Modern Vespa

I have recently purchased a '62 VNB which has been running great. During my "getting to know you" period, I have noticed a slight lurching with the brakes while slowly pulling to a stop. It became a bit more apparent today when there was a little bit of rain on the road.

It will stop fine, but it feels almost as if it's grabbing and releasing, although I am not letting up on the pedal. I have definitely determined it's the rear brake doing this.

My question is whether this sounds familiar to any of you, and whether it means that I need new pads, or any other repair/test you can point me in the direction of.

Thanks in advance.

The drum is likely warped. Unfortunately this means replacing the drum (not all that cheap).

It could also be the bearings - spend some earnest time testing for any wiggle or play in the wheel, to investigate this possibility.

Most likely a warped drum, though - I've got one and we see people come forward with them fairly often here. Better than the bearings because you can just throw the new one on and go on with your life.

Can you give me any details for checking the wheel? I would like to spend the time to diagnose it correctly, but don't really know enough about where to start.

Thanks so much for the reply.

correct me if I'm wrong, but I assume it is the same way you would check a bike wheel. Just lift it off the ground so it is free to move. Then grab the bottom of the tire and try to move it from left to right. It should be pretty tight and shouldnt be able to sway at all. If it does then you probably need new bearings in the hub.

I would check the brake shoes also. See how much is left, check for abnormal wear, etc.

I was thinking the same, but xantufrog mentioned spending "earnest time" investigating this - so I thought there might be some special tricks I don't know about.

Thanks for the relpy.