with the brake on the wheel, but it won't be QUITE as precise as being able to SEE the cams start acting on the shoes while you adjust.
 
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Describe how they are working?
I'm on my third XS front drum bike prolly 4 thousand miles of riding including rally rides trying to keep up with desmoman. and am quite happy with the brake. It's not a modern disk set up but close to a stock XS front DISK brake in stopping power and feel.
There ARE some tricks to the set up and the factory explanation is (maybe) a bit misleading or can be misinterpreted.
I have firm lever and plenty of room between the lever end and my hand grip even when I have a set of fat soft silicone grips on.
The important point is that you do NOT use the arm between the shoes to adjust out clearance. That arm adjustment is only used when the the backing plate is off the wheel to set and adjust so both cams start camming the shoes out at the EXACT same time. The clearance from shoe to drum is set with the cable end adjusters only. Typically the cable adjuster is going to be out nearer it's maximum range even with new shoes. If with worn shoes you exceed both cable ends adjuster's range you could reclock both arms on the pivot shaft splines. I have not had to do that.

View attachment 244947
Note (repeat) you are NOT using the balance rod to adjust shoe to drum clearance. That is done with the cable end adjusters.
:twocents: this first adjustment (best think of it as set up) is best done while the brake is open so you can view the cams acting on the brake shoe ends.
The confusion comes from the manual saying freeplay. They mean freeplay in the linkage, the arm should not feel loose, floppy, NOT freeplay between the shoes and the drum.
If you do use the double nut rod to set SHOE free play, the brake will feel very mushy, the lever will contact the handlebar before the brake is getting full stopping action. and the cams will be at different angles on the two shoes resulting in miserable brake feel.
View attachment 244948

Would love to have you follow this procedure and report back on your brake action.
I think you CAN set the arm with the brake on the wheel, but it won't be QUITE as precise as being able to SEE the cams start acting on the shoes while you adjust.
Thank you very much for the information. I understand what you are saying and admittedly, I've done it all wrong. Even with a great deal of force on the lever, the front brake offers very little stopping force. I will report back.
 
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Thank you very much for the information. I understand what you are saying and admittedly, I've done it all wrong. Even with a great deal of force on the lever, the front brake offers very little stopping force. I will report back.
I had to learn this the hard way also....
And like others have posted, seating in the brake shoes to get full face contact on the drum is a thing.
 
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