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Braided steel brake lines

  • Thread starter Thread starter Flaggo60
  • Start date Start date
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Flaggo60

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I'm not sure if this has been covered before, but it's worth repeating- changing the brake lines to braided steel makes a huge difference in stopability. My GS650G is an index finger operation when covering the front brake while riding.
 
See you are an Ontario guy, so may I ask which kit you went with and how much? I like the HEL product, with the 2-line front setup, may start shopping for it soon. I picked up a Russell rear brake line kit on Ebay a while ago, but did'nt install it yet.
Tony.
 
There's a big difference in braking feel and power. And unlike rubber brake lines which need to be replaced every 2-4 years, steel braided lines are good for the life of the bike.
 
The price of the Hel set was prob. the most expensive of all, but then it came with stainless fittings, coated braided steel sheath (so it doesn't rub holes in whatever it touches), and all the stainless banjo bolts and copper washers as well. Worth every cent. And now the bike stops before I get to the back end of that truck... :shock:
 
tfb said:
The price of the Hel set was prob. the most expensive of all, but then it came with stainless fittings, coated braided steel sheath (so it doesn't rub holes in whatever it touches), and all the stainless banjo bolts and copper washers as well. Worth every cent. QUOTE]

Yes, they do look pretty cool. Weirdly enough, last time I priced them (a year ago), it was cheaper to buy them from the U.K., even with the shipping factored in....not sure if that has changed since.
BTW tfb, I had sent you a PM re. the carbs mod on your site...not sure if you got it?
Tony.
Click to expand...
 
Tony,

Apologies re. my slow reply for the PM... :oops: ... but I have now replied!

Cheers,
Mike.
 
You can configure your own lines on the Spiegler web site. The next day they'll contact you with a quite reasonable price.

http://spieglerusa.com/

This is very handy if you've changed your handlebars like most sensible riders. If you decide to order, they normally make up your lines and ship them out the next business day.
 
Are you not able to buy them locally?

I always get mine through my local wrench. He will whip them up in a few minutes and his cost is maybe 75% of on line stores.

Just wondering.

Cheers all,
Spyug
 
Believe me, I would have had no hesitations about making my own brake lines up... except that there was no crew who would sell me the various individual items of hardware required. ](*,)

If anyone had the gear here in Perth, they would only make up the lines to my specification, and none of them were going to be as well-spec'd as the 'Hel' lines available through an eBay store.
 
Nessism said:
It's very easy to make your own lines, and cheaper than purchasing pre made. Link below is a thread I posted about this topic a while ago. http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=114521&highlight=video
Click to expand...

I'd much rather have the crimped connections, personally. Nothing's going to come loose.

That said, I do have a set of the bolted-together lines on my GS850 that a local shoppe made up for me, and they've worked fine for years. However, I only had them made there because the skeevy SOB I talked to led me to believe that they had the special machine to make the crimped lines. The "special machine" turned out to be a cutting wheel and some mope with two wrenches... grumble mutter rassa frassa... :evil::evil: Probably should have told them to cram it, but I wanted to ride...

I have a Speigler line on my VX800 (single rotor), and it's much nicer and cleaner looking, and I have a bit more confidence in it.
 
I've seen a crimped line fail in hydraulic applications plenty of time.... Mind you that's what my dad's company did at the time.... onsite replacement.

They were braided (at least once). Probably had more pressure than a front brake line going through them though!

Dan :)
 
I once had a crimped line made by a local shop blow apart on a car I built. I always test new brake lines now before I leave the driveway.

Anyway, it was caused by improperly crimping the end.

I also always inspect the crimp now - this one was obviously defective.
 
bwringer said:
I'd much rather have the crimped connections, personally. Nothing's going to come loose.

I have a Speigler line on my VX800 (single rotor), and it's much nicer and cleaner looking, and I have a bit more confidence in it.
Click to expand...

What makes you think crimp on lines are any more secure than bolt on?

The bolt on lines compress the ferrel into the teflon inner liner whichs effects the seal. I've taken some of these apart after bolting them down and the teflon is crushed down but not overly pinched off. A friend that works building race cars said that the bolt on lines are more consistent in their sealing since the ferrel crush is determined by the dimensional shape on the fittings instead of an adjustment of the crimp machine.

Of course everyone needs to use what they are comfortable using. I for one am not worried.
 
I had it done back in the late eighties-the local shop, a large Kawasaki dealer, did it for me. I'm not sure of the mfr. The fact that they have been on nearly twenty years and are still excellent says a who;e lot for the system.
 
Nessism said:
What makes you think crimp on lines are any more secure than bolt on?

The bolt on lines compress the ferrel into the teflon inner liner whichs effects the seal. I've taken some of these apart after bolting them down and the teflon is crushed down but not overly pinched off. A friend that works building race cars said that the bolt on lines are more consistent in their sealing since the ferrel crush is determined by the dimensional shape on the fittings instead of an adjustment of the crimp machine.

Of course everyone needs to use what they are comfortable using. I for one am not worried.
Click to expand...
as far as crushfitting/presurejoints go, they are a bit more secure than crimped simply in the sense that the metal itself as not been compromised by bending it. Having replaced 959485845 hydraulic/hydrostatic lines in bobcats, they all use pressure fittings and quick connects. That stuff not only is at high pressure, but because the wheels and PTO/external devices are driven by Hydrostatic pressure, its also EXTREMELY hot...you would have a blowout of the line itself before the fitting gave out, and thats most often what happened.
 
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