frozen brakes = no brakes now.

[foster]

I ride an '83 185s.
This bike was pretty cherry when purchased just a few months ago.
I rode it in the wet weather last week and when I went to use it on Sunday after a spell of sub-zero temperatures, the rear wheels were locked up. I assumed the brakes had gotten water on them and the whole thing was froze up, so I put it on the trailer and lugged it to a car wash and sprayed the whole rear end with hot water for four or five minutes.
It worked like a charm and freed up everything.
BUT!
Now I've hardly got any brakes at all, all of a sudden! (Levers are real loose, too. They weren't before the "big freeze.")
What's the problem here and, most importantly, what's the solution?
Thanks for any help you guys can provide.
FOST

[ATC crazy]

If I were you, I'd take apart the rear drum and clean everything inside...and dont forget to use brake cleaner...not water. Put it all back together and try it out...if It still dosent work, check your cables and whatnot.

[Wickedfinger]

This sort of thing happens alot with manual brakes ... and with clutches too in the cold. The brakes on my 200S and all of my control cables on my Blaster (except for the throttle) used to freeze up in the cold out in my shed all the time. Usually it had to be well below 30* though. Even after lubing up the cables with WD40 - they still stuck. I used to have to take a hair dryer to them to get them un-frozen. After the bikes were warmed up, I never had any problems with frozen cables while I was riding no matter how cold it was out although the rear mechanical disk on the Blaster wouldn't last too long and bind up in the snow (which is what I hear from alot of other riders too).

[mymint87]

i"ve had the " metalic pad" actually seperate from the metal part of the brake shoe..

sounds exactly what happened to me on my 84 atc70...

first it froze up, when i took it apart, thats what i had found.

what happens is the "pad" breaks free lodging itself freezing the brakes, then once it frees itself. it leaves you with "no brakes"

[Howdy]

i"ve had the " metalic pad" actually seperate from the metal part of the brake shoe..

sounds exactly what happened to me on my 84 atc70...

first it froze up, when i took it apart, thats what i had found.

what happens is the "pad" breaks free lodging itself freezing the brakes, then once it frees itself. it leaves you with "no brakes"

I have seen this quite a few time myself. My money is on mymint87's thinking here. ;)
Howdy

[ejc042]

I agree with mint and Howdy. My friend's 125 had the front brakes lock and now they don't grab. We pulled it apart and the pad had peeled off the the shoe.

[foster]

Huh!
Sounds logical, even to a mechanically-disinclined idjit like me.
Sounds like a good excuse to fetch my ratchets and a six pack and make plans for tonight.

Thanks everyone for your input. I'll have a look-see and report back what I found.