Worth giving it a bit of a clean out. If you’re not too sure about doing it yourself, pop in and see Matt at the OMC. Will be a pretty quick job with a bit of help from him. He’ll also be able to help you align the wheel when you put it back on.
If you’ve got a heavy foot as you say it would be worth checking that the squeal is in fact what you think it is, we’re talking brakes after all. It could be that that heavy boot has worn down the friction material to the point where the metal part of the shoe is coming in contact with the drum.
^^^ Quite true.
Hopefully it is not that heavy, but point taken. I will give it this weekend first then, just to see if the gear problem has been resolved or it still needs proper attention. But if that is all okay then I will have a go at checking and cleaning the brake, can put in practice what I learned yesterday! From the videos I feel confident I can manage that on my own.
The only thing not clear is that the brake cleaner in one of them is just a shot of a random can, will any old Halfords cleaner do or does it need to be something specific?
Thanks.
It needs to be something specific, you must use, and only use, brake cleaner or brake and clutch cleaner on your brakes!
£5.49 for a 500 ml can off the shelf at Halfords for Halfords own brand, one can will be plenty with some left over as a shelf item in your garage
Public Health Warning - Much rubbish and dangerous practices can be found when searching YouTube, especially for brake related videos. How to be sure if the advice given is good is a tricky one. Best is to follow the instructions in a workshop manual and use the internet offerings as a giudance.
Sorry, what I meant was is all brake cleaner the same or are there specific sorts for different brakes. But any old Halfords it is, then.
One of the videos I watched had been previously posted on here specifically as an answer to solve squeaky YBR brakes, and the other showed exactly the same. So I took both the corroboration and not being dismissed here as giving them credibility, will try to pick up a Haynes manual too though.
I’ve seen YouTube videos where brake drums and shoes have been randomly attacked with emery cloth, not a good idea.
There are two main reasons why drum brakes squeak or squeal
- A build up of dust as the friction material wears down, cure by removing the drums and cleaning out the dust with brake cleaner.
- Shoe vibration caused by squared off leading edges to the shoes, cure by re-profiling the leading edge with a gentle chamfer. There’s no real need to go over the entire shoe and drum faces with emery cloth or other abrasive material.
There are other reasons why drum brakes would squeak or squeal such as incorrectly fitted, worn or broken retaining springs/clips.
Brakes are critical, by all means watch internet how to videos but don’t lose sight of the fact many of these videos are made by folk who like the sound of their own voice and are largely unqualified in the subject matter they are demonstrating. Apply your own intelligence to the information being given and if you have any doubts of what you’re doing or their condition leave the job to somebody qualified.
This does go for forums, too, generally. Your best bet for advice is somebody who is (or at least has been) an actual mechanic. That’s not to outright dismiss the eager amateurs, but we generally work on the basis of stuff we’ve tried that’s not obviously gone wrong rather than any sort of rigorous training.
Had to go in for blood tests today, so as the weather was fine (not keen on traipsing around with a wet coat, mind not much more keen on doing so with a dry one on a warm day like today, I never even owned a coat before the bike) I used it as an opportunity for another little test and the gears still seemed fine.
The brake though squeaked the first couple of stops then went silent. After hospital I went to the shops and it was silent all the way there, but then squeaked all the way home.
Brakes will tend to squeal more when damp conditions prevail …
l had YBR 125 custom, and changed oil myself, l never had it serviced though. it was 2012 
Exactly, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
What’s missing from this video?
Oh so much …
No mention of the gasket reasealing …
I swear it seemslike the sump plug washer was omitted on reassembly and no mention of it …
Hmmm struggles to undo one bolt because of the footpeg but then removes foot guard section after
I lost intrest after sump plug reattach to be honest
That’s a good start Tim. I should have asked - Can you spot 10 or more omissions in this video?
- No mention of clutch cover gasket
- No mention of sump plug washer
- Sequence of work
- because I’m not perfect either
discuss/
For what it is worth, the manual does not mention any sump plug washers either. The oil change instructions are literally just five steps: 1. warm engine, 2. place oil tray, 3. remove bolt, 4. put bolt back, 5. add oil. Just written in full sentences. It does not even tell you to move the oil tray after or even how to dispose of the old oil.
I was reading it, though, to see what other little things I could or should do, and in doing so discovered there is a wear indicator for the rear brake shoe! Although I read the manual when I first got the bike, at that point that level of detail was a bit meaningless to me so I am not surprised it never registered.
