Motorcycle Repair: front brake, honda xl350, brake shoes

Question
hi Chris, I recently revived a 1977 honda XL350 (2,000 miles) that had been sitting for many years. At first the front brake worked fine, however after puttin around my neighborhood for a few weeks it now want to lock up as soon as I apply the front brake. Do you think the brake shoes are down to the metal?
Also, to remove the front wheel, do I first remove the axle nut on the one side, than the 8 bolts that hold the axle onto the bottom of the forks?
thanks rich

Answer
Hi Rich.

First of all, you need to flush the brake system and rebuild the caliper.  Check the pads when you have the caliper off the bike.  If they are bad, replace them.  Usually, they don't work better when worn, they work worse.

For removal of the front wheel, remove/loosen the axle retaining hardware and then the axle.

Some bikes require a certain order for some of this disassembly, but in order to be sure, then refer to the repair manual that you should be using.  It will also have all of the testing and other specs for the bike.

Good luck and ride safe.
FALCON