Comstar brake shoes

[b_1_rd]

Hello all

Went to change the chain and sprockets and found that one of the brake shoes had separated in the rear drum when I took the wheel off. Gotta love restoring bikes!

Anyway, the CB550F2 I’m working on has Comstar wheels on (don’t burn me, it came with them). The wheel size is showing MT 2.15x18 and N 18xMT2.15 878 DOT. The Shoes have H-283 on them.

It seems there are many different variants of this Comstar wheel so the brake setup is different across the range.

I can’t find any brake shoes listed with H-283.

At motorcycleproducts.co.uk they have quite a good search system by model etc.

If I’m measuring them correctly the shoes are 160mmx30mm (if I’m interpreting the guidance on the website correctly)

If I search by size 160 x 30, these look the closest but fitment says MZ. https://www.motorcycleproducts.co.uk/160mm-x-30mm-brake-shoes-001951/1/001951

If I go up to 160 x 40 these look spot on visually and the figment suggestions match a more plausible batch of bikes that would have likely been candidates for the wheel swap out with this 550 back in the day, but I don’t know if they’ll be ok at 10mm wider https://www.motorcycleproducts.co.uk/160mm-x-40mm-brake-shoes/1/001953?bike=10127_71

I wouldn’t be surprised if the previous owner skimped and put in the wrong size.

Can anyone here throw any light on what I should go for?

I’ve got more photos if it helps.

Many thanks

[K2-K6]

Any picture of wheel and hub to give idea of model ?

Likely that the CB650 was a swap in for original fitment, size parity of model. That seems to agree with your 160 x 40 mm dimension and listed some places as "321" code.

https://www.squaremotorcycleparts.co.uk/products/rear-brake-shoes-honda-cb650-cb-650-1983-1985

Is the whole brake "track" in the drum obviously used, or perhaps you can see a narrower band of witness mark if too  narrow a shoe has been installed.

[b_1_rd]

I’m thinking its most likely a 650 wheel. I’m fairly confident the 40mm will fit.  The track seems to have room to spare.

Can’t see how to add more than one photo to each post

[b_1_rd]

Hub inner

[DomP]

I got my Honda original shoes relined by Villiers

[Bryanj]

Usualy there is a max dia cast inside the drum, what about the 250/400 dream/wet dream.
I can even see max dia 181 in the pic so looking at 160 shoes will get you nowhere, 180x 40 might be better to look for

[Bryanj]

1980 650 are 180x38

[b_1_rd]

Yeah I think you’re right Bryan. I’ve sent an enquiry to the seller to see what they recommend.

[deltarider]

Hello all
Went to change the chain and sprockets and found that one of the brake shoes had separated in the rear drum [...]

Have heard of this before. Some aftermarket brakeshoes do this.

[Bryanj]

So do Honda ones with age and damp

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

As Byan has said with age & corrosion the bond between the backing & the friction material eventually breaks both on Pads & Brake Shoes even on good quality brands.

Back in the 1960's most brake shoes were rivited on - you could buy linings and rivet them on yourself quite easily.

[Laverda Dave]

I always renew brake shoes now when restoring a bike simply because you don't know when the shoes were last changed. Ratty's rear shoes are marked as Honda and show wear so as far as I know they could be the 1976 originals. Having a rear wheel lock up at speed due to de-bonding isn't a nice thought.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

I've never experienced de-bonding on brake shoes only twice in a lifetime on disc pads.
I was driving a Mini Mayfair Auto within a couple of weeks of ownership - it was due to serious corrosion on the front hubs as the vehicle had been little used for a couple of years by PO.

The pad friction material came off completely - with frantic pumping of the brake pedal at a roundabout the brakes worked again with metal on metal contact on one caliper - boy did it squeal and pull to one side!

[b_1_rd]

These have been in there since at least 1998 when my Dad bought it as a box of bits. He rebuilt it and rode it once around 2000 but it still needed work that he never got around to. Not surprising that they have perished. Now I’m working through getting it back on the road. They were on the list to check.

[Bryanj]

Remeber when Mike Brewer did an Isetta, the linings fell off that on the way to workshop, i have had half a pad lining fall off on my L200 at 110,00 with about 5mm material left and have had old stock fall apart