Suggestions for more brakes on front of Gl1500

I always use my transmission and shift down letting compression do the work instead of the brakes for slowing.
Never had a problem with brake puck or shoe wear.

Lonnie

Brake pads chipper and lot easier to replace compere to engine overhole.
"The rig just doesn't stop quick enough." - If you compere to single bike it will newer happen.

If everything else seems to be working fine, but you still have the original OEM brake hoses, time to replace them with stainless lines.

Also, when was the last time you flushed the brake fluid. Should be done every two years at least.

If one side is wearing much faster then the other side, it is because you are not using all of the brakes you now have. On your bike your front brake works only one of the front calipers while the rear brake works the other as well as the rear brake of the bike. Try using all of your brakes all of the time. Brakes are much cheaper then gearing down and you tend to do what you practice in an emergency situation so it is best to practice always using all of your brakes all of the time.
I have owed a few GL1500 rigs over the years, never felt that there was really any braking issues at all even when also pulling a tent trailer. I found the GL1500 to have fine brakes but I always use all of the brakes all of the time which is what we teach in the S/tep class.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
866-638-1793

Not trying to be a smart ass here but if I have adequate brakes shouldn't I be able to lock the wheels at say 80mph which is about as fast as I drive?
I can't with this rig when I have the wife in the car. No she isn't hat heavy either. If I can't lock the wheels I am leaving traction available and unused. Which is where I am right now.
I can't find anything wrong at the calipers. I guess I can pull the metal off at the rear brake pedal assembly and see if there is something wrong there. I haven't had that apart yet.
In heavy traffic it is not unusual to have cars pull into the gap you are leaving for stopping and then have them slam on the brakes because they misjudged the speed of the cars that you are following. Unfortunately they can stop faster than I can and it sucks when they do.

While what I am about to say I am sure it not what you want to hear, I hope you will at least consider it. I also know my answer may open up a can of worms so to speak, I do hope that it starts a conversation on this forum.

I recommend first if you have not taken the S/tep class do so. If you have taken the class, take it again. People seldom just pull in front of you making it so you must slam on your brakes. There are lots of signs all around you as to clues as to what other drivers are likely to do. This is covered in the S/tep class. It is also covered in many of the books by David Hough such as "Driving a sidecar out fit" "Proficient motorcycling" "street strategies" and others. Keep in mind you have added a lot of mass to your bike, short of much larger brakes you may not be able to lock up the brakes at high speeds just like when towing a trailer with a car with out trailer brakes you might not be able to instantly lock up the brakes. This is why you should always allow more room in front of you for stopping. I like to keep at least 3 seconds back from the traffic in front of me. Your brake pad wear strongly suggest that you are not using all of the brake you now have as if you were the right front pad would also be worn down a similar amount. Braking is also covered in the S/tep class. In short the problem may not lie with the bike but rather its rider.

Jay G
DMC sidecars
While not current, I was certified in the first ever S/tep instructors prep class and also served as an assistant instructor for the class and was helping teach the class before it was an official class while David Hough was developing the curriculum.

Thanks for your concern Jay.
I do own all of Hough's books and I agree they are great. I did take the S/tep training and it was also money and time well spent.
We did find the problem. When the bike was reassembled at some point a piece of metal from the guard around the header got bent so that it prevented the rear brake lever from going full stroke.
It has been like that since we got it. Never had a GW before so I didn't know. There were brakes but not near enough brakes.
Pulled the starting solenoid out of the way and was able to see what looked like a piece of sheet metal that might be interfering with the pedal. Bent it down out of the way with a long screwdriver and all is better.

I haven't driven it yet as the wife has it most of the time. She says it actually stops now. Front end pulls down etc. Life is good.

Wow, how strange is that
Glad to hear you found the problem

Glad you found the problem, I have had 3 Goldwing 1500s with sidecars and all had good brakes, I did have an accident with a 91 wing, when my foot missed the brake pedal in a panic stop, I found a pedal extension that raised the pedal height and extended it a couple of inches to the right, making it a larger pedal target. The only problem I had with it was that it was hard to keep it from falling off. Ended up putting a layer of JB Weld on top of the stock pedal and reinstalling the extension before it set up.

... when my foot missed the brake pedal in a panic stop...

I had similar happen, resulting in entering a right turn way too fast, car came up, had to veer into the other lane to avoid disaster, ran out of lane and got my foot between the rig and the curb - not good (ironically, one of the few sections on island with a curb)

I got another brake lever, cut out a section of it to make it shorter, and re-welded it back together at a 30* angle.

I kick myself because it wasn't the first time (I have duck feet), and it was something I was 'going to get around to', and all of the drama and pain could have been avoided.

Consider what CCJon said about stainless brake lines. After years and years of brake cycling, rubber hoses can internally balloon on ya. IMHO, stainless lines are the single, most cost effective upgrade one can do to the brakes on a 20+ year old bike.

Hi,  I'd like to know more about this pedal extension.  I have a 'new to me' GL1500 and have only driven it a couple of times.  I have had a problem hitting the brake pedal, I have to twist my foot to the left.  Thanks  Rick

Years ago I had a similar problem. I heated the brake pedal up and bent it out.

Jay G
DMC sidecars

www.dmcsidecars.com

866-638-1793

I'm gonna buy a used pedal off ebay and fab something for it.