Quote:
Originally Posted by Anusha125
Are there any improvements that can be made to get the best braking power possible? I obviously don't want to stop so hard I fly off the bike, but I want to be able to trust the brakes if I need them as well -- and not replace the brake pads every 6 months!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jd666
^^ +1.
Get the brake cables adjusted during the service, and the brake drums and brake shoes cleaned. Also check that the brake pads are within wear limits.
Its very important to use the front brake to effectively cut your braking distance by half!! or maybe more!
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See Anusha, there are ways wherein you can use the brakes more efficiently and then there are ways to improve the brakes too. But ideally, as they say, its not the machine, its the rider that makes the difference. Try to extract the maximum of what you have already.
Understanding the difference between the brakes of Suzuki Access with that of any other bike:
- your bike's brake work on the outer& inner cable for front and rear both, where in bikes work on rod brakes for the rear( most of the Indian bikes) and front brakes are hydraulically operated disc brake set up( again most of the Indian Bikes). There is a considerable loss of braking force exerted by the hands and lever in the process of expansion of the shoes inside the drum via the cable mechanism as a significant amount of force is used up in the contraction of the outer in few of the cases. That is one of the limitation of the drum and cable brake set up.
- secondly, the rear drum is not that well exposed to open air as in the case of most of the bikes which again decreases the efficiency after the drum heats up significantly. This hurdle can again not be over come any which way, lest you install a liquid cooled braking system( if such a thing exists)
- so what we are left with is, finding a way to get the maximum from what we have got. Now try not to use the brakes unnecessarily just to slow down. Use the engine braking instead, which is not very wonderful anyhow for vehicles running on CVT( continuously variable transmission).
- This will ensure the drums are not heated to the earlier extent and resulting in efficient braking. Also Keeping the braking system free from rust, debris, dust would ensure smooth running and less loss of force.
- Lastly, though I dont particularly recommend this, try to increase the friction between the drum and the shoes( Brake). (Ask me HOW!!!) Also, ensure that you always use the Original spares as replacement. Off market and local spares may affect adversely.