what replacement brake shoes are recommended

[brant914]

So I need to post my first picture from last night
1971 R75/5 by the way.

I'm not working in the order I should be... but was wondering about brake shoes last night
I'm sure these are OLD... and asbestos no doubt.
(this bike has been off the road for 26 years and passed through at least 3 states during that time.)

its kinda fun to work on as it is a time capsule and I believe most things have never been apart before
but anyways.. I digress...

in automobile land, I have a lot of experience with different compounds of pads and carbon fiber.
I'm a big fan of CF pads... racing compounds when that is the correct application, and street compounds when appropriate

so what are the air head guys using for light duty street use?
is there a CF option with good reviews?
I apologize, that I searched the board before starting the thread, but was unsuccessful with any good info

 

[20774]

What's wrong with the current shoes? Looks like lots of meat on them.

 

[brant914]

What's wrong with the current shoes? Looks like lots of meat on them.

good point.
and honestly asbestos products work better than the initial replacements that were created.
I could scuff them up and save a few bucks...

just thinking/day dreaming (which always gets me into trouble.)

 

[ebeeby]

Scuff 'em, lube the pivot points, and rock and roll.

 

[PGlaves]

Scuff 'em, lube the pivot points, and rock and roll.

I will be the contrarian - once again. Those shoes are OLD and the resins in the shoe material have hardened. And those brakes are known to be grabby on initial braking, especially in wet or humid weather.

A set of new, modern material brake shoes will improve the braking action considerably. Not the cheapest answer, but the best in my experience. I would find a shop and get the shoes relined with new material.

 

[brant914]

I will be the contrarian - once again. Those shoes are OLD and the resins in the shoe material have hardened. And those brakes are known to be grabby on initial braking, especially in wet or humid weather.

A set of new, modern material brake shoes will improve the braking action considerably. Not the cheapest answer, but the best in my experience. I would find a shop and get the shoes relined with new material.

wow.. I haven't ever had to deal with re-lining

Paul, what material are you using or do you recommend?

I don't envision a lot of miles on this bike
however, the one time you need to stop... you will never regret having correct tires, or correct brakes...

 

[PGlaves]

wow.. I haven't ever had to deal with re-lining

Paul, what material are you using or do you recommend?

I don't envision a lot of miles on this bike
however, the one time you need to stop... you will never regret having correct tires, or correct brakes...

A number of years ago I simply went to a shop that did brake shoe relining. They picked the material - but it did happen to be a Ferrodo product.

Do a search on brake shoe relining. You will find several companies that do this work.

You also have the option of just buying new brake shoes but a good relining will save you money.

 

[20774]

You could check with someone like Tom Cutter to see what he might offer. I just checked Vech's website/store and he offers brake shoes with lining ("aftermarket DP brand" whatever that is).

 

[GTRider]

Relining is a great option if you can find a brake shop that will do that. It keeps the correct fit and finish of the OEM parts if that’s what is in there.

FWIW:
Some time ago there was a discussion on the Airheads list about a project testing and comparing replacement brake shoes for early Airheads, and that project was referenced again just recently on the list. Samples were ordered from 4 or 5 of the major vendors, including BMW, EBC, DP, and others. Reportedly, when the shoes arrived they were all identical, right down to stampings and markings, so the test was called off with the conclusion that all available replacements are coming from a single source—so for new shoes you may as well just buy them from the least expensive available source.

So a reline will save you $$ and you won’t have to fiddle with fitment issues to mate actuating surfaces to their respective pivots and cams. If you decide to buy new, cheap shoes are likely to be as good as spendy shoes, and are sort of an Airhead way to go anyway.
Just my $0.02.

Best,
DG

 

[lmo1131]

I put EBC shoes on both ends of my /5. I wish I had discovered them 20 years ago. No more /5 morning grabs. No fuss, no muss. Later exam shows they've worn themselves in well.

860 (rear) and 864 (front)

May want to double check those part numbers.

 

[pauls1150]

Kurt - DP: DunloPad? Dunlop's foray into the brake market?

 

[1074]

shoes

I'm a fan of the EBC shoes. Suggested retail price is around $65. Compare that with a local place that can reline the existing shoes if you're concerned about price.

 

[jbarneshb]

The previous owner of my 72 r75/5 had installed ebc shoes on the front. After more than a thousand miles, the shoes were only making contact with about 2/3 of their area. I bought some used shoes off eBay and installed them. Upon inspecting them after use, I found they were contacting the drum completely and I believe it has better braking. If you could turn the drums and arc the shoes, I'm pretty sure that would be even better. I believe Racetech does this for a couple hundred dollars.

 

[happy wanderer]

The previous owner of my 72 r75/5 had installed ebc shoes on the front. After more than a thousand miles, the shoes were only making contact with about 2/3 of their area. I bought some used shoes off eBay and installed them. Upon inspecting them after use, I found they were contacting the drum completely and I believe it has better braking. If you could turn the drums and arc the shoes, I'm pretty sure that would be even better. I believe Racetech does this for a couple hundred dollars.

There was a recent thread on the Air List about brake shoes. Tom Cutter pointed out that after close inspection it was determined that one company was basically making ALL the BMW brake shoes but they were sold under so many other brand names it got really confusing. What I gleaned for all of it was that buying original BMW shoew was a big waste of money because buying them from a place like Motobins (or Rubber Chicken Racing Garage) you would end up with the same product without a BMW logo on it