Tips for Motorcycle Brake Maintenance

If we talk about the most important and basic safety feature of a motorcycle, everybody will agree on the braking system. So, it is very important to always keep it fit through regular maintenance. In motorcycles, both the front and rear brakes work independently, which makes them lesser complicated for check-up and servicing than a car’s.

Most of the premium motorcycles of modern days feature a disc brake at the front, while most of the commuters still come with front and rear drum type brakes. Both types of systems work distinctively, hence, both need a different type of maintenance. So, here we are with the tips to keep your braking system fit and fine.

Drum Brakes: The most common type of braking system, Drum Brakes, are a type of internal expanding brakes. There are two important parts of the system- Brake Wire and Brake Shoe Liners, which need much attention. So, our regular maintenance should include following steps-

1) First we have to remove the braking wire than the wheel, open the cover of brake drum and take out the brake shoes.

2) Next step is to thoroughly check the brake shoe liner for wear. You can use a scale to measure the thickness of the brake liner, which should be at least more than 1mm.

3) If the liner thickness is lesser than 1mm, you need to replace the worn brake shoes with a brand new set. For better braking performance, we recommend you to change them even the thickness is less than 1.6mm.

4) Brake drums generally tend to accumulate dust and other foreign particles, which can reduce the braking performance. So, you also have to clean it.

5) Now, carefully close the brake drum, assemble the wheel, connect the brake wire and check the braking performance.

6) You can check the wear on brake wire via pressure applied on the brake lever. If the lever is too tight and requires more than normal force, you have to replace the brake wire as well.

Disc Brakes: As a powerful bike needs better braking performance, they comes equipped with disc brakes, which are a little complicated to maintain. Apart from the disc alignment, there are some parts, which can be checked and serviced by self like braking fluid and brake pads. So, here are the steps for disc brakes maintenance.

1) Check the brake fluid in the container for the correct level.

2) If found low, open the container and top up the brake fluid to the correct level. Always use a new pack of brake fluid, as it has a tendency of accumulated moisture over a period of time.

3) Be careful while topping up the brake fluid and don’t let it drop on the vehicle’s body as it can damage its paint.