Last week I rode to my local bike shop to help support my friend ride his brand new bike home. It was his first ever ride as he just got his Learner's license a few days prior. He was nervous, but I helped ride alone with him all the way home, about 70kms.
However, I left home and literally stopped 30 metres from home as my rear drum brake locked up and ground me to a stop. I was able to push the bike home once I got the brake released, which took some persuasion. Jumped on the Harley and took off to get to the bike shop bang on the 11am I promised I'd be there.
My local shop is luckily a Royal Enfield dealer, so while my friend signed the final forms over to his brand new Honda Rebel 500, I ordered myself some new shoes, which I knew were on the cards. I was thinking perhaps the shoes wore out too far and the actuating cam rotated too much, locking into place.
No. Well, yes! The cam did do that, but not because the shoes were worn, but because there was zero lube on the surface where the cam turns and pushes the shoes out to contact with the drum.
Pulling the assembly apart a few days later, I learnt that the lock up caused a whole bunch of other damage.
The large pin that the shoes rest on was bent, the shoe assembly plate was warped, the actuating rod was bent, the pivot mount for the rear brake lever was also bent, the rear brake light switch over extended and broke as well as stretching the spring.
Yay me!
So, today I picked up the new plate, which is identified as a separate part on the diagram, yet it arrived assembled with the pin that was bent on my old plate. I also ordered a front disc, as mine has surpassed 45,000 km, was pulsating on braking, and had worn to its minimum limit. I swapped the disc over, along with new pads for the front. I gave the calliper a little clean and some very slight lubrication on the pins where the pads slide.
Moving to the rear, I noticed that taking out the new shoe plate from the box, it was nothing like mine. The design has changed. My plate was fairly flat, with a huge shim spacing it from the swingarm. There was also a large nut holding on my bent pin. Where as on the new one, the pin is press fit and welded into place.
I attempted to fit the new plate with the shim and nut, but this caused a significant misalignment with the front and rear sprocket. So I figured the new design plate doesn't need this shim and nut. I removed them and refit. Much better. This also allowed more than one thread of the hollow axle that holds the rear brake assembly in place when you remove the rear wheel. It also allowed the rear wheel to fit into place with the axle spacers.
I also found that the old design has more parts, such as the 10mm nuts holding in the actuation arm mechanism for the rear brake. These were tight on mine, and should be ever so slightly loose to allow the brake cam to "centre" itself when you use the brakes. The new plate has no such place for this mechanism to be fitted, so I hope that RE's engineering, casting and machining is better than what I'm generally use to after so many decades of experience.
Once it was all assembled, a test ride after some adjustments was in order, especially as I am taking part in the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride tomorrow. Returning from the test ride, everything is perfect apart from having to nip up the rear brake rod a few turns as the new shoes bedded in and increased the rear brake pedal travel. I turned the nut until the shoes make contact with the drum, then back it off half a turn and spin the wheel to see if it drags at all. Nope, perfect. Looking forward to tomorrows ride, with brand new brakes that should be well and truly bedded in by the end of the 250km round trip I'll be doing.
Topic: What did you do to your Royal Enfield today? (Read 1850713 times)