Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: After tires replaced rear brake feels spongy, motorcycle tires, hydraulic brakes

Question
The dealer replaced my motorcycle tires with new ones (different brand) and now the rear brake feels spongy and it seems like the stopping distance has increased. When I apply the rear brakes, it seems the motorcycle does not want to stop and if I keep pressing on the rear breaks, it will lock up and slip side ways. All this happened after I picked up the motorcycle after the tire replacement. I know there are about 80 miles that need to be ridden before the tires are not slippery but I am feeling it in the rear break and not the front brakes. Could they have messed something up with the rear brakes while replacing the rear tire? I can't imagine they will do anything to the brakes other than remove them and put them back when they're done.


Answer
Normally with hydraulic brakes, you have to really pump them up after a tire change in order to get them working right again. (The caliper needs to be pried apart to get the wheel off, and then it takes a little work to pump them back into place with the lever and fluid.) Press the lever repeatedly while the bike is parked to get them pumped up.

However, if you have drum brakes, there may be an adjustment arm that needs to be tightened or loosened (lengthened or shortened) in order to get the shoes in just the right place. This is probably the problem. You'll need to adjust the rear brake linkage so it engages as soon as you press the pedal. This is something you need to look up in your owners manual. The mechanic had to pull it apart to change the tire, it's common for it to be not quite exactly the same when they put it back together. Think of it as "fine-tuning."

Now, on to the hard part: if you're using the rear brake to stop the bike, you need to go take a safety class. The rear brake is only good for 10-25% of the stopping power of a motorcycle. You need to use your FRONT brake to stop the bike. I honestly only use my rear brake five or ten times a WEEK--and I ride every day. The front brake does all the slowing/stopping work. In an emergency, if you only know how to use your rear brake, your stopping distance will be 2-3 times what it should be.

Read a book or take a class or do something, but DON'T rely on your rear brake! It's worthless if you need to stop fast.

Good luck,

Pat