The kazuma baby falcon 110 is about a year old. For the last month or so, the rear brakes (drum brakes) have been growing. It had set up without use for about one month after the neck on the gas tank broke and I got around to ordering a new one. When the new one came in, I went to roll it out of the corner of the garage to replace the tank. The back brakes were locked. I had to loosen the adjustment screw to get them to disengage. Anyway, since then, they have still been expanding and now I am out of adjustment - as loose as it will go. I suppose the humidity caused the friction material to begin to disentegrate/expand.

Obviously, I need to install new brakes. The shoes (presumably OEM) are only $11.99 at atvpartsusa.com (and based on the gas tank I ordered from them, about $5 or $6 shipping) or $35 at raceway (free shipping and where the bike came from).

In any event, my questions are these: Has anyone seen this happen before? More importantly, do these shoes copy any name brand bike such that I can find a better quality brake or is there a good quality aftermarket shoe available?

Thanks,
Rodney

 

This just isn't right.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]
Brake pads are not sponges thus should not swell. I'm wondering if there is something internal goofy.
You mentioned the gas tank. There wasn't fuel leak out and somehow get on the brakes was there?

 

I think that maybe the chinese brakes are sponges. After all, the friction material is just some compound of some friction material and some binding agent(s). I would imagine that what they used was somewhat water soluble. Mine is not the first time I've heard of a similar phenomenon - but then it was with brake pads on some of the chinese minis getting wet and coming apart. Still, I guess something else could be the problem but I cant imagine what. I'll see when I order and receive new shoes - still hoping to find something better than china oem.

As to the gas tank, my bro-n-law over tightened it and cracked the neck. Once we realized it was leaking - pretty quickly, it was parked. I think it would be almost impossible for gasoline to have gotten into the drum.

Rodney

 

LOL, your right, I should have said "shouldn't be sponges". I do realize that all brakes can absorb and swell (even tho they shouldn't).
Have you torn apart/inspected the workings yet?

 

I changed the shoes earlier. They had swollen. When I finally got the shoes out of the drum, the friction material from one fell off. It almost looks like the friction material is a good grade of cardboard sprinkled with glitter and attached to the shoe with elmers glue. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

I hope the new ones are better, but I wouldn't count on it. At least they were cheap, fairly easy to replace and lasted a year.

Rodney