Squealing Rear Drum

by **steveyacht** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 5:35 am

OK, this is not about an English, Italian, German, Spanish, or any other Euopean (You're A Peein' as they say here in South Carolina) Motorcycle. It is about a 1984 Honda (yea, I know) VF700S Sabre that I use as a daily commuter/overall rider. It has a rear drum brake that is driving me nuts. It Squeals like crazy, I have tried new shoes, sanding the drums, cross hatching the shoes, and every other thing I can think of.

Can any of you offer any suggestions? I leave the house fairly early and I am trying to be a good neighbor!

by **Nortoniggy** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 6:37 am

This may sound obscure but some BMW airheads had a problem with noisy rear drums, their solution was to encase the return spring in a rubber sleeve to stop the spring vibrating. If you could find a piece of hose or similar to fit over springs, it's worth a try.

Ian

by **swooshdave** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 8:59 am

by **kingdaddyo** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 1:22 pm

Have you had the rear wheel off recently or tightened the chain? If the wheel is out of alignment, it certainly could cause your drum to squeel.

by **daveh** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 3:23 pm

When did this problem start, or has the brake always squealed? Is it worse in cold, damp weather? Does it disappear after a while during a ride?

You say you have fitted new brake shoes. How much of the surface of each shoe is contacting the drum? Brakes can squeal if there is insufficient contact between drum and shoe and you will often hear that squeal happens when a brake is lightly applied. I wonder too if your shoes are good quality or pattern replacement parts?

I assume the inside of the brake is clean but are all the pivots lubricated? Squeal can occur if the pivots are dry. Nortonniggy's idea of the rubber sleeve for the springs is interesting. Anything that reduces resonance is good.

by **steveyacht** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 5:29 pm

daveh wrote:When did this problem start, or has the brake always squealed? Is it worse in cold, damp weather? Does it disappear after a while during a ride?

You say you have fitted new brake shoes. How much of the surface of each shoe is contacting the drum? Brakes can squeal if there is insufficient contact between drum and shoe and you will often hear that squeal happens when a brake is lightly applied. I wonder too if your shoes are good quality or pattern replacement parts?

I assume the inside of the brake is clean but are all the pivots lubricated? Squeal can occur if the pivots are dry. Nortonniggy's idea of the rubber sleeve for the springs is interesting. Anything that reduces resonance is good.

I should have been more specific, your post makes me realize that, thank you.

Yes, this problem has been with me since the bike was new, 1984.

It being a shaft drive will eliminate the chain alingment situation.

Inside of the drum and all interior components were cleaned with brake cleaner and wiped down, then lubricated where called for.

Shoes were pattern replacements. I have not had the back wheel/drum off since I last replaced the shoes. I will have to do that to be certain that I am getting good contact with drum. Mostly happens at light application of the brake, goes away just before rear wheel lock up.

by **steveyacht** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 5:30 pm

swooshdave wrote:

Now Why Didn't I Think of THAT????? :mrgreen:

by **Carbonfibre** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 2:34 am

The problem is almost certainly related to the shoes not being completely concentric with the surface of the brake drum, which will lead to the noise you are getting. This is relatively easy to deal with, and you will need to get thicker linings bonded onto an old pair of brake shoes, fit them onto the brake plate, then get the shoes machined down to the exact diameter of the brake drum. This procedure will also very much improve the braking performance of any drum brake bike, and is well worth doing if you want to take part in any sort of competition.

by **steveyacht** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 7:48 am

Carbonfibre wrote:The problem is almost certainly related to the shoes not being completely concentric with the surface of the brake drum, which will lead to the noise you are getting. This is relatively easy to deal with, and you will need to get thicker linings bonded onto an old pair of brake shoes, fit them onto the brake plate, then get the shoes machined down to the exact diameter of the brake drum. This procedure will also very much improve the braking performance of any drum brake bike, and is well worth doing if you want to take part in any sort of competition.

COMPETITION????? LOL Only competition I have is with the Tourons on the highway trying to prove Sir Isaac Newton was wrong when he said that, "No more than one object can occupy the same space at the same time". (or sumptin like that!)

Touron - That is what you get when you cross a Tourist and a Moron.

by **daveh** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 8:17 am

steveyacht wrote:Touron - That is what you get when you cross a Tourist and a Moron.

by **Bernhard** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 8:25 am

Carbonfibre wrote:The problem is almost certainly related to the shoes not being completely concentric with the surface of the brake drum, which will lead to the noise you are getting. This is relatively easy to deal with, and you will need to get thicker linings bonded onto an old pair of brake shoes, fit them onto the brake plate, then get the shoes machined down to the exact diameter of the brake drum. This procedure will also very much improve the braking performance of any drum brake bike, and is well worth doing if you want to take part in any sort of competition.

Fit a .020 thou shim under each of the flats before machining, and file a shallow lead in on each of the leading shoes to prevent brake grab :!:

Did you ever cure it?
Did you ever check that the drum was concentric?

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