Parking Brake Pad Installation ... H E L P !!!!

The installation of brake pads is a simple straight-forward task. Remove the muffler to get at the caliper and remove caliper holding bolts and then remove the pins that hold the pads in place and replace with new pads. Put pins back and remount the caliper. Easy ... nothing to it . Or so I thought. Finding this not to be as simple as other tasks while laying on the floor in all sorts or contortions, I now plead for what the secret is that makes this mundane task seemingly simple.

My problem is the return of the caliper with pads in place to fit over the brake disc. Thought there must be some obvious secret that I've missed. The technique that makes the magic happen. My next step is to grab a file and thin out the pads. But any comments, and better yet, helpful suggestions the get this task done and put the joy back into scootering would be appreciated.

Mike

Big blade flat screw driver and a twist to open pads---or putty knife might work.

I have a tool called a Disc Brake Piston spreader specifically for that task. It pushes the brake pistons back to make installing new disc brake pads easier.

This way.  

Loosen the nut and turn the shaft anticlockwise. Then install caliper and adjust brake.

Got a Harbor Freight anywhere near?

https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=disc%20brake%20pad%20piston%20compressor

Success !!!

Part of the beauty of this great informative site is that most people with a problem share the solution in hopes of helping others if having a similar problem. No mater how simple the solution.

First I want to thank John, Meldrew, arskal and Glenn for the input and helpful suggestions. No Harbor Freight handy me Glenn. And although my Italian is restricted to very few words, the video posted by arskal points out backing off the locking nut and adjusting the threaded piston screw. The putty knife was a good thought and I appreciated all the replies. I generally go with a C clamp in pushing back pistons and didn't realize there was a dedicated tool on the market. Thanks very much,
to all.

So what I did ... don't exclaim in disgust because it worked. I found some 1/4" or maybe 5/16" plywood that is very close the the thickness of the brake disk. I used this as a spacer between the pads and gently tapped the caliper into place. However this was after rubbing the pads on some sandpaper to remove enough brake material to permit tapping the caliper over the edge of the disk. It was like riding the bike with the brake engaged for maybe 50 or 100 miles. Well worth the loss for easing the frustration. And yet with the brake in full release it will take some throttle to make the bike move. Now I have engine braking and parking brake braking! I will watch this and adjust the caliper lever as in the video later on.

Grazie mille !

Mike

The brake pads should not be that tight that it causes more throttle to start moving. I am thinking that you installed the wrong pads. You should NEVER have to remove material inorder to make the pads fit.

Thanks easyrider. I agree with all you say. But the pads were listed for the Silverwing and were dimension-ally exact. Can't speak to thickness and this was the only problem. I will check into the right vs wrong pads once more and report back here. If they were not suitable pads, knowing this may help others looking for parking brake pads.

mahalo,

Mike

Geez, Mike, that pad material is not thick to begin with. Could it be that there is a slight lip on the outer perimeter of the rotor left by rotor wear? Or perhaps that caliper adjustment screw only needed to be backed out another half turn which may have allowed the caliper & pads to slide on effortlessly. Then of course you’d need to make that final adjustment before tightening the lock nut. My 2¢

Tim

Parking brake is different. Piston will not push back like a normal caliper will. If it was adjusted a few times new pads will be tight. Like arskal and Cosmic Jumper posted loosen nut and back off screw then adjust as needed.

Tim wins the prize ! The lip on the edge of the rotor is the problem. I had backed off the adjustment screw to the max. I didn't measure the thickness of the brake pad material but maybe something in the range of 5/32 or a tad more. Doubt it was 3/16th. The pads were cheapy Cyleto # 257 which I found on eBay. The proper way to have done this would be to take the rear wheel off and have the rotor machined. Didn't want to go through all of that for a parking brake. Probably should have ... but ...

Thanks Tim and Mech 1 twa. I will be looking to adjust to adjustment screw as needed. I'm due for an MVI and the last time the worn parking brake pads were an issue. Adjustment gave me lots of holding power but now I felt it was time to change the pads.

Mike

Rotor is worn. Many use none OEM pads that have a smaller pad surface that wears a lip on rotor.
Rotors can't be machined just not enough metal there. A good file will remove lip but better to replace rotor. Cut just the edge off.

I've replaced a set of parking brake pads on one Silverwing belonging to a friend. After removing the old pads it was obvious the old ones would have served for many more years without replacing. The parking brake actuating arm is adjustable, if for some reason the pads are worn, which is probably because the shaft under the actuating arm was never lubricated, they might have been dragging against the disk for some time. The parking brake piston pressure is released when you release the parking brake. It's driven by the spring which pushes it away from the cable when released. If the screw under the arm that pushes the pads forward isn't cleaned and lubricated once in a while the arm may not be strong enough to take off the pressure when the brake is released.

Actually if the parking brake is kept in good operating shape the pads should last just about the life of the scooter. The brake is only meant to be operated when the bike isn't moving so there's no friction between the pad and disk. If it's wearing check out the screw under the brake actuating arm where the cable attaches. The brake arm and the brake operating screw are splined together. You can pull the arm loose and shift the brake arm away from the cable to get a bit more pad pressure to compensate for any slop or wear in the brake pads or disk.

Disconnect the cable and work the brake arm.  If not take it apart clean out the corrosion and re-lubricate it. I use boat trailer grease on mine because it is waterproof and doesn't wash out if you ride in wet weather. I think Honda calls for silicon grease for the same reason.