Anyway, the indicator is within the wear limit so I should be able to rule that out as a cause of the squeaking. It would have been an odd coincidence if it were though. Same with dampness, as it has not done so in similar weather, including when after I found myself crossing a flooded road.
And I think it is now safe to say the chain must have been the cause of the gear problems too. Going out yesterday and today I only had one problem, when almost home today, and that one was not random. A moment or two after having gone up to second I felt a big bump crossing sections of road surface and it dropped into neutral.
Thanks everyone for helping sort that out, particularly TimR for saying to check the chain and TimmyFox for doing so.
Presumably there is an exception to not trusting everything you read or see online if it is from a Tim.
Erm… so, the plastic bits which cover the brake and clutch levers.
Are they important, say for protecting the lubrication and preventing rust?
Because I definitely had one on the brake lever first thing this morning, and definitely do not have one now.
for preventing water ingress which is a major cause of premature…
When I got back it just looked wrong, something was clearly missing. So I was sure the plastic cover was missing.
And so I asked about how to buy one, to find out there is no cover on the brake. Still no idea how that all happened.
Anyway, I finally got around to cleaning the brake today. It seemed to go okay, chain off, wheel off, brake off, brush shoe, spray drum, brake on, wheel on, adjust chain.
Did not want to collapse as the wheel falls off in rush hour so waited until this evening.
Turned the key, no tail light, so had to change the bulb in the dark. Then I was off.
What a terrifying experience.
Luckily meaning I did not have to think about the wheel falling off or brakes falling, neither of which happened. All seemed fine to me, which is probably not saying much but nothing felt different.
I have not actually been had reason to go on an unlit road at night before so thought I would try one as out. One that I have been on before, would be fairly quiet, and is mostly straight.
As much as I have read about the headlights being useless on a YBR125, I would never have guessed how by how much. I could not see much more than 10 yards ahead. And the difference between dipped and full beam seems to be the colour of the light, it did not feel like it made any difference to visibility.
The road is 40mph and I was not going that fast to begin with, but after the first corner felt so blind I barely got above 20mph. At the end of that road I just turned back the same way, at least that time with the help of heading into the brighter city lit sky I managed 30mph once it straightened.
So, the point of all this, does anyone know the best option to make the headlight actually usable?
It takes a 35/35W bulb, which I guess means the full beam is supposed to be useless by design. But being small and powerless (the bike, not me) I am not sure if it can take anything higher, as well as the potential risk from increased heat.
As for the brake, it was perfectly silent. Until I got home, literally stopping to turn off the road into the car park it squeaked a little.
I also need to keep playing with the the brake light adjustment, now I know there is one. Because I am sure it was permanently on from the very lightest of touches on the pedal. But beyond having my foot so far back that my toes are on the peg I cannot contort it in any way to avoid doing that.
But honestly, I would have been better off with a bicycle light on the handlebar.
Upgrade that bulb, you want an H4 bulb with a little more power output. The 35/35W bit is the output in watts, the first figure is for the main beam, the second figure is for the dipped beam.
I have on the garage shelf some H4 bulbs, used but well serviceable and in their original packaging. For a small donation to The Great North Air Ambulance there yours if you want them. The problem is how you get your grubby mitts on them?
One pair of Xenon super blue white H4’s 60/55W
One pair of Halfords 472R H4100/80W rally bulbs
I got these bulbs to upgrade the headlights on the old Vauxhall Cavalier. The Xenon super blue white bulbs were fitted for one night only as they were not any brighter than the standard 60/55W H4 bulbs but they do have a slight blue tint to them. The rally bulbs are proper bright for ‘off road use only’ but that didn’t deter me from using them on the road, removed form the Cavalier when I sold it on.
Would those not be too powerful though if it is only built to take 35W bulbs? I am worried about the battery not being powerful enough and/or melting the electrics.
Looking back though things I bookmarked when I first got the bike, there were two recommended bulbs, both 35/35W ones.
This Halfords halogen one: http://www.halfords.com/motoring/motorcycling/motorcycle-parts/halfords-bike-it-motorcycle-bulb-hmb417-12v-35-35w
And this xenon one on eBay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220656857279
Maybe it is just me, but it seemed so dim (and the lens was clean) that it seems difficult to believe changing bulbs will be enough. But I can try the Halfords one and see how I get on, as I need to go there for some new spare tail/brake ones anyway
And the rear brake was still squeaking at times today, though a lot quieter than before cleaning it. And at least it still works well enough to lock the rear wheel when bad panic reaction take over. Hmm.