Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126671
Sand only longenough to remove the glaze and to bring out the original color of the brake material. Wash the shoes in a detergent/water solution and set aside to dry thorou~hly. In the case of enduro machinery, this is the perfect time to service the speedo drive unit. After removing any dirt in the seal area, pack the unit 'With waterproof grease. This is another of those areas which are likely to get neglected. Apply a small amount of grease to the surfaces in the brake cam/brake shoe contact areas, again wiping away any excess. Replace the springs on the shoes, then work the shoes as a unit back into the backing plate assembly. Check to be sure that they are fully seated in all contact areas. Now that the brake assembly is prepared for anything that you can throw at it, a few minutes of work on the brake drum is in order. Place a piece of duct tape over the wheel bearing, then spray the entire drum area' with a coating of household spray cleaner such as Fantastik. Wait a few minutes to allow the cleaner to do its job, then sponge away any of the more stubborn deposits. Direct a flowing garden hose into the drum to wash away all of the debris and allow to dry. Your drum should resemble the one in photo F at this point. We are not going to get deeply involved in the proper methods for changing tires - our main concern at this time is to make sure that the ti-re/wheel assembly is in top shape. Remember that to do any type of tire work you will need at least two or three tire irons - crewdrivers are taboo, and are likely to cause unavoidable tube puncture or bodily injury. Even with the proper tools, tire changing can be a trying process. If you are happy with the rubber that came wrapped around the wheels, leave it as it is. Reinstall the front wheel/brake assembly at this time. On enduro machinery, be sure to align the tabs .on the speedo drive unit with those on the hub before tightening everything down. What you ~ill have to be concerned with at this -time are the spokes - only a short cruise on your new scooter through the rough will likely result in a set of spokes in various states of tension. When a bike is new, it's simply one of those things that you must pay close attention to. In time, the spokes will bed into their respective niches and will onJy occasionally require tightening, but don't ne~lect them. We prefer to begin the spoke tightening process at the valve stem, working our way around the wheel and a.ttending to spokes that attach to the side of the hub we are facing. Move to the other side of the wheel, and again repeat the process for spokes on that side, ending at the valve stem. Be sure to have the proper. size of spoke wrench in hand (see photo G). Since you will find spokes in varying degrees of tension, attempt to get all of them torqued to approximately the same tightness. If a spoke is much tighter or looser than the others, adjust it to fall into what you feel is an acceptable range. After all are in agreement, you may want to make another trip around both sides of the wheel and give each one another twist of the wrench. Finish off your attention to the wheel by snugging down the rim locks if they are used. Your front suspension/wheel assembly should be bulletproof by this time. In our next installment, we will get involved with rear suspensions, as well as going over many other basic set-up and maintenance ·tips. . - . - =- -. A. Be sure to carefully adjust both fork tubes to the same height. B. When tightening delicate components. as in the case of triple clamps. keep the head end stationary and tighten the hex nut. C. A baby bottle. graduated in metric units. makes a good tool for measuring fork oil. The use of a funnel keeps things neater. E. Identifying marks on brake shoes makes reinstallation simpler. D. If air is used. fill both fork legs with the same amount of pressure. G. Since spokes and nipples come in different sizes. make sure that your spoke wrench fits exactly to prevent any problems. F. Your brake drums should. be cleaned after each riding session. .19