Hi guys,

I'm having an issue with my front brake on my Fantic 200.Stops well enough,but the leaver doesn't return correctly.I think the cam is going round too far.The shoes have 4.5-5mm of lining left,so didn't think they was worn out.Got a wear lip of about 1mm on the drum lining.Looking at the angle of the leaver,I'm having to adjust too much slack out of it.Do i need over size linings? wouldn't have thought new stock linings would help much.Anyone notice any thing setup wrong.

 

What you need to do is skim out the wear lip, you can do this by mounting the wheel on spindle and clamp the spindle in a workmate or similar, then spin the wheel and grind out the lip with a dremel. You can then fit oversize linings, I use Villiers services, tell them what size linings you require and that it's for a trials bike, costs no more than buying a standard set off shoes.

Thanks for the reply Nick.Thats the route i was thinking,just not too sure as not done anything on drum brakes for a long time. I've found a company offering that service(think its the same one you use)just a bit unsure if i was missing something. 

The brake arm needs to be at 90 degrees to the cable to be most efficient, turn it slightly on the cam spindle. If the brake is binding check the cam spindle is free to rotate & return in the brake plate, also the cable inner is not binding/dragging in the outer. Skim the lip off the drum or you will always have a lump of slack. Correct way to do it is with the drum off the rim but that gets expensive. What sort of adjustment do you have? Shims?

Also check that the square that connects the cam to the lever is still so. What happens if not that the lever twists slightly before jamming hence you cannot get a 90 degree pull on the cable even if the brake works ok.

Try to source a cam which has a splined end. I seem to recall using a ty Yamaha one in the past.

Front brake is fantastic now. I had Villiers put over size linings on my shoes,can recommend using their service. Folks are too soft now! Looking for recommendations for replacement springs please.

Magical springs, but go for TLR as they are longer and don't need as much spacers!

Bit late now lol. I ordered Magical springs and the adjustable spacers.I've got the spacers set at full stretch,but found that setup a bit much last time i was out.Will take them down an inch and try again. The Magicals are shorter than the springs that i took out.