Brake or Bearing Mods

[jguy]

We're having beautiful weather in Georgia, so it was time for a fun GPS run on my wife's 87 Spree. I got it up to 36 MPH on a long downhill in a subdivision, no traffic. Wheeeee! Then it was time for the stop sign at the bottom of the hill. No problems with long gentle braking, but I had the strong feeling that I was at the limit of what Honda-san designed the brakes to do. The brakes are well adjusted, but I'm too heavy for her scoot (220 lbs).

The same is true for my Motobecane. When I get to 35 MPH, I get that "This 'ped is going to fly apart at any second" feeling, even though this 30 year old 'ped is tight and sweet.

So, the discussion point is: When you scooter gurus put lots of go fast mods into your scoots, do you do anything with the brakes? Or do you just accept the limitation and ride accordingly? Does the higher speed do anything to the bearings or bushings? How does the Spree handle at higher speeds, any twitchiness? If anyone is doing any brake mods, I hope you'll share them, because,

Fast go is good, fast stop is mo' better good.

Thanks to all, man, I love this forum!

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

You may be able to swap your pathetic 80mm drum for a slightly less-pathetic 95mm drum from a late-model Elite. I just sold mine. Look for SA50 wheel and brake panel on eBay.

[bradthreee]

The wider Elite wheel may not fit under the small Spree fender. The only way to find out is to try

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

The elite wheel is 1.85. I'm pretty sure a 2.5 tire will mount up. Hub width, brake panel configuation and axle diameters are unknown.