The rear drum brakes on my son's ttr125 don't work. The shoe's look like they got plenty of "shoe" left on them. (I've never seen a new one to compare) They have about 3/16" to 1/4" left on them. They are clean enough to eat off of. I "ruffed" them up with sandpaper but the bike still won't stop with any weight on it. The brakes will engage when the bikes on the stand. I know that drum brakes are "crap", but I'm not about to invest in a rear disc brake for this "temperary" bike. What else can I try? Is it as simple as getting new brake shoes? The dealer told me, (without looking at them) that the shoes are probably O.K. He's the one that told me to "ruff up" the shoes. But it didn't help.
:think: Did you look at the actuator cam for the shoes? It might not be moving the shoes out far enough when you hit the brake lever. You'll have to take the back wheel off and see if the shoes move when you pull on the lever that's attached to the drum. I don't know exactly how much they should move, but the service manual should give you some kind of specs on the rear brake. If the cam is worn, the shoes will not move much. Good luck, YZ165
That IS the actuator cam. Is there a serrated part that fits on it? I know on my '87 KDX200 with rear drum brakes, if you put that thing on one spot off, it would be wimpy brake city. You could put the pedal ll the way down, but it wouldn't move the cam all the way.
It's fixed!
I'm so dumb
I thought the adjusting screw was as tight as it would go because I coulnd't turn it anymore. Turns out it wouldn't turn because it was dirty. I cleaned it and it turns easily and the brakes work like new.
Although I feel like an idiot, I'm glad it was so simple and it didn't cost me any $$$
Thanks for everyone's help anyway.
An aftermarket company might make grooved shoes for that bike. I know EBC makes grooved shoes for my 1987 Kawasaki KDX200. You could check at www.ebcbrakes.com.