Rear brakes: adjustment or new shoes?

[diggers]

My rear brakes are reasonably minimal (in stopping power) at the moment.  I seem to recall you can sometimes "adjust" them up a bit to keep them working ok (as an alternative to new shoes).  Is this possible/a good idea? If so, how do I do it!!  If it's new shoes time, how difficult is this job for a half wit like me to do?
Remember I can't even understand most of what I read on these pages!

Since I got a new voltage regulator my bike feels like a new one.  Starting sweet, running sweet, fantastic!
Cheers Diggers
  

[MrRiden]

Diggers,
Well, I harken back to my GS 550E of the same era and it had a brilliant rear disc. When drilled and fitted with soft pads it was an amazing system, but I'm off track here. The only adjustment I'm aware of is the "butterfly" nut on the end of the brake rod. Haul your R65 up on the centre stand and turn that nut clockwise while at the same time turning the rear wheel in the direction it would spin while riding 'till you feel the rear wheel has some resistance to being turned. Not a lot, just a bit of rubbing or drag should be felt. Your rear brake pedal should have some play and when you are astride the bike you should feel the pedal is quite firm without pressing too far. thats the adjustment bit. There is a lot more that can be done to improve the rear brakes. I'll let others chime in on Rear wheel removal, pad inspection, cleaning, oil / grease contamination and so on. I was advised that by simply using the rears more they would improve and that worked for me but when I first asked a fellow at a tech day about the faint power or the rear drum he replied "Oh thats normal".
rich
Who always thought a disc on the left side would be the cats a$$

[not-so-fast-ed]

Hi Diggers,
When you say the rear brakes are "minimal",  Do you mean that there is considerable distance in the pedal play when you push on it?  Or, no matter how hard you push the bike doesn't want to stop?
Normal adjustment is made with the bike on the centerstand in neutral.  Spin the wheel forward by hand and tighten the wing nut on the brake adjusting rod until there is a "dragging" noise.  push on the brake pedal a few times to be sure you still get the noise when it's released.  Then loosen the wing nut slightly until there's no more dragging.  Hit the pedal a few times and you should have about one half inch to one inch freeplay on the pedal tip.  On my bike there is a "MAX" and "MIN" mark on the drive housing that an indicator points to when the brake is applied.  This is the approximate amount of shoe remaining.  "MIN" means "Buy new shoes".  Not sure about your setup.  
If everything seems to indicate that you have plenty of shoes left,  You probably will have to pull the wheel, and inspect the shoes visually.  Could be an oil leak has saturated them.
Pick up a manual and review.  There is an awful lot of owner serviceable items on the Airheads, including most brake jobs.
Good luck,
Ed

Got called away in the middle & saw MrRiden's answer after I posted.
Agree..

[diggers]

Thanks team, I'll have a play and get back to you.  Cheers!

[awaffa2003]

i know i for sure need new pads. befor i left for WY, they were too tight and i didn;t realize it until i couldnt go above 50 after a while on the highway. turned out that the nut was too tight and that made my rear tire smoke, discolor and now i can barely use the pedal because i have to push it so far down.

[diggers]

Tightened up the nut, job fixed, brakes feel like new!  Took about a whole minute!

Cheers for the advice team!

[willr65]

The R65 rear brake is as useful to stopping as a chocolate fireguard!  

Even when working swimmingly the rear brake is poor.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I use mine to alert drivers to my presence at intersections.

[diggers]

Well its certainly not like the twin discs on the front!  But going from 0% to 50% is quite an improvement!  Perhaps the rear brake performs like the acceleration!  Functional, but not something to skite about when you're with your mate with the latest whizz bang jappa!

[montmil]

... the latest whizz bang jappa!

Digger, you're giving us folk here in the colonies a whole new vocabulary of descriptive scooter phrases. Keep 'em coming.

Your rear brake issue reminds me of my 1953 Triumph... except I had "noodle" brakes on both ends!

Monte

[Altritter]

not-so-fast-ed wrote: "On my bike there is a 'MAX' and 'MIN' mark on the drive housing that an indicator points to when the brake is applied.  This is the approximate amount of shoe remaining.  'MIN' means 'Buy new shoes'. "

Aha! I knew someone would clarify this if I waited long enough and read enough postings!

After I bought my bike, I dutifully read my new Clymer's and the later-model owners manual (that covers the R80 and R100 as well as the R65 that A&S Cycle sold me with the explanation that this manual supersedes the one that pertains to the R65 and R45 only. There I encountered the material regarding the wear marks and the little arrow for determining the amount of use left in the rear bake shoes. I spent a lot of time looking for that indicator on the outside of the drum, and I finally gave up in newbie frustration.

Months later I found a reference to inspecting rear brake wear by popping out a rubber(?) plug on an inspection port in the side of the rear drum and peeking into the little hole. (In the 1981-84 owner's manual perhaps? In my defense, I submit that it took me several months to find and purchase one.) This was my first clue that perhaps not all R65 rear brake drums are alike. Not-so-fast-ed has corroborated my hunch.

[MrRiden]

Well now, I just had a look at my LS and it has neither plug nor scale on the drum or hub! I do have the nifty little pointer tho! Go figure.
rich

[not-so-fast-ed]

This is what mine looks like when the Rear Brake is applied.  Of course I just recently put new shoes on so it better indicate "MAX".  

Ed

(Where'd all that dirt & grease come from???)

[diggers]

Hey Monte, my brother is a long time motorcyclist, who rides Nortons.  He speaks with disdain of "jappas"!  Especially when I mention  things like "the gearbox on my 65 clunks a little, not like a Honda!".  He says they have no soul!

Ed, I'll have to look for that brake wear indicator.  Like Altritter, I didn't know it existed!

[MrRiden]

no plug no scale 82 R65LS