soleil Bravo 50cc brake woes By moddersunited (Read 1,649 times)

[moddersunited]

I'm having a few issues with the front brakes on my china scoot. When I purchased it I noticed there was a small amount of rubbing coming from the front caliper. I chalked it up to the new pads needing some time to wear in, but on closer inspection I noticed it was grinding on the caliper

I'm pretty sure I just need a few shims to on the caliper mounts to solve this issue, if anyone has a suggestion on the size or circumference thickness I would appreciate it.

My second issue is with the pads themselves I noticed that the pads were oriented in conflicting directions, and was unable to turn up any decent information regarding the orientation of the pads in the calipers

I just moved to hawaii and am currently stuck on mobile internet and without the comfort of my tool chest.

Any help would be greatly appreciated,
-moddersunited

[Bashan]

Where's the pad on the other side of the rotor?

The pads float on the rotor, they don't need shims, they find their own orientation.

There are tutorials in the Library on brake service. Just look for the board with "Brakes" in the title.

[moddersunited]

Thank you for the photos, I'm 90% sure I have found the proper orientation for the pads.

The caliper bracket is rubbing on the rotor. A washer or two in between the fork and the caliper bracket should be all it to takes to properly align the rotor within the bracket.

[Bashan]

I'm sorry but you have it wrong. The caliper floats laterally as the piston squeezes the pads. It is dangerous to shim the caliper. That would prevent it from moving like it should:

There should be a pad on each side of the rotor. I only see a pad on one side but it may just be my viewing angle. There is something wrong with the way the pads are installed, the caliper would not rub if the pads were correct. Shimming a caliper is not a standard procedure and there is something dangerously wrong with your brake.

[moddersunited]

Is it possible I have my terminology mixed up? The issue is not the clearance for the floating caliper/piston. Its the bracket that the caliper/piston floats on, the piece that bolts directly to the fork

[cyborg]

I think the bike was dropped on that side and the mounting bracket was bent slightly in the process or either side of the mount was machined wrong at the factory,, I think a shim or two wouldn't be bad but dont go wild,,, I wouldn't go thicker than 80-100 thousand that's it

[jct842]

The part of the caliper that moves may just be bound up from old grease and dirt. I suspect we are talking about a well used scooter.

[moddersunited]

@jct Scooter is brand new, just clocked 108 on the odometer.

imgur.com/hpYraVC in this photo you can see the groove the rotor has worn into the
the caliper mount.

You can also see one of the washers that I added this morning.

I've just finished reassembly so I'm going to go take it for spin and see how everything feels.

Could there be an issue with the forks being misaligned? That's the only other possibility I can think of.

[moddersunited]

5 mile ride, and everything seems fine. It still won't coast like my wife's SYM DD50. Should I expect it to?

[jct842]

Don't know what to tell you, it is not possible to see from the pictures. Any possibility of making a comparison with another scooter with same brake. What I see is not right. If some thing is bent you need to replace it rather than to shim. All the pictures I have seen here the brake is not assembled right in my opinion.

[Bashan]

Jct is a veteran of many bikes, many miles, and many turns of a wrench. He feels like I do, something is wrong. I didn't say the things I did to be confrontational, I just don't want to see you get hurt. I will say no more on this thread. Good luck to you sir, Rich

[moddersunited]

Your help has been greatly appreciated. I'm going to take it back to the dealer and figure it out where the problem is,(I wasn't very happy with the service I receieved the last time I visited) the 6 mile trek isn't something I felt comfortable taking with the scooter rubbing this badly. I'll report back once I get everything squared away.

[Guitarman]

Where in Hawaii are you? I'm on Oahu and a friend and I do some repairs on scooters. We mostly do our own, but we do know about scoots.

[moddersunited]

I'm on Oahu as well, just got caught in the rain on 92 trying to make it out to the dealer in Waikiki, if you want to meet up I would love a second opinion

[Guitarman]

Where do you live? Or where you stay now?