Driveshaft U-joint Boot

[montmil]

Monte

If you have refitted brake shoes before you'll know what I mean, if not prepare for some fun.  Those return springs are the strongest I ever came across on a car or bike. Can't remember what tools I used but a good selection profanities were definitely involved.

Yo, Barry... Aren't we all in this,"for some fun"? Put new shoes on the '81 R65 last week. Manolos, I think they were. Anyway,

At first, I tried my automotive brake shoe pliers; they have a spring hook on one tip and a point on the other. No go. Couldn't lever the spring to an extended position and then, get the end into the brake shoe. Fugitaboudit!

The simple and easy way eventually dawned on me. I hooked up both springs to both new shoes, folded the assembly to look like a taco, placed the lightly greased pivot and brake cam between the folded shoes and... SNAP!  As I opened up the taco, the shoes -with their attached springs- popped into place. No tools required.[smiley=clap.gif]

Monte

[Barry]

The simple and easy way eventually dawned on me. I hooked up both springs to both new shoes, folded the assembly to look like a taco, placed the lightly greased pivot and brake cam between the folded shoes and... SNAP!As I opened up the taco, the shoes -with their attached springs- popped into place. No tools required.Smiley

Monte

You have the correct tool and even that didn't work. No wonder I struggled.  It took quite a bit of dawning on me too. I must have done it the same way as you in the end. I remember it seemed brutal but it worked so that makes it the correct method then.  

[montmil]

More discoveries from R65 Land...  The previously and recent posted photos showed the brake cam shaft from my 1981 R65 and the uber nasty rear brake drum interior of the 1983.

Well, I just now yanked the brake shoes and began a clean up. I also pulled the 83's brake cam shaft and... Whoa! Four O-rings on this bike rather than the two on the '81. Naturally, all four were worn rather flat on their contact area with the brake shaft passage through the final drive housing.

Sure glad I bought plenty of those 10x2 O-rings. It would appear that cutting a couple additional O-ring grooves would do no harm to the shaft's integrity. Note that the bottom of the O-ring grooves are flat with just a hint of roundover at the vertical edge junction. Advise these O-rings be changed sooner than every 25+ years.     Monte

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I had read that you could modify this piece to accept extra o-rings.