Crappy brakes in ihe rain!

[pidgey]

I'm noticing a significant deterioration in braking ability in the rain on my '80 GS 850 GL. Brakes are fine when it's not raining. The weather is sucking big time here at the moment, so it's ride in the rain or don't ride, period. The pads are good, @ 60% front, 70% rear. Master cyl and lines check out o.k, fluid was changed last year. Is there anything that I can do to improve braking, or do I just have to learn to live with it ?
Thanks for your input, guys.

[Mobetter]

Drum brakes only advantage to disk,
they stop better in the rain.
I don't think you want to change though.
You really shouldn't be doing hard braking in the rain anyway,
it's not really safe.
Go slower and leave a lot more room between you and other vehicles.

Peace
Mo

[Dark Jedi]

Kinda what I was thinking. Odd to complain that you can no longer lock up your wheel on a wet road. I'd take that as a bonus!

[pidgey]

I've been riding accident free for over 25 years. Must be doing something right.

[bybowtie]

welp now you have done it... Youll go down within the week(especially locking in the rain!)

[Mobetter]

Hopefully you'll maintain the record.
Go to a drum brake in the rear, you can lock it up and slide
all you want!

Have fun.

Mo

[focus frenzy]

the one thing you can do (well there is a second thing you could do) is experiment with different pads, different pad materials react differently, some squeegee away water better than others.
the other thing you could do is fabricate/ adapt disc covers, just like the ones used on a gold wing and some dirt bikes use/used, they help keep the water off the disc.

[pidgey]

Thanks leon, finally some good advice. I'll go to a wrecker's and see what I can find for disc covers/shields.

[Anonymous]

re; *@%^$*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$ brakes in the rain

Very easy cure is just to keep the discs dry. Just give them a light squeeze now and again. That is enough to make sure they work when you need them too. How often you do it will depend on how heavy the rain is. I used to ride all year round in Scotland so I know about rain. You don't need to buy anything.

[Paul]

If you can get hold of some, fit the later slotted discs. They won't totally cure the problem, but will make the brakes MUCH safer in the wet.
The trouble with the original discs is, like all Jap bikes of the late '70s/early'80s, they are absolutely crap in the wet.

[Anonymous]

Re: re; #### brakes in the rain

Very easy cure is just to keep the discs dry. Just give them a light squeeze now and again. That is enough to make sure they work when you need them too. How often you do it will depend on how heavy the rain is. I used to ride all year round in Scotland so I know about rain. You don't need to buy anything.

I'm currently living in Scotland and I endorse the above! One thing though,are you using braided hosing?This should improve the feel and power of your brakes .EBC brake pads work well for me in inclement weather.

[pidgey]

Thanks for the input guys. My GS 850 is an '80 model, so has slotted discs, but I think the weight of the bike ( and myself !) could be an issue. She's fully dressed with full faring and luggage, together with my weight comes to @ 700lbs. I'll give some of these ideas a shot and see how it goes