Rear Braking Problem
- Thread starter TOM6608
- Start date
Hoople
Account Removed
TrikeLady are you saying there are a PAIR of 11.5 rotors on the rear of a HD Trike? All this time I thought there was just 1 rotor on the rear of a Trike.
Sorry about that, I completely mis-understood. Forget all about my previous long posts. That baby should stop on a dime. As you said earlier, just a set of better pads will accomplish what even the most demanding person is looking for.
trike lady
Junior Member
The trike conversions for the HD you get from Lehman, Motortrike, CSC and others have 11.5" diameter rotors. A gentleman told me his Tri-glide has two 9" rotors in the rear. Single rotor conversions come from DFT. If what he said is true that would account for the lack of stopping power.
I'm also wondering if when the trikes were prepped, was the protective coating on the rotors removed and if not it ruined the brake pads?
J
Jack Klarich
Guest
That is a very good point and why PDI is so important IMO
SirDimsdale
Active Member
Hi All: It's been awhile since I've been on the site but I'm still interested in the rear brake problem. What I experience is when cold the rear brakes work fine but as they heat up it takes more pressure to keep them from slipping. For instance, where I live in NY we have quite a few hills both large and small. We also have quite a few stop lights & stop signs. When cold I can hold the trike on an incline with moderate pressure on the brake pedal but as I use them more and they heat up similar inclines cause the bike to roll forward or back and I either have to use the front brake or stand on the rear brake pedal more. I don't have any squeaking problems but I'm wondering if some of the other explanations may apply. :worthy
shovelmonkey
Member
First, let me qualify my statements by saying that I work in an HD dealership service dept.
The rotors on a tri-glide are IMO too small, but do have a large advantage over 2 wheeled iterations as the rotors do have the extra mass of the hub flange to act as a heat sync.
We have seen the main problems (e.g. noise, wear, and general lack of performance) to be related to parking brake adjustment. The adjustment, at the caliper, not at the lever, manually moves the inboard pad to clearance correctly from the rotor. As the pads wear, which is rather quickly for the inboard pad, this clearance increases. When the brake pedal is depressed, and the inboard pad is farther away from the rotor, more effort is required to do the same amount of work, because the outboard pad is contacting the rotor and offering resistance to the pedal, but not really applying braking action. We are performing a parking brake adjustment sometimes as often as 2500 mile intervals for some customers who use the rear brakes primarily, and they all remark on how much better the rear brake action is when we are done. All of that being said, the biggest thing tri-glide owners can do to prolong good braking action from the rear is keep them clean. Cleaning the braking system regularly clears debris that scores rotors and pads, and helps the pin sliders work more effectively, which will let the outboard pad help out more. regular adjustment of the parking brake mech., either by a dealer or yourself may keep this braking action more to your liking. I also understand some changes have been made to the 2011 rear brakes, but we have yet to see one.
I don't know if any of this helps, or if it's all been tried, but maybe it can shed some light on the subject.
Hoople
Account Removed
Thanks ShovelMonkey, Great info.
Keep in mind I have never seen a rear Trike setup. I was under the assumption that the rear caliper was floating. Why would/does the INNER pad wear quickly vs the outside pad?
If for example, a customer was to NEVER use the emergency brake.. Would the pads still wear uneven? (meaning inside pad wears faster than outside)
trike lady
Junior Member
Thank you for the information, I knew someone had to know the answer.
After having seen your post and reading through the Tri-glide service manual and reading about the parking brake it all makes sense.
The rotors should come up a size like the conversions at 11.5" diameter though.
Most trike riders stop with the rear brakes because that is where all the stopping power is. I do see in the future an aftermarket brake system from one of the companies to correct the deficiency.
shovelmonkey
Member
Hoople,
the calipers are floating, but IMHO, they don't do a very good job of it. The sliders do not seem to work as well as they should, and allow the inboard pad to take alot of abuse. We have tried polishing and lubing the pins/bores with moderate success, meaning the inboards still wear quicker, but not with as much difference between the two. Parking brake usage doesn't figure into it, because this won't cause pad wear. If the parking brake mech. is adjusted every week or so, it would compensate for the inboard pad wear, and allow for more even braking action/wear.
the calipers are floating, but IMHO, they don't do a very good job of it. The sliders do not seem to work as well as they should, and allow the inboard pad to take alot of abuse. We have tried polishing and lubing the pins/bores with moderate success, meaning the inboards still wear quicker, but not with as much difference between the two. Parking brake usage doesn't figure into it, because this won't cause pad wear. If the parking brake mech. is adjusted every week or so, it would compensate for the inboard pad wear, and allow for more even braking action/wear.
SirDimsdale
Active Member
Shovelmonkey: Should the weekly parking brake adjustment you recommend be done at the lever or at the caliper as you stated earlier.