Braided Lines

Sactown2008

Sactown2008

Well-Known Member
Visit site
Is switching from stock rubber to braided brake lines a big ordeal? A parts clerk at a local dealer said the stopping power from braided is WONDERFUL. He has owned 4 Gen I and races an R6.

He also said, "Do it yourself."


:thewave::thewave::thewave:
 
No it's pretty straight forward.

Buy a Mity Vac, $30, and the job is even easier.

I also wrap Teflon plumbers tape around the threads of the bleed screws to keep air from leaking back into the caliper.

And if you want to make it really fool proof, do all of that but replace the bleed screws with GoodRidge bleed screws with the one way check valve.

The feel of the brakes is much better with SS lines. Every bike I've ever owned has had them. It's one of the first things I do to a new/used bike.
 
These videos made me feel I could do it. :dontknow: I haven't done it yet, but I plan too.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-JpNW-42Ww]Spiegler Stainless Steel Motorcycle Brake Lines Install Part 1 from SportbikeTrackGear.com - YouTube[/ame]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSpyBLinw4g]Spiegler Stainless Steel Motorcycle Brake Lines Install Part 2 from SportbikeTrackGear.com - YouTube[/ame]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH1q_xWvSlg]Spiegler Stainless Steel Motorcycle Brake Lines Install Part 3 from SportbikeTrackGear.com - YouTube[/ame]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHIlBaK7rV0]Spiegler Stainless Steel Motorcycle Brake Lines Install Part 4 from SportbikeTrackGear.com - YouTube[/ame]

And here's a video about this brand of brake line. They look good to me, but it is basically and ad for them. Any thoughts?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdAmdtpOjo0]Spiegler Stainless Steel Motorcycle Brake Lines Video Review from Sportbiketrackgear.com - YouTube[/ame]

I forgot to add these videos too, one on installing speed bleeders and the other on bleeding the brakes.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVjPVhoPHow]Speed Bleeder Motorcycle Brake Bleeder Screw Install from Sportbiketrackgear.com - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkxcQzhgJLU]Motorcycle Brake Bleeding Procedure from Sportbiketrackgear.com - YouTube[/ame]

Sportbike Track Gear has some great videos. Check out their site or do a youtube search.
 
Last edited:
whether you do them or have them installed...braided lines are waaaaay better than rubber. first thing I do on any bike I've owned.
 
The only brand I've used are HEL which I bought from HEL Canada & would recommend them. Customer service was good and the kits worked a-ok. Got me lines made for the old FZ and my SV and they felt fantastic.
 
I have Galfer, but they do not fit nicely to the Fz1 at least the front ones are too long and routing is a mess. However, they work as expected.

One more thing, if you do not get pressure after installing the new lines and trying to get the air out, untighten the banjo bolt on the master cylinder just enough that a bit brake fluid comes out when you pull the lever. There can be an air bubble and you do not get it out in any other way. I tried it for 45 min and did not succeed until I did this and then it was air free within minutes.

Have fun.
 
Dreamdemon said:
I have Galfer, but they do not fit nicely to the Fz1 at least the front ones are too long and routing is a mess. However, they work as expected.

One more thing, if you do not get pressure after installing the new lines and trying to get the air out, untighten the banjo bolt on the master cylinder just enough that a bit brake fluid comes out when you pull the lever. There can be an air bubble and you do not get it out in any other way. I tried it for 45 min and did not succeed until I did this and then it was air free within minutes.

Have fun.
Click to expand...

Thanks Demon for beating me to the punch. This is probably the most common hiccup when doing braided lines. When I did both my sets, Tony (NJFZ1) advised me of this little trick when I couldn't for the life of me get a hard lever. I cracked the banjo at the M/C, bled out some fluid, and BINGO!, lever was hard as a rock in no time flat. Great thought to post this tidbit of info!:tup:
 
Yep, those are good videos. I have Spiegler lines. Like them alot :tup:

Pretty straight foward to do the lines yourself. You can just use a wrench, tubing, and container and bleed it out - just like in those videos.
 
I personally know a brake engineer that works at Nissin. He once told me in no uncertain terms to never use a brake vacuum device. The problem is that you are pressure loading the seals in the opposite direction than they were designed for. This most often will suck dirt into the seal and cause issues that otherwise would have never shown up.

