Modern Vespa

I thought my front brake was worn out... the bike only has 7000 miles, but who knows...

So I went and bought new brake shoes, pulled off the hub, and found the original, piaggio-stamped brake shoes to have almost all their tread. they were very smooth, and the drums had areas that were rusty (meaning, I'm guessing, that the pads aren't entirely touching, at least everywhere).

will it help to change them? do the front drum brakes just do essentially nothing?

any advice?

I've been trying to pick up a salvage fork/disc from Italy (via ebay... the're easy to find, but so far no one will ship it to an American bastard like me).

Mine were the same when i first got it.
Roughed up the brake lining with some 80 grit sandpaper and used 180 grit on the inside of the drum, wiped everything with brake cleaner.

Grease the pivot posts for the shoes and adjust the brake cable so tight the brakes drag a little, back the adjuster off so the wheel spins freely.

Its not disc brake effective, but pretty darn good.

I did the same as Wibbo. Also I lubed the cable and checked the drum for worping.

with drums i used both front and back ...... the best setup drums are not the best................ get a disc

thanks!

i'm afraid of the asbestos brake pad! maybe i'll change it, and sand the drum.

i've found several salvage px disc/pump/fork/headset packages in italy. it's hard to find people who will ship internationally!

i like the stock

do as suggested and you will enjoy the improvment

these brakes work great together

Yeah, my stock front brakes are pretty strong! Not as good as the disks on the ET, no, but I'm very pleased with the stopping power. You should be able to get good performance out of them if you get everything in order

Careful when you do that! The old pads are made of asbestos.

NOW you tell me

What about new pads? Or do you mean all pads for old drum brakes?