BTW If you have a bit of a lip on the rear disk there's a quick and dirty way to cure that. It really should be two people.

Put the bike on the center stand, have some one hold the front brake tightly. With the engine running get the rear wheel spinning and hold a fine cut file at an angle from the spinning brake disk and gently cut away the lip. Keep the surface of the file about a 20 degree or so angle to the face of the disk. Stop and check a couple of times to see if you've gotten the proper chamfer and no lip.

I would recommend parking the bike on it's stand and pushing it up against a good solid wall just in case. That would prevent any unexpected thing from letting it take off if it somehow came off the stand.

I've used this rude and crude technique with several motorcycles. Worked very good.

I adjusted my parking brake only once since I've had the SWing. I've never moved it with the parking brake set so I think the cable might have stretched just a tiny bit. It didn't take hardly any adjustment to get it back to holding the bike nice and secure.

I would not recommend running the motor while trying to file the high spot on the rotor. The file could get caught on the rotor or wheel and fly back at the person holding the file. Fingers, clothing, hair could get caught in the wheel.

When I was 16, I attempted to clean the chain of my Yamaha 100cc. Well, the cleaning rag got caught in the chain pulling my finger between the chain and the sprocket. Good thing the motor was idling and died when my finger went all the way around the sprocket and my hand hit the rear shock. Stupid!!! I learned my lesson. Never run an engine to clean a part.

I think that maybe the brake pad wasn't worn. Just needed adjusting. The pads are very thin and should last the life of your bike, unless you have the tendency of driving off without releasing your parking brake, or if it sticks like mine did.

Thanks again for the replies ....lots of wisdom in all that was said. I'd be tempted to use the file on a powered rotor... but I also agree with Easyrtider. Accidents are so easy to happen. A machinist friend told the story from his years working in a shipyard in Scotland. Someone putting an internal thread on a pipe got his hand caught, and it was sucked into the pipe ... up to his elbow. They took him to the hospital with pipe still on the forearm. After a while the medic came out to the waiting friends and asked: "was that a left hand thread or a right hand?" They got it off but he has a threaded arm. OUCH !!

And, when I was 12 or 13 and mowing lawns for summer cash, one "client".... an older gentleman, was tuning up his roto-tiller while I cut the grass. Suddenly he's calling to me for assistance. He had caught a finger in the chain drive and the sprocket had done a job on it. I helped get him to a near by doctor. I managed to get home before my queasy state, at the sight of blood and pain, took me down. So all this is said to let it be known that I agree that respect for turning machinery is always a good thing.

The proper solution to what brought on my post is to replace the rotor. I think the prior owner may have ridden with the parking brake engaged. For the past 2 years there has been plenty of holding power after adjusting the piston screw. It probably would be a really good idea to take it apart for a proper maintenance treatment. The bike is a 2005 version.

Thanks to all,
Mike

Here is a disassembled view of the parking brake. Simple enough to overhaul. HTH.



Tim

Yup that helps.

Probably good a small project for over the winter (on a non ski day).

Thanks Tim.

When I bought my scoot the previous owner said he replaced the front and rear pads but the rotors were worn and had a lip, probably from metal to metal and it was a b##h to get the calipers off with that lip to replace the worn rotors. I just replaced front and rear rotors with used Ebay ones that were in great shape and came with the bolts and still within specs. I also had to adjust the parking brake caliper too, now no drag on take off.

I'm amazed how old I'm becoming! I have difficulty checking the rear tire pressure without putting the scoot on my bike lift. My hat's off and I'm jealous of those who can work on those lower parts of the scooter.

exavid wrote:

I'm amazed how old I'm becoming! I have difficulty checking the rear tire pressure without putting the scoot on my bike lift. My hat's off and I'm jealous of those who can work on those lower parts of the scooter.

Exavid,
I installed a FOBO Bike TPMS system. Have been using the same system for seven years without a problem. I do inspect my tires monthly, but I can do it without having to lay down on the ground. Because the TPMS adds to the height of the valve stem, it needs to be installed onto the OEM 90° valve stem on the rear tire. The system uses Bluetooth to communicate to your smartphone. I check the pressure before every ride. You set upper and lower limits and receive notifications (beeps) when not in the safe range that  you set.

"It needs to be installed onto the OEM 90° valve stem on the rear tire."

I am thinking about FOBO next time I replace tires. Do you have a double-stem setup? I seem to remember FOBO can be a PITA because you need to remove and reinstall (and reprogram) it every time you add air.

Thanks for the recommendation, I'd thought of those but didn't know how good they were. Might be worth at least on the rear tire which is a bear to get to. Does the valve stem on your bike point to the right? That seems to be the worst direction for access.

Delray wrote:

"It needs to be installed onto the OEM 90° valve stem on the rear tire."

I am thinking about FOBO next time I replace tires. Do you have a double-stem setup? I seem to remember FOBO can be a PITA because you need to remove and reinstall (and reprogram) it every time you add air.

I purchased a tee valve from FOBO. It allows you to fill air without removing the TPMS cap. But it was too tall for the rear wheel and would strike the transmission. It looks like it will be ok on the front, but I have not yet replaced my front tire. I will try it when do replace the front tire

exavid wrote:

Thanks for the recommendation, I'd thought of those but didn't know how good they were. Might be worth at least on the rear tire which is a bear to get to. Does the valve stem on your bike point to the right? That seems to be the worst direction for access.

Yes, the OEM 90° valve stem points to the right.