Parking brake winter

Humidity to blame, perhaps?

 

Prelaunch sequence? Please enlighten me. Never rode a Can Am Spider

 

Each time the car stops while in reverse, the shoe is pulled tight against the drum. When the gap gets big enough, the adjusting lever rocks enough to advance the adjuster gear by one tooth. The adjuster has threads on it, like a bolt, so that it unscrews a little bit when it turns, lengthening to fill in the gap. When the brake shoes wear a little more, the adjuster can advance again, so it always keeps the shoes close to the drum.

 

Oh gawd. After putting the key in, you have to hit the Mode button, then the run button, then the starter. After which, you have to disengage the brake. There is a sequence to that, which I think I have wrong and there might also be another step in there beyond waiting for the computer to initialize before you can do anything. 10 or 15 seconds just for the initization, which feels like an eternity. Imagine having to wait until the start screen is gone before you could start the Taco.

Shut down is different, part of which, you have to set the brake before you turn the key off or it bongs at you. Of course, you have to turn the key back on to set the brake.

There is no jumping on thing and going.

I have my bike setup with every override. The side stand can be down, it can be in 1st, the clutch can be engaged, and the starter motor will spin if I am dumb enough to hit the button. That has come in handy when loading on to a trailer.

It takes a bit of habit and personal responsibility, but I am all about simplicity.


Edit: Here's a minute long video of them doing it without much explanation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRdsotM5JH8

So, about 30sec at the very least if you get it right. I forgot about having your foot on the brake above!

 

Yea that sounds like a hassle.

I remember when I had my R6 and out riding with a bunch of guys. Everyone liked playing the kill switch game. The best was kicking the kick stand down on people. I remember when that first happened to me, no idea what the hell happened lol

 

I tossed a video on the post.


Yeah. It really detracts from the pleasure. Then you add in the intrusive ABS / TCS that was going off at just about every stop sign and corner . . . Nope. No thanks. One quick test ride was enough.


I've seen folks doing that before anyone was moving, but I've also heard of folks doing that when rolling, even turning the key off. Yikes! For me, that would be the last ride with that group. Not so much about rolling without power, but more about being way too close for comfort. Propensity to wade it up and all.

 

Mine went to the dealer two days ago because it locked up (30 degrees out). It broke free with 4 wheel drive, I still felt it drag for the one mile drive to the dealer. Service center saw no issues with it.

 

Wow that is stupid. Didn’t know the don’t have a hand brake. Not sure I like that at all. Do they really think someone is going to take time to read that safety message thing lol.

Yea a bit foolish, but everyone was young and dumb. When your that young you don’t look at it from a different perspective. You just are having fun and enjoying yourself and think it’s cool because everyone is having a good time and laughing.

I only had my bike for like 2 months. But it was a lot of fun. I’d love to get another one someone, but with how careless people drive, it makes you think twice. That and around here you can only ride about half the year

 

I didn't like it without the brake lever also. The stupid hard braking was fun though.

Ah! Yeah, I was young and super dumb. I didn't get a bike until my early mid-life crisis. After 10yrs of arguing with my wife, I just used my mom's life insurance to buy the first bike. I'm sure she was doing revs in the grave about that. If I had the bike much earlier, I'm sure I would have done similar. I look back on my experience only through the eyes of middle age. It has been a ton of fun though.

There are some really great bikes out there these days. I hope to snag a cheap VFR800 when my current ST craps out. The Huskavarna 401s and 701 look like great cafe machines. And, there's always plated enduros! I want to jump on one of those right now. A friend and I missed out on two that were going for a whacky low price.

 

I use mine all the time when parking. I have an AT, that thing called the pawl which holds the vehicle when in park is about the size of a pencil eraser. That little piece of metal is what is holding your vehicle. For piece of mind, at least for me, I set my parking brake all the time.

 

Ahh, the dreaded ice mode. Twice while working in the auto industry this has happened to me. Before the Air Force I was a lot man/detailer for a Saturn dealer, 1992, ABS was pretty new. I’m pulling a brand new Saturn into the wash bay with another one right in front of it, it’s a wash bay so the floor is slippery of course. Driving very carefully as usual and I touched the brakes, they went full ice mode and it only stopped when I tapped the other car. Then at a different dealer I was pulling into my bay, this one you turn into, with a Chevy Blazer similar vintage to the Saturn, this one was used, and I was driving faster. I hit the brakes, ice mode, didn’t stop, and slammed into my cart with all my detailing supplies (one of those grey plastic rolling carts) it disintegrated, and there were supplies scattered everywhere.

 

Where I live if you don’t use your e-brake once in awhile, it will freeze not from cold, but from rust. Usually when you are getting your car inspected, which means you have to get it fixed right then

 

Not good at all.

It is amazing that wasn't sorted out for many years. Mine was a freaking 1996.

The lesson there is that I should have had my head on straight and bought a Taco.

 

Maybe? I'm thinking it was due to the insane amount of road spray from semi-melted snow in the morning that froze later in the day. Yesterday through me for a loop. Although I'll tell ya having that outlet in the truck bed is really nice. Kept me from running the world's longest extension cord for my heat gun.

 

I only did that (parking brake at a red light) while on a steep uphill grade and when I was learning to drive a manual trans. That was about 5 decades ago.