The dead giveaway for him was when a dealer would call the tech line claiming the leak started right after a brake bleeding. His next question would always be "did you vacuum bleed the system?" If the answer was "Yes", the warranty was gone.

That same engineer informed me that all other things being equal, braided brake lined are worth 2mm total lever travel measured at the end of the brake lever.

Beast
 
Last edited:
I'm using HEL SS lines in black both front and rear. Using the race setup in front, both brake lines connect to master cylinder via banjo both that came with the HEL brake line kit. I used the R1 front brake line for this. I ordered either 2 or 3 inches longer brake lines than stock but can't remember which. Also I using sv650 risers so my handle bars set lower. Anyway this setup rocks giving much better feed back in the front brake lever. If you like I'll post some photos of my setup. Just let me know.

Save yourself some money and order the back HEL ss line at the same time.

I was able to bleed the front brakes using three plastic lines, one on the master cylinder (using R1 mc) one from each caliper into a glass jar with enough brake fluid to cover the ends of each line. It took took a pumping but I got it done.

Bleeding the back brakes required that I purchase a 99 cent all purpose home depo spray bottle. It has a larger plastic hose that fits perfectly inside the the brake bleed line attached to the rear master cylinder. Open the bleed valve and pumped the spray bottle top until the air was pulled. Then pumped the pedal to complete the job. This is a safe way to bleed the brakes because there is very little suction or vacuum used . Copperdawg has a video posted on youtube that shows how to do this. You could use this method to bleed the front and save a lot of time.

It's well worth it to make the switch. :D
 
Last edited:
I forgot to add these videos too, one on installing speed bleeders and the other on bleeding the brakes.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVjPVhoPHow]Speed Bleeder Motorcycle Brake Bleeder Screw Install from Sportbiketrackgear.com - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkxcQzhgJLU]Motorcycle Brake Bleeding Procedure from Sportbiketrackgear.com - YouTube[/ame]

Sportbike Track Gear has some great videos. Check out their site or do a youtube search.
 
$2.67 5mm tube from Home Depot, liter plasctic water bottle, and 8mm wrench. ;) Plus Motul RBF 600 racing brake fluid ($16 at STG, or $20 at cycle gerar) Works like a charm! :D
 
Last edited:
FZ1yb said:
$2.67 5mm tube from Home Depot, liter plasctic water bottle, and 8mm wrench. ;) Plus Motul RBF 600 racing brake fluid ($16 at STG) Works like a charm! :D
Click to expand...

I got the same set up. I have 2 Spring Water bottle from Publix...lol I drill a hole for the tube and a little bleed hole next to it so I don't "pressurize" the bleeding bottle.

I like to open bleed at first to make sure I completely drain the old fluid. Then I pressure bleed at the end. No need for speed bleeder, since it is easy to reach the bleeder and brake lever at the same time.

As far as brake fluid, unless you hit the track. No need to get a second mortgage on your house to buy brake fluid. The main difference is boiling point. I use Valvoline DOT4 that I get at Autozone... way good enough for my type of riding.

EDIT: I've seen too many time people over tightening the bleeder! Best way to do it is a very light snug with a wrench then tight it up with a torque wrench to spec. Because once the seat is chew up... the caliper is done.
 
Last edited:
After bleeding his breaks my dad used to leave the top off the fluid reservoir with the lever pulled back to the bar and tied and left over night. he claimed that any air remaining in the fluid would rise up and out this way. He was a mechanic but i have not tried it myself yet.
 
kenten said:
After bleeding his breaks my dad used to leave the top off the fluid reservoir with the lever pulled back to the bar and tied and left over night. he claimed that any air remaining in the fluid would rise up and out this way. He was a mechanic but i have not tried it myself yet.
Click to expand...

Leaving the top of the reservoir open for a longer timescale is not a good idea. The brakefluid will take up the water from the air and that will cause again air bubbles when the fluid heats up. You change the brake fluid because eventually it has taken to much water from the outside.
 
Spiegler lines here,I think all the lines are pretty much the same so i would look at pbest price.Another tip is when bleeding them down use plenty of towels to keep brake fluid off painted surfaces and not a bad idea to keep the garden hose handy in case of spills
